EXTRACT FROM THE HISTORY THIRD REGIMENT R. I. HEAVY ARTILLERY, rUISLlSHED IN THE ADJUTANT GENERAL'S REPORT MtnXc of photic Islawft, (REPRINT OF 1865) 1893. I'RINIED BY TIIK THIRD RHODE ISLAM) VETERAN ASSOCIATION FOR ITS MEMBERS. PROVIDENCE: E. L. KKEF.MAN & SON, PRINTERS TO THE ST ATK I 894. i i I EXTRACT IT^OM Tllli HISTORY THIRD REGIMENT R. I. HEAVY ARTILIJ:RY, lTI!I,IMIKli IN IHE ADJUTANT GENERAL'S REPORT J>tatc of |,^hci(lc Island, (REPRINT OP 1865) 1 cS {) :] . rKINllll) 1!V IIIK rillKD KHODK ISLAND VKIKK.AN ASSOCIATH )N KOK ITS MK.M IlKRS. I ' l< ( ) \' 1 1 ) K \ C K : P^ I.. I'KKI'.MAN \ SON, I'KINIKUS lu IIIK S I A I'K 1 8 ( j 4 . 6i50» 9i^ THIRD RECtIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. Within tho limits pi'osoril)0(l. only tlio inosi snccincl outline can be presenterl of the varied and ex|ep(tetl services of this regiment. The jieriod of its serviee extended from Anijnst, 18G1, to Septem- ber, 18()0, durin<>: which time its several ('.omi)anies were scattered over a wide territory and many States ; serving now as infantuy, now as heavy artillery, now as light artillery, and at times detach- ments from ditferent companies ser\an*g^for longer or shorter periods upon armed transports as coast guard or on sjjecial ser- vice. The principal field of its activities was in tlie Dei^artment of the South, which embraced South Carolina, Georgia and Flor- ida, under the command successively of Generals Thomas W. Sherman, David Hunter, Ormsby M. Mitchel, C^uincj' A. Gill- more and John G. Foster ; against whom commanded in sueces. sion Generals Rol)ert E. Lee, John C. Pemberton and G. T. r)eau- regard. The brevitj' of this sketch detei-mines its plan, which rigidly excludes all personal matters, all matters of detail, as well as extended comments upon the events chronicled. It seeks to group the widely scattered anil multiform services of the different companies of this Regiment under the genei-al movements of the army or armies to which they belonged. ORGANIZATION. .luly 2:|, 1861, Governor Sprague issued (4eiu'ral Order No, 42, calling for the organization of a "Thinl Regiment of Infantry," and enlistments were commenced at once. August <>th, the order was temporaril}' re-called, but i-e-issued in a modified form August 12th, in (4enei-al Order No. 40, l)y wliich tlie organization of the Regiment was entrusted to the following- olVieers : " IJrig. (4en. 4 THIRD REGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILIjERV. Charles T. Robbins, acting as Colonel, Christopher Blanding, acting as Lieutenant Colonel, and Peter A. Sinnott, Major, with Brigade Major Joseph P. Balch as assistant to General Robbins." Drs. Henry W. Rivers and Robert Millar were appointed medical examiners. A little later, Asher R. Edd}^ captain in the regular army, was invited to take the place of acting Colonel Robbins. The al)Ove officers, however, were only temporary, and no one of them was ever mustered upon commissions for these positions. Land upon the estate of the late Governor, eTohn Brown Francis, below Pawtuxet, was selected for the camii, named Camp Ames, in honor of the ('liief Justice of the State, Samuel vVmes, and here the companies began to assemble in Augnst, and some three weeks were spent in mustering, clothing and drilling the nuMi. September 7th the Regiment, consisting of nine companies under command of acting Lieut.-Col. Blanding, end)arked at Providence on the steamer "Commodore"" for Fort Hamilton, on Long Island, N. Y., where forces were gathering under the com- numd of Gen. Thomas \V. Sherman. Here the Regiment com- menced dailj" drill in the manual of field, siege and garrison artillery, as well as in infantry tactics. September 14th the Reg- iment was suddenlj^ summoned bj' Gen. Scott to Washington, where it arrived the next day and encamped in " (lamp Spragne," baton the 22d it was at Fort Hamilton again, and assiduously drilling from morning until night. Here the tenth company, Co. H, was formed, and the permanent organization com])leted, and October 9th a large numl)er of officers were mustered, among them Nathaniel W. I^rown, Colonel ; Stephen R. Bucklin, Lieu- tenant Colonel ; Edwin Metcalf, Major. While at Fort Hamilton the Regiment received many tokens of esteem from the ladies of Rhode Island : a set of camp colors from Mrs. Wm. P. IVlartin ; a beautifnl i-egimental (lag, j)i'esented by Major Metcalf in l)ehalf of the ladies of Providence ; and many articles of comfort from Mrs. Stephen R. Bnckliii and other ladies of Pawtuck<4. Though the ReginuMit was still nominally a reg- iment of infantry, yet it was in reality i)i-eparing to do the service of a regiment of heavy artillery. Si)ecial Oi-der No. .i.);), dated December l!)th, from the Adjutant Generars Office at Washington changed the name of the Regiment, officially, to that of the "Thii'd Regiment Rhode Island Heavy Artillery," and authorized it to be iiu'reased to twelve companies of one hundred and fifty men each. THIRD REniMEXT KIIODE ISLANh HK.W V AimiJ.KllV. ti Roornitinji: oftices were opened in Providence niider Christopher niaiidinu' and Henry T. Sisson, both of whom were soon after ooin- niissioiied as the two additional majors in the new organi/.alion. Reernits were rapidly sent forward to fill up the companies, and in ^Farch, lt^()2, the two new majors arrived witli a lar.uc iiiiiiilx'i'. and two additional comi)anies, L and M, were formed. EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL. October 12th the Rejiiment embarked on the steamship " Ca- hawba" and proceeded to Fortress Miinroe, where the military and naval forces were uathering under Gen. Thomas W. Sherman and C'ommodore Samuel V. I)u Pont, preparatory to a descent upon the coast of South Carolina. Here the Rejiiment was en- cami)ed until the 2od, when it ayain embarked upon the same steamei', but was destined to wait anothei- week before the ex- pedition was ready to set sail. While in camp at this place, th<» Regiment exchaiiiied its uniform of .yray for that of the I'liioii r>lin% and comj^anies A and C received Whitney i-ifles with sabre bayonets in (^xchanjic for their Entu'ld muskets. Octobei- I'lUli the ex))editi()n uot underway, se\'enteen war vessels with Ihiity transports and supi)ly vessels, ami on board the " Kxix'dit ionai-y ("(>ri»s" of (4en. Shei'man. consist inu' of 12,(15;) ollicers and men. After a verj' stormy passage and the loss of four vessels, the fleet began to assemble again off Port Royal, South C'arolina, Xovein- bei- 4th. The Regiment was present at the naval engagement November 7th, but did not participate, as planned, in the caplui-e of the forts, as the participation of the land forces had t<» be abandoned in conse(pience of the loss during t lie voyage of the greater poition of the means of disembarkment of troops. Two companies, however, ]> and C, were landed on the day of the en- gagement, and the renuiinder of the Regiment on the following- day. This was the only expedition in which the Regiment sei-ved as a unit. Never after this were the ten companies brought to- gether in Jiny one combined movement, and even when several companies sei-ved in the same canii)aign, they were not all in the same command. Soon after landing at Port Royal the comi)anies were separated never to meet again as a regiment, not even at their final muster out. rom])anies H and (' garrisoned ^^»rt AVelles on Hilton Head, companies I) and H Foi-t Sewaid at Uay G THIRD REGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTiLLERV- Point, Co. I was later sent to Otter Island to garrison Fort Dray- ton, and the remainder of the Regiment manned the entrenchment which it helped construct on Hilton Head. The headquarters of the Regiment under Colonel Brown were at Fort Welles, and Lieutenant-Colonel Bucklin assumed command at Bay Point. The history and services of the Regiment may be better under- stood, if, at this point, there be given a sketch of the field of operations and the work to be done, as j'et somewhat undeter- mined, but gradually determined later by circumstances. Gen. Sherman found in his front, formed and forming, a formidable strategic line, its right resting on Fort McAllister on the Ogeechee River, sixteen miles south of Savannah, passing through Fort Beaulieu on Vernon River, and strong l)atteries on the interven- ing islands to Forts Thunderbolt, Bonadventure and Clausten's I)luff on St. Augustine CU-eek, to Forts Jackson, Lee, Tatnall and Lawton on the Savannah immediately in front of the city, and thence on to the left of the line, resting on Charleston Harl)or- The advanced jjosts of this line were at Fort Pulaski, New River Bridge, Bluffton, Port Royal Ferry, and on the extreme left, James and Morris Ishind and Fort Sumter. The extreme right of the enemy's line extended across Georgia to Jacksonville on the St. John's River in Florida. This line of some two hundred miles in length was at the time under the command of no less a personage than General Robert E. Lee. This was the principal theatre of action of the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, some portions of which were activelj^ engaged at every salient i)oint of this most stubbornly defended line during the next four years, pai'ticipating in every engagement in siege and field, either as infantry, or as heavy artillery, or as light artillery, or a part of the naval force. Immediately on securing the base at Port Royal, the army and navy deployed in every direction by land and sea, noiHiward toward Cliarleston to St. Helena Sound, and southward to the Savannah, and even further south to Florida. During November and December, the principal duties of the Regiment were in re- pairing and manning the foi'ts, in artillery and infantry drill, yet detachments at various times parti(;ii)ated in these preliminary exix'dilions, some of which may be here mentioned. NommhImm- 25th a detachment from Co. A was sent with Lieut. J. H. Wilson, of the ITniled States Topograjjliical Kngineers, " to examine the THIRD KK(iI.MKNT KliODK ISLAND HKAN V AKTILLKKV. 7 fon-i<'S from Hilton Iload Island to tlio iiiainlaiul, situated al Ferry Point and Spanish Welles." December iMlh two detaeli- nients of forty men each, from Co. A, under Lieut. Thomas W. Fry, and from Co. E, undei' Capt. James K. liailev, were sent with Lieut. Wilson upon a somewhat ]iei-ilous exi>edition, of thr«'e days duration, within the lines of the enemy to examine "the land and water between the Coo[)er and Savannah Kivers." lieeonnoi.s- sanees were made in boats at night-time almost to the whai-\es at Savannah. January Sth a detachment from Co. G, undei- Sergt. James H. Hudson, was sent with the New York Engineers under Major O. T. Jieard, to saw otf the piles and remove the schooner whicli closed WalTs Cut, an inland passage from Port lioyal to the Savannah, a laborious and perilous task, reiiuiring many nights of assiduous elfort. While these and other detachments were participating in reconnoissaiices in the direction of Hlntlton and Savannah, Co. H. was sent from l?ay Point northward in the direction of C'harleston : one half under Capt. Horatio Rogers, Jr., of Co. 11, to Coflin's Point on St. Helena Island, and the other under Lieut. Charles R. Brayton, of the same company, to Brick- yard Point on Lady's Island ; and Co. I, under C-apt. Charles G. Strahan. accompanied an exi)edition to St. Helena Sound and took possession of, and for the next six months garrisoned Fort Dray- ton on Otter Island. Reconnoitering parties were constantly sent against the centre of the enemy's line, also on the maiidand be- tween Charleston and Savannah. December IStli detachments from Co. C, under Capt, Charles W. 11. Day, accomiianied a i)arl of the Third Xew Hampshire, under Lieut. -Col. Jackson, on a reconnoissance upon the steamer " Ma^^flower " up Coosaw River, on which occasion they manned the light guns in an engagement with a rebel battery. THE SIEGE OF FORT PULASKI. Up to January, 1862, the work of the army under Gen. Sheinian was only preliminary to a general forward inovenient. His desire and })lan Avas to strike the line of the enemy between Charleston and Savannah, cut the communications, take Savannah, and i)os- sibly Charleston in reverse, and thus open an avenue to the vitals of the Confederacy. This plan retpiired a much larger force than he had at his command, and as Gen. McCh^llan positively refused 8 THIRD REGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. to isend tlie re-iiiforceinents necessary, this plan had to be aban- doned. Gen. Sherman and Commodore Du Pont had, from the first, been constantly stndying the Charleston and the Savannah problems, and the movements above detailed were factors in the solntion. Cajit. Qnincy A. Gillmore, Chief Engineer, reported, December 1, 1861, the feasibility of reducing Fort Pulaski by siege guns from Tybee Island south of the Fort, but this plan was not definitely adopted and entered upon until late in February, 1862. The first advance in this direction was against the city itself and not against the fort. Gen, Sherman proposed "to open Wall's Cut so that the Navy might throw gunboats into the Sa- vannah above the fort, to erect batteries on some of its islands, cut off Fort Pulaski, shell Fort Jackson, and afterwards the city, without the slow and expensive i)rocess of first bombarding Pu- laski." This plan was matured and entered upon in January. Companies E and G and detachments from Co. A, of twenty-five inen, were selected to man the guns. The joint expedition of army and nav}' left Port Royal January 26tli and i-endezvoused on Daufuskie Island. Using this island as a base, the land force under Gen. Egbert L. Viele, directed by Chief Engineer, Capt, Gillmore, was enabled after weeks of most fatiguing labor, to plant batteries upon mud islands on both north and south bank of the Savannah lliver. ]3attery Vulcan, at Venus Point on Jones Island, was ready February 11th, and on the 14th defeated, after a sharp engagement, three gun-boats which had come down from the city. February 20th, Capt. Bailey was sent with Co. E and the detachment from Co. A across the Savannah River to man the guns in Fort Hamilton, just completed on Bird Island. The efforts exerted in planting these batteries were herculean, and the passage between the city and the fort was corked as tight as a bottle. Owing to lack ol" co-operation on the part of the navy, Gen. Sherman was obliged to give up his plan of ad- vance upon Savannah, and was directed by Gen. McClellan to reduce Fort Pulaski by siege from Tybee Island. This order transferred the field of activity from the north to the south side of the fort, and thereby rendered the importance of the service on tlie north, which was intended as primary, now secondary to that of the force gathering on Tybee Island. The force on the upper Savannah devoted its efforts to strengthening the i)ositions occn- [)ied and to i-epclling the freciucnl allempis of the enemy to break THIRD KEGI.MKNT HHoDK [SLAND HK.W ^ A ilTI I.LKUV. '.» t Iiroiiiih Ihe line of iiivesliiiciit, ;iiied as fast as the oi'dnancc arrived from the north. As in the ease of the ereelion of the bat- teries on the upper river, this labor was of the most fat ijnuinu' character. C"om[)any F, under C'apt. Mason, and ("ompaii.N II. under (apt. Jvogers, i)articipated in this work. Company I!, under Capt. Tourtellott. arrived April 7tli, and llu' three com- panies were assiyiu'd to batteries as follows : Co. J>, to IJatleiy T.yon, o ten-inch columbiads, Mloo yards distant from the wall of the I'ort, under Cai»l. Tourtellott; Battery Lincoln, o eiii;ht-in<'h columbiads, ;j()4r) yai'ds distant, under Lieut. Albert E. Greene ; Co. E, Battery Seott, 3 ten-ineh colum])ia(ls and one ei.nht-ineh eolund»iality-foui--pouiKler James rifles and i* sixty- four-[)ounder James rifles, lOoO yards distant, unller Capt. llo.uers. Thus nearly all the breaehin,u' batteries were manned by this Regiment; of the seven other batteries, six were e(iuipi)ed with mortars, and inost of them at great distance. There were, in all, 1<; nu)rtars and 20 guns in the batteries on this island, and 14 of the latter were served by the above companies. On the evening of April *Jth all was in readiness. Capt. Gillmore, Cliief Engineer, Gen. IL W. Uenham, commancU^r of the district, and (4en. David lluntei', wlio had relieved Clen. Sherman in comnuuul of the de- partment on .Ahireh olst, were all present. April loth, at S:l."» A. M., the bond)ardment opened fi-om the mortar baltei'ies, and by f):oO all the heavy rifle-guns were in full play. The mortar bat- teries proved a grievous failure, as less than one-teidh of the I ol^ shells thrown by them fell inside the fort, and it becanu' evid«'nt before night that the breaching batteriej^ alone must be dei)ended upon to reduce the fort. All these were manned by the men of the Third Rhode Island, with the exception of Batteiy Sigel, equipped with light pieces, 5 thirty-i»oiinder I'arrotts and 1 forty- eight pounder James rifle, which were not served with clliciency dui-ing the first day. The bombardment was kept up until even- ing, and the wall of the fort was fast becoming honey-cond)ed. 2 10 THIRD REGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. One mortar and one 30-ponn(ler Parrott continiiecl tlie fire all night, to prevent repairs, and at sunrise on the 11th all the bat- teries opened again with decided effect, until the breach in the wall exposed the magazine and rendered longer resistance dan- gerous. The firing from both the rifle guns and colunil)iads was excellent, "the former boring like augurs into the brick face of the wall, the latter striking like trip-hammers and breaking off great masses of masonry that had been cut loose by the rifles." At 2 P. M. the fort surrendered, o85 men, including a full comple- ment of officers, several severely, and one mortally wounded. On the l^nion side one nuin only was killed, Thonuis Campl)ell of Co. II. Sergt. George W. Greene, of Co. B, was Avouiuled in the face. None of our guns were hit. The most effective batteries were those served by the Rhode Island men, and in particular the battery of James rifles manned by Co. H, which threw o70 shot and 225 shell. The battery manned by Co. F threw 4-tl shot, and the one manned by Co. B threw 740 shell. The heavy James rifles of Battery McClellan, under Capt. Rogers, ably seconded by Lieutenants Charles R. Braytoii and William C. Barney, were the most effective instruments in reducing the fort, as acknowl- edged by Gen. Gillmore in liis report. The service of these guns, bearing the name of a distinguished Rhode Islander, wrought in this siege a revolution in the use of siege guns, l^ays Gen. Gill- more : " Had we possessed our present knowledge of their power previous to the bombardment of Fort Pulaski, the eight weeks of laborious preparation for its reduction could have been cur- tailed to one week, as heavj^ mortars and columbiads would have ))een omitted from the armament of the batteries as unsuitable for breaching at long ranges." Companj' B was stationed for a month in the captured fort to instruct the Seventh Connecticut in the use of heavy guns. Four men of this comi)any, Sergt. George J. Hill, John A. Gorton, Michael I. Gibbens and Joseph T. Luther, were killed April 14th by the explosion of a shell which they were empt3'ing, and Chai'les Morgan mortally wounded. April Kith a detachment of sixttHMi men from Co. l'\ under Lieut. Augustus AV. Colwell, accomjianietl a r(M'oiin()il('i-ing expedition of 4(»() men under Lieut. J. II. Wilson, to Wilmington Island. In a sharp cngagenu^nt Avith SOU of the enemy, the Fnioii force lost JO killed and ;!.") \vound<'d, of whom some were of Co. F, whicli mauuiMl a six-pounder gun on the THiKI) KE(;l.MKXT RHODE ISI.AXJ) HEAVY AIMILLEKV. II stoaiiicr " Iloiidiiias/'' All llic (•(inipaiiics (tii the Saxaiiiiali, ex- cept Co. r.. Id iiiiH'd soon alter to Hilton Head, and in .Ma.\('o. 15 \v;is i-eplaeed in the i'oil l»y Co. (i, which remained lliere nntil May. 1S(;4. Company 1) was still at IJay Point, Co. I on Otter Island and detachments fioin Co.'s C and L on Edisto Island. The I'emainder of the l\e, in which Co. A participated. Several of these are of such importance as to require the addition of a few details. The advance against Charleston via Stono Inlet and James Island began earlj' in ]May, 1802. Gen. Hunter intended to make a roup de main on the city, but was delayed by lack of transpor- tation, and the advance was checked by large re-infoi-cenuMits on James Island. Companies B, E, F. II and K had })een di-illing as infantry on Edisto Island siiu'C Ma.y -od, and Co. I and sections of C and L were serving in the vicinity as artillery. Eai'ly in Jnne all the I'orces were brought togelher on James Island, alxml 1-2 THIRD RECilMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. 10, ()()() ill all, uiidei" Gens. Isaac I. Stevens and Horatio G. Wright, and over these Gen. Henry W. Benhani. whom Gen. Hunter had left in f'oniniand. There were dail.y skirniislies for several ay Point, B at Seabrook, and a detacliment fiom A on the armed transport "George Wasliington." Detach- ments from Co. G, under Capt. Gould, accompanied reconnoiter- ing parties up ]\Iay River into the vicinity of Blntlton during August, September and October, serving the guns upon light steaniei-s and ])artieipating in manj' sharp engagements. THIKI> i;K(ilMKNr i;il(i|»K ISLAND HK.WN A I; I I LI, HI; V. ] o ADVANCE ACiAINST 1*( K'( »TA Ll( JO. Seplcnihcr I7tli (icM. ()iinsl)y M. .Mitclicl assiiiiHMl coimnaiMl (»!' the Department, and at once commenced expeditions of recon- noissance against the line of tlu' enemy, tlie principal one of which was a^uainst the Charleston and Savannali liailroad, iM'arly midway between the two cities, at Pocotali,i»<). This expedition left Port Roj'al October l'1, 18^2, under command of (toi. J. M. r.rannan, about 4,500 men and several j;:unl)oats. 'riic landing was made on the l*"_M at ]\[ackay's Point, at the junction of tlic l*ocotalii«:o and Tulifiny Rivers, and the advance toward the \il- lajxe of Pocotaliifo at once commenced. The enemy was found ai ("aston's I'lantation, about six miles from the landing, and (bivcn from his position, and later from his position at the Frami)ton plantation, and finally across the hij>:hway bridge near Pocotali<>;o, which h<' burned. Further advance was imj)ractical)l<', aiul as larii'e re-inforcements were ai-riviny,- from Savannah and Charles- ton, the Union force gradually withdrew^ to Mackay's T'oiiil a1 evening and re-embarked, and returned the next day to Port Royal. The casualties were : killed 4:>, wounded 2!t4, missing :>, total ;)40. There were present under Col. lirowii, a hattalion ctnii- posed of companies E, K and L, upwards of oOO men. Coiiipany M. oO men uiuler Capt. Comstock, served the boat howit/.ei's, lajided from the gun])oats. Company G, 50 men under Capt. (4onld, accompanied Col. liaiton and the 48th New Voik up the Coosawhatchie River, manning the gunson thesteamer "'Planter.'" Company A, ofl men, manned the guns on the "George Washing- ton,''' and frotn the upper Pocotaligo River covered the right flank. Lieut. J. IJ. P.landing of Co. G was severely wounded in arm and side. Corp. J. X. IJogman of Co. G, and Private Joshua W. Thompson of Co. ^I, were wounded, the former mortally. 'I'he Regiment had ended its first year of service, had endured severe trials, and suffered many losses. The changes among the field and line officers were numerous : Major Metcalf resigned August 5, lS(i2 ; Major Sisson, August (ith ; Major IJlanding, Sei)- tember .'3d ; (Quartermaster Maitiu, August oOth ; Chaplain (Tiibby, September 25th ; Capt. Touilellott, September 2d, and others had l)een calle(l to positions in otlier reginu'Uts. Iniine(liately after the ret urn of the expedition against Pocf)taligo, Hilton Head was \isited by the yellow level- ami the Regiment experienced one of 1^ I'lIlRD REGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. its saddest and most trying cainpaiiiiis. The losses on tlie island were very great and the Regiment did in)t eseape its fnll share. Lieut. Waltei' 1>. Manton, (Quartermaster of the Regiment, sne- eumbed to the di-ead disease. October I'oth. Col. Brown was seized on the same day and died on the .'K)th. Gen. Mitchell was attacked on the day of Col. Brown's death, and died in a few hours. Such was the virnlenee of the scourge, ])ut the men faced it with the same courage and composure which thej^ had so often displayed in the presence of the enemy on the field of battle. Col. Edwin Metcalf assumed command of the Regiment, November 24, ISCi. In December Lieut.-Col. Bucklin resigned, and in January, ISG;), Major Rogers, who had l)een i3romoted from Captain in August, resigned to accept the colonelcy of the Eleventh Regiment. First Lieut. John Frieze of Co. M, promoted to Major iu Septem1)er, was made Lieut.-Colonel in January, ISO;}, and in the same month, Capt. Day of Co. C, and Capt. Bailey of C'o. E, were promoted to be Majors, and in February, Capt. William Ames of the Second Regiment was mustered as Major. The winter was spent in in- fantry and artillerj^ drill and in gan-ison duties. A detachment from Co. A, under Lieut. George L. Smith, manned the guns on the armed ti'ansport " George Washington," doing picket duty in the watei's along the coast. While engaged with a battei-y on the mainland, north of Pinckney Island, in Decend_)er, one of the guns l)ui'sl and seriously wounded Lieut. Smith in the side, and Lieut. Jabez B. Blanding of Co. G, was assigned to the command of the l)oat, which i)articipated in two of the naval demonstrations against Fort McAllister, in the Ogeechee River, south of Savannah, on February 1 and March 3, 180.3. This boat was lost April 0, LS03, under the following circumstances : Gen. Rufus Saxton ordered Capt. Briggs of Co. A, then in camp at Beaufort, to take command of the steamer and j)roceed with the gunboat "Hale" around Port Royal Island to " Whale Branch, where the latter boat was or- dered to take her station." Caj)t. Briggs had in his command, Lieutenants Blanding and Smith of Co. G, and thirty-four men of Co. A. April cStli they left Beaufort, and about sunset the "Hale" ran agi-ound at the bi'ickyard, south of the Ferry, and both of the boats anchored. At 4.30 a. m. of the 'Jth, the "Hale" got under way and w as out of sight beyond Port Royal Ferry before her absence was discovered on the "Washington," which prepared to follow, and as she roun(h'd llrickyard Point, was attacked by TuiiM> i;ki.imi;.\ I imiokm i>i..\Nh lll•;\\^ \i; i ii.i.i-.i;\ . l-> I'ebel l)jitteries, wliicli liad Ik'cm hnm^lil up , I), F, I, K, L and M in the expedi- tion, which was to cooperate with the na\y in the attack upon the defences of Charleston Harbor. Col. .Metcalf was Chief of Artillery. In the attack made by the monitors and gunboats upon the forts in the harbor, April 7tli, A yards in advance of the second was established Auji;u.st Hth, and flankin<>: batteries were planted on the marsh to the left and on the beach to the right. Nearly all the.se breaching- ^iiiiis were .served by the Third Kej;iment, now c(Misist- ing of Companies 1>, D, II, I and M. Capt. C'olwell hatl arrived with Co. H, July 19th, and Co. C was still pre.sent serving as light artillery. The breaching batteries were ready August Hith, ami at break of day on the 17tli they opened lire on Wagner, (iregg and Sumter, and maintained it until the e\eniiig of tin' J.'Jd, at which time .Sumter was reduced to a condition "alike iiu'ai>al)le of annoying our apjiroaches to Wagner or of inflicting injury upon oui- ii'on-clads." .Ml attention was now turned to Wagner and Gregg. A fourth and fifth "parallel" wen? formed, the latter only 240 yards from the nioat around Wagner. Active preparations were making for a third assault upon Wagner, on the morning of September 7tli. and the storm of shot and shell upon the fort during the 5tli ami • ith was terrific. J)uring the night of the G-7tli the enemy (luietly slipped away from the i.sland. "The capture of Morris Island and the demolition of Sumter comi)leted those portions of the plan of joint operation against the defenses of Charleston in which flie land forces were to take the lead." " Fort Wagner and 15attciy Gregg were at once strengthened and additional defensive works on the island constructed," and the coiiii)aiiies of the Third Regi- ment placed in charge of the guns. To prevent the remounting of guns on Sumter, the heavy rifie guns on Wagner and (iregg were opened on that fort October 2I, wlio was moitalh' wounded August I'.itli, while in <'(Human(t men, on .Ma.\ l'.*>, 1SC4 ; and tliewimle Italteiyol' six |»ieces and l.'io men pailici- patetli Ohio. They left JJaldwin on the mornin.u- of the IMh and while restinjj: and feedini;' after an all-niuht's march, early in the morning of tlie 17th. at (Tainesville, they were surprised, and after a stubborn tiglit of two hours were completely routed l)y a cavalry force unih'r jNIajoi- J. J. Dickison. A re\ised report of casualties is not on lecord. Nearly the whole command was killed oi- captured. Of the de- tachment of Dattery A, Mitchell Prew was killed and all the rest were captured and sent to the prison-pen at Andeisonville, except .1. II. Wheaton, who was never heard from. IJatlery A was sent to I'x'anfort, S. C.. Septembei- 2f, ISCt. KE-ORGANIZATK )X. In .January, all who had already servet of llic (ield and line :20 THIRD l^EGIMENT RHODE ISLAND HEAVY ARTILLERY. oflicci's Mrrived with another dctachnuMit, 2o(; officers and men, who wei'c nmstered out October 4, ISill. IJolli tliese detachments were liaiHlsomely welcomed and enterlaiiied l)y tlie State officijils. by the mililia and by the citizens. The "veterans" were consoli- dated into (i\e companies nnder command of TJeut.-Col. William Ames, and in October were stationed as follows: Light Battery A. nnder Capt. William IT. Ilamner, at Ueanfoit ; Oo. B, nnder Capt. Augustus W. Cohvell, on Morris Island ; Ligiit Battery C, under Capt. Martin S. James, in Virginia ; Co. L, under Capt. Jeremiah Lanahaii, and Co. M, under Capt. John M. Barker, on Morris Island. In March, 18G5, companies L and M were mustered oul, and the "veterans" in these two companies were consolidated into a eompanj^ called New Co. D. under Capt. John M. ]>arker. Lieut.-Col. Ames was appointed Cliief of Artillery' of the Depai-t- ment of the South, September 27, 18G4. SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HARBOR. Aftei' the I'cduction of Sumter in October, 18(io, even uiilil the surrender of Charleston in February, 1SG5, several companies remained on Morris Island and manned the guns in AVagner, C'hatfleld, Gregg and the smaller batteries, which were equipped with ;]00, 200, 100 and 30-pounder Parrots and mortars, and were almost incessantly under fire in artillery contests with the forts in the harbor, Moultrie, Beauregard, Johnson and others, as also in shelling the eity, firing sometimes 10,000 shot and shell a month. iMen were lost, at times, almost daily. Even a synopsis of the varied and important services performed here bj" the Regiment, for a year and a half, would render this brief account of the history of the Regiment too extended. Such services reciuire a separat(H)ook. During the spring and summer of 18(!4, the com- panies on Mori'is Island were E, F, H, I and M, under Lient.-Col. Ames. Companies D, G, K and L were at Fort Pulaski, under Major Bailey. Battery A was in Floi-ida and C in Virgiiua, and Co. B at Ilillon Head, the headiivuirters of Col. Brayton, who was Chief of Artillery on the staff of Gen. Gillmore. In J\Iay, 1864, Gen. John G. Foster assumed command of lh<' T)ei)artnu^nt and commenced immediate attacks all along the line of Hie I'ailroatl. between Charleston and Savannah, in several of whicli, pai-lsof tlie Regiment participated. These demonstrations THIRD REOIMENT UHoDK ISLAND HKAVV AiniM-KKV. I?! wore made hyorclcr of ( Jen. (Jianl, aiul llic main piiiposc was In pi'cvont llu' (Miciiiy fi-om sciidiiii; iorc<'s to \'ir.i;inia, which olijcct was fully allaiiM'd. .Inly Isl and iM, (icn. I-'osIci- made a dcniun- stration, with ."»,(MI(» mi'ii and arlilicry, a.y:ainst C'hai-U'ston and Ihr railroad hy way of .lohn's Island, snppoitcd hy a foi-cc of l', ()(»() nicMi from Morris Island, ninlcr (icn. SchiinnM-HiMinii; iijf^iinst .lames Island, with whom were dclaclnncnts liom the Thinl Reuinicnl . accompanied hy Lieut. -Col. Ames. On the niiiht of th(» Jd and '.U\ an assault was mad(^ at midnii^ht, from Moiris Island auainsi I''ort .Tohnson on .Tamos Island, in l)oats, hy a f(trce of I,(Hmi men, under Col. Guruey, of the lL*7th New Vork. Meut.-Col. Ames returned from .lolin's Island in time to accomjiany the assault inii' party, and (»() men of the Thii-d Uej^imont, under C'jipt. C'hui'chill, fcunu'd a ]iart of tlio forc<\ The assault was a failure and the loss hea\y, upwards of l.")ii. PetcM' Connolly, of Co. l'\ was killed. Such excursions as the.se but vari<'d the const ant, heavjer woi-k of the Reijiment. On .Inly sth a heavy bomhardmont was re-commenced against Sunder and continued until the fort was leduced iu a condition beyond I'cpair. THE LKiHT BATTERIES IX THF^ 1-^IRLD. When (ien. (Tilhnoi-e Avas oi-dei-ed to Virizinia in the spriuir <>• 1804, with all the men that could be s[)ared from the Departnu'ut of the South, lAixhi l>attery C, un- ments of that Ai-my until tlie fall of Kichmond, and took ])ail in the onuagcments at Drury's IJlulf, Appomattox Kiver, Laurel Hill. Fort Burnham, and in the siege of Petersburg. liight Uattery A, after its return from Florida in Seplend)er. ll-»(J4, was stationtMl for a shoi't time at IJeaufoi-t, and was then sent to join the forces, co-operating with Gen. William T. Sherman, and was thus engaged until the surrender of Lee and .lohnston. In November (4en. I-'oster sent an <'Xi)edition, under (4en. .John 1*. Hatch, to break, if possibl(\ the railroad connection between Charleston and Savannah, and thus o[)en a way for (tcu. Sherman to reach the sea. The exjx'dition consisted of u[»\\ards of .■),{ki(i infantry, aitillery and cavalry. Lieut. -C(»l. Ames commande