Rhode Island in the rebellion

Preface

A long preface is seldom read, and this shall be brief. It is right that the reader should know how the following letters came to be in print. The responsibility of the deed is less with the author than with many partial friends. They were written amid camp scenes and on the march, under circumstances unfavorable to literary composition, and were intended for private perusal alone. Portions of them appeared in the Providence Journal, and were received with a favor alike unexpected and gratifying. Numerous requests having been made that they should be gathered up as a Rhode Island contribution to the history of the War of the Rebellion, the author, with unaffected distrust of himself, has yielded to the judgment of others. At first, he designed to recast his correspondence, and give it the graver form of historic narrative, but time forbidding, he has exscinded unessential portions, added to it from parts "contraband" to the public at their date, and in notes drawn from official and other reliable sources, has given particulars of movements of which he was not an eye-witness. In the introduction is noted some points of great importance, viewed in their relations to subsequent events. In the Appendix will be found sketches of the Rhode Island infantry and cavalry regiments and batteries, besides other information that may hereafter be convenient for reference. The author has labored under the disad-

IV. PREFACE.

vantage of being unable to examine the sheets of his work until after they had passed through the press. Had it been otherwise, he might have pruned with more severity.

To General Edward C, Mauran grateful acknowledgments are due, for his courtesy in giving free access to the records of his office. Thanks are also tendered to Hon. John R. Bartlett, Rev. Dr. Earnas Sears, President of Brown University, Colonel William Goddard, Professor William Gammell, Rev. A. H. Clapp, Captain William E. Hamlin, United States Provost Marshal for the Fii-st Rhode Island Congressional District, and to officers of the army, for valuable materials furnished.

While the aim has been to show the honorable position of the State in an unhappy war, it has also been the design to present a comprehensive view of the consecutive campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, with the fortunes of which several of the Rhode Island regiments and most of the batteries have, for longer or shorter periods, been identified.

E. W. S.

Head-qtjartees Battery C, ^

R. I. L. Artillery, November, 1863. ^

Index

A.

Annandale, 37.

Alexandria, 38.

Andrew Sharpshooters, 61.

Army -withdrawn from the Peninsula, 130.

Army, strength of, 132.

Ambulance Corps, 160, 165.

After the Battle, 153.

Arnold, Capt. Richard, 83.

Arnold, Capt. William A. 188, 239.

Arnold, Col. Job, 322, 330.

Arnold, Hon. Samuel G. (see Introduction,) 281.

Acquia Creek, 198.

Averill.Gen. 213, 240.

Allotment Commissioner, 220.

Allen, Lieut. C. wounded, 239; promoted to command of Battery H. [See Appendix ]

Adams, Capt. Geo. W. 239.

Appendix, containing; sketches of the Rhode Island Regiments of Infantry and Cavalry, and Batteries of Light Artillery; togetlier with other matter of interest, 283.

B.

Battery C, 2, 7, IS, 22, 84, 93, 139, 159; fires the first gun at Yorktown, 45, 240, 259, 260; marches to Gettysburg, 261, 266, 276. [See Appendix.]

A*

[See Appendix.] Battle of Bull Run, 140.

" " Antietam, 146.

" " South Mountain, 152.

" " Fredericksburg, 183.

" " Chancellorsville, 228.

" " Gcttysljurg, 264.

Buttcrfield, Gen. 268.

Barnes, Gen. 268.

Blanding, Colonel Christopher, 297-

299.

Bucktail Sharpshooters, 12.

Burnside, Gen. 132,328; expedition, 27, 149, 152; assumes command of Army of the Potomac, 177, 178; at Fredericksburg, 183, 197, 198; his second plan, 202; is relieved; takes a new command, 208.

Bethel, Great, 45 Berdau's Sharpshooters, 46, 60.

113, 188.

Bartlctt, Capt. 56.

Bloodgood, Lieut. 188.

Bufford, Gen. 240, 268.

Bucklyn. Lieut. John K., wounded,

267.

Battle of Williarasburo:, 79.

" " West Point, 83.

" " Hanover Court House, 94.

" " New Bridge, 90.

" " Fair Oaks, 97.

VI.

INDEX.

Battle of Five Oaks, 110.

" " Mechanicsville, 111.

" " Gaines's Mill, 112.

" " Malvern Hill, 115.

" " Chantilly, 142.

Black, Col. 62d Penn. 73; killetl, 113.

Burges, Col. Tristam, wounded, 80.

Bathing, 90, 101.

Branch, Gen. 93.

Bitterness of Rebel Women, 105.

Boxes accumulated at Washington,

108.

Bowditch, Dr. Henry I. Plea for

Ambulance System, 161.

Brewster, Col. ^V. R. 74 Brown, John, 157, 174.

Bissell, Col 66.

Babbitt, Major, Jacob, wounded,

187.

Browne, Col. George H. 187. [See

12th r-'giment, Appendix.] Bayard, Gen. killed, 191 Bliss, Col. at Fredericksburg, 187;

commands 7th R. I. 327.

Birney, Gen. 188, 231.

Bates, Lieut, wounded, 235, Bradford, Lieut. 235.

Brown, Lieut. T. F. 240.

Brown, Col. Nathaniel, death of, 300.

Berry, Gen. Hiram G. killed, 242.

Balloon excursion, 50, 69.

Bartlett, Secretary J. R. [See Introduction.]

C.

Christmas in Secessia, 14, 193.

Curtin, Gov. 17.

Cummings, Rev. Silas S. 304.

Curtis, Lieut. Colonel, killed, 313.

Cameron, Secretary, 17.

Centreville, works at, 33.

Campaign, original plan of, 39 ; approved b}' the President, ?9.

Camps, arrangements of, 243.

Camp Winfield Scott, 51.

California Joe, 65, 101.

Contrabands, 69, 101.

Cumberland Landing, 83.

Colored Population, 87.

Clay, Henry, birth place of, 95.

Casey, Gen. 98; his vindication, 101.

Cass, Col. wounded, 118.

Camp Randolph, march from, 145.

Coffin, Mr. diagram prepared by, 147, 150.

Curtis, Col. killed, 187.

Caldwell, Gen. wounded, 191.

Couch, Gen. succeeds Sumner, 209,

230.

Contrast between the North and

South, 237.

Chittenden, Mrs. 219.

Clendenin, Col. 2-53.

Clark, Bishop, T. M. Speech of, 284,

289 Church, Capt. Benj. killed, 298.

Clapp, Rev. A. H. 297. [See 10th

Regiment in Appendix.] Conclusion, 278-282.

D.

Drainsville, Battle of, 12, 17.

Doneisoij and Fort Henry taken, 23.

Davis, Jeff, inaugurated, 31, 85.

" " misstatements of, 109,216,

Dyer, Ex Gov. Elisha, 337, 341.

Disappointed feeling, 135.

Devens, Gen. 80, 135.

Dana, Gen. wounded, 154.

Douglass, Rev. Mr. seized, 173.

Douglas, Capt. William W. .321, 324.

Duffie, Col. 214. (See 1st R. I. Cavalry, Appendix.]

Delilah, a modern, 214.

Dennison, Rev. C. [See 1st R. I.

Cavalry, Appendix.]

E.

Easton's Battery, 17.

Embarkation for Peninsula, 40.

Ellis, Dr. Thomas T. 119.

Embalming House, 128.

Expedition, Burnside, 307.

F.

Falls' Church, 7.

Foraging Expedition, 23, 24.

Faulkner's Opinion, 29.

Floyd and Pillow, 28.

Fairfax Court House, 35.

Fortress Monroe, 42.

Federal and Rebel losses, 121, 151,

157, 186, 187, 192.

Flies, a torment, 129.

Franklin, Gen. 83.

Ferris, Capt, Frank, 72.

Falcs, Mrs. J. T. 221.

Fales, Corporal, H. B. death of, 222.

Fogliardi, Gen. 226.

Fiske, Lieut. 231.

Flyer, Corporal, 236.

Furloughs, form of, 247.

French^ Gen. sword presented to,

INDEX.

VU.

Funksiown, 276.

Held, Kev. Samuel W. See sketch

r2tli reiiinient.

Flanders, Kev. A. B. 30-1, 315.

Fla<r presentation at Newbem, 310,

G.

General Assembly, thanks to Col.

Sisson, 32.5; presentation to, 326.

Goddard, Col. William, 288. [See

Introduction.] Greene, Captain Joe, and his bugle,

38,306,321.

Guns, Meditations on 18: new do.,

27, 15U.

Griffin's Battery, 22.

Gove, Col. enters Yorktown, 73;

killed, 113.

Gaines, Dr. a Secessionist, 105.

Gibbon, Gen. wounded, 191, 268.

Greenbacks, 226.

German Regiments, break of, 231,

241.

Gettysbur":, description of, 264.

Graham, Gen. 268.

Great Britain, conduct of, 279 Golf, jr.. Col. Nathan, 289, 292, 293.

GouUI, Uev. J. B. Uth R. I. [See

Appendix.]

H.

Hall, Rev. Edward H. 324.

Health of the Armv, 26, 103, 127.

Hodges, Lt. G. F. death of, 25.

Hampton, 44.

Heintzelman, Gen. opinion of, 53, 140.

Hazard, Capt. Jetl'rey. [See batteries A and H, in Appendix.]

Hunt, Sergeant, horse shot, 116.

Hospital stores, 1U8.

Ham, George VV. Jr., wounded, 114.

Harrison's Landing, 127.

Harrison's, Benjamin, Will, 128.

Halleck, Gen. visit of, 131.

Harper's Ferry, loss of, 157.

Humphreys, Gen. 187,

Hazard, Capt. John G. 188. 232, 240, 266. [See battery B, App.j

Hoof rot, 182.

Hanna, Sergeant, killed, 240.

Howe, Gen., Festivity at camp of, 254.

Hunt, Gen. 268.

Hall, Rev. E. B. speech of, 2SS.