In August of 1861, Battery B of the 1st Regiment, Light Artillery, New York State Volunteers was organized at Baldwinsville and was composed primarily of men from Onondaga County. The unit became known as Pettit’s Battery, after its original commander Rufus Pettit. Battery B was involved in numerous battles over the course of the Civil War including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Battery B participated in the defense of Cemetery Ridge against the famous Confederate attack on July 3, 1863 known as Pickett’s Charge.