May 13, 2021 at 6:30 pm
A presentation by Lieutenant Colonel John Cole, US Army (R).
During the American Civil War, Artillery was utilized by both sides to support the advancement of infantry and cavalry, to lay siege to cities and towns, and to bombard fortresses. Unlike today’s indirect fire artillery systems (that utilize an observer (ground, air, space), or GPS-guided fire-and-forget systems) that enable first round “fire for effect” at targets up to and beyond 20 miles, American Civil War artillery systems were primarily direct fire weapons, utilized against observed targets, chiefly within 5 miles or less. This presentation will cover those systems, the available technology, and the tactics utilized.
John Cole, Lieutenant Colonel (US Army Retired) was born in Florence, Alabama and is a member of the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table. He graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Geography and a minor in History and earned a Master’s degree in Leadership and Management from Webster University. He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Field Artillery and served as a battery commander in the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and returned to Iraq two more times: first as an Advisor to the Iraqi Security Forces and again as a fire support coordinator against ISIS. Retiring from the military in 2015. Capitalizing on his interest in history and his military experience, he accepted the Senior Army JROTC position with Troy City Schools, Troy, Alabama and later Lyman Ward Military Academy, Camp Hill, Alabama. In 2018 he joined the U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal as a Senior Analyst with Systems Products and Solutions, INC.
John collects World War II vintage militaria and guns and occasionally weapons associated with other U.S. conflicts as well. He enjoys studying the American Civil War and WWII history and resides with his family in Madison, Alabama.
