E 475 .56 .R48 Copy 1 Hollinger Corp. pH8.5 RHODE ISLAND Excursion to Gettysburg, OCTOBER, 1886. RECORD RlIODl: ISLAND HXCIIRSION GETrYSBURG, October 11-16, 1886, WITH THE dei)k:at()ry services of the ba r tlefiei-d me- morials OF THE SEC:ONl) RHODE ISLAND VOLUNTEERS, AND BATTERIES A AND B, FIRST R. 1. LIGHT ARTILLERY. EDITED BY HORATIO ROOERS, M LATE COLONEL SECOND R. I. VOLS. AND BVT. BRIG. GEN'L U. S. V.; CHAIRiMAN OF EX- CURSION COMMITTEE. PROVIDENCE, R. I. E. L. KREEMAN A; SON, STATE PRINTERS. I S87 . 4 KUUDi: ISLAND KXCLUSION TO (n.lTYSlU'KCi. The pei-fions named in tlie resolution were appointed com- niittt'cs l»y their respective Associations at the reunions held in tin- suuinn-i- c»f 18S/), to procui-c suitable memorials and cause tlu in to l)e erected on the hattlefield of Gettysburg, and bel'oi-e tlu- end of June, 1880, all the memorials had been placed in jiosition ready for dedication. That of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers cost one thousand dollars, the As- sociation having added five hundi'cd dollars to the amount appropriated by the State, while the three batteries limited tlie cost of their memorials to the amount of the State appro- jiriation. 'I'hose of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers and Uatteries A and E, were designed and constructed by the Smith (Jrauite Comjiany of Westerly, but that of Battery B was tlie woikmanship of John Flaherty of Niantic. The memorial of the Second Khode Island Volunteers is eight feet six inches high, and consists of a square monument of Westt-rly granite, simjile in form, with sharj), well-defined outlines, supporting a bronze grouj* of military devices. The ground base is four and a half feet square and eighteen inches high, with a i-ough quarried surface, while all the other sui-- faces are fine hammered. The second base, which is three feet ten inches square and one foot eight inches high, has a deep wash or sloping surface from its upper edge or junction with the die or jirincipal stone. In bold relief on the front of this base is the Sixth Cor|)s badge and this sunken inscrip- tion, " .Iidy i! and o, 18(J3." 'J'iu' jiiain massive die, which is two feet ten inches square and three feet eight inches high, is oidy relieved on its front liy a circular suidcen disk coutain- imr the carved ami pnlislied arms of the State of Rhode Island, aliove whieli arc the words " ilnd R. 1. \'ohinleers,'" and beldw, " Sec«»nd IJrigade, Third Division, Sixth Corps." Upon the die rests a |)ointe(l eajtstone, and the wliole is crowned by a groiij) of war devices in l»ron/.e, forming the most striking feature of the memorial ami representing, in full size, a drum, on which at llie riiiht rests a belt, a cartridge box, a liavonet Hcabbard and a canteen, w itb a cap (ju tlie toji, near the front edge of the dinm. and a larj^e laurel wreath leaning against KtlODE ISLAND KXCUKSION TO OKTTVSHL'IIG. 5 it on the left. This memorial is located at the northeasterly base of Little Round Top upon the easterly side of what is now Battle Avenue, and near the entrance of what is now termed Little Round Top Park — it being on or close by the spot where the Second Rhode Island first went into line of battle and where it passed the night of July 2d, 1863. The memorial of IJattery A is also executed in selected Westerly granite, the perpendicular face of the lower base being left rough, while all the rest is finished in fine ham- mered work. The lowei* base is four and a half feet sfjuare, the second base three and a half feet, the die two feet ten inches at bottom and two feet eight inches at top, the total height, including capstone, being seven feet nine inches. The front of the die is covered with a raised and polished design representing the arms of the State of Rhode Island grouped with a gun, a wheel and crossed sponge staffs, all of about half size. The inscription in sunken letters on the front is "Arnold's Battery, July 2 and 3, 1863"; on the right, "Bat- tery A, First R. I. L. A., Artillery Brigade, Second Corps"; on the left, "Four Killed, Twenty -four Wounded." The cap stone, which is perpendicular in front and rear, and with a wash showing at the sides, is terminated with a heavy trefoil cresting, the end view or cross section of which, as seen at front and rear, where it slightly projects, forms the outline of the badge of the Second Corps, to which the battery was attached. The memorial of Battery A is about a hundred yards north of that of Battery B, both being upon Battle Avenue, the for- mer on the west side and the latter on the east. Both me- morials stand upon ground occupied by the respective batteries during the third day's fight as well as very near the spots occupied during the second day's fight, and both are close by the angle and the famous clump of little trees which the Con- federate Gen. Pickett took as the point of direction in his desperate charge of July 3d. The memorial of Battery B is composed of seven pieces of Westerly granite weighing four and a half tons, and is nine C I'll.. Id l-l \\l) i:xt TIJSION TO <; KTTYSr.l'RO. and a luill icct lu-li. It is square in form, the base being liftt-en inches tleo]) and three feet eight inches square, and the lini^h is a cunilMnalion of -'rustic" — that is, giving the ap- pearance of roughly-hewn natural rock — and hammered work, the capsti)ne being hammered. The whole is sui'mounted by a jrranite representation of a cannon iiall. The die bears the Second Cor|>s badge and the inscription, " Brown's Battery B, thirst 11. I. Light Artillery, Second Brigade, Second Corps, Army of the Potonnic." The memorial of Battery E is located on the easterly side of the Emmettsbnrg Road just northcnly of Sherfy's Peach Orchard, that battery having lieen in the Third Cori)S and actively engaged with it on tliat part of the field in the second day's light. As, however, this memorial was dedicated July ;5d, 18S6, at the time of the Third Cor[)s Reunion, its dedica- tion foiined no feature of the Rhode Island Excursion to Cxot- tysburg, hence no further mention of it will be made here. At the reunions in the summer of 1886, of the several As- sociations, other than BattciT E, having memorials at Gettys- bnig, connnittees were appointed to airange for an excursion to ijedicate the men)ori;ils and to visit the various points of interest on the Italtlelield. The committees thns appointed united and formed a single Excursion Committee, its members being Gen. Horatio Rogers, Gen. Elisha II. Rhodes and Lieut. Amos M. liowen of the 2d R. 1. Vols., Capt. Benj. H. Child of Battery A, 1st R. I. L. A.. :ind D. Coit Taylor and Capt.Gideon Spencer of Battery B, 1st R. 1. L. A. Gen. Rogers was ap- pointed chairman, and Mr. Taylor secietary. An excni'sion was organized to visit Gettysbui-g in <)ctoliei', 188(3, and all dispensed to join it were invited to d»j so. Though the Chair- man of the K\cui-sion was to presiih; at all the dedicatory sorvicCH, yet niherw ise the committee of each Association was to arrange and carry out the pidgramme at its own memoi'ial. Tiie ih'tails of tlie excursion will best be shown by the follow- ing (rirculars issued by a Sub-Committee or by the Mxcursion Munaircr. RIIOUK ISLAND KXOUHSION TO (jKTTYSBUK(J. 4 RHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. Providknck, September 16, 1880. Tlie undersigiUHl, representing the Committee of tlie Second Rhode Lshind Volnnteers and Butteries A and B, Rhode Ishmd Light Artillery, annonuce the folhjwing in relation to the proposed excursion to the Battle-field of Gettysburg. The fare from Providence to Gettysburg and return, via New York and Harrisburg, $12.00; the hotel rates at Gettysburg as follows: McClellan House, $1.50 per day; Eagle Hotel, $2.00 per day. The Excursion will leave Providence, via Stoningtou Line, Monday, October 11, arriving at Gettysburg, Tuesday, at 6 p.m. ; leave Gettysburg, Friday, at 4.45 a. m., arriving iu New York at 2 p.m. Meals going and returning and rides about the Battle-field will be extra. It is important that the committee be informed immediately if you intend to take the trip, as they are obliged to guarantee the sale of fifty tickets in order to secure the above rates. Please fill out and return the enclosed postal card without delay, writing your name, address and number of tickets you require. Further information will be sent to those agreeing to go. This excursion will include citizens and ladies at the same rate as for the Veterans. E. H. Rhodes, 2d R. I. Vols., "] Benjamin H. Child, Battery A, R. I. L. A., V Committee. D. CoiT Taylor, Battery B, R. I. L. A., ) RHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. Providence, October 4, 1886. The following is announced for the information of those in- tending to join the excursion : The party will leave Providence, Monday, October 11, at 7.15 p. m. , via Stonington Line ; leave Gettysburg, Thursday, Octo- ber 14, at 5.20 p. ra., and pass the night in Harrisburg. By presenting your Excursion Ticket at the Ticket Office iu Harris- S i;il<>|>|, IM.AMt K.\i I l;<|i>N |(t (iKri'VSr.UKG. hurj; yon can puivliasc' :i Tk-kfl U\>\n II:iiTisl)iirg to Wasliiugtou and ivlinn for ><") (K». The i-i'luni ticlu-l fioiii Ilairislnug to New York will be good nntil midniglil, Tliuisday, Octol)t'r 21st; the ticket from New York lu rrovideiK-e will be good until October oOth. You can slop (tviT at riiiladelphia if you wish. Tiekets will Ite for sale on and after October 7, at Ticket Office of N. v.. H. »fc r. U. l\. Passenger Station, PLxchange Place, Provitk-nce, i)riee 612.00; State Room Tickets for Monday night can be purchased from the undersigned at City Hall, Providence, on Saturtlay and Monday, October 9th and 11th, from 12 to 2 p. m. Additional Printtnl Information will be distributed ou the train from Providence, Monday Evening. Procure your ticki'ts early. K. II. KIIODES, Excursion Manager. RnoDi!: Island Exgursiom to GETTYSBURa, Peinm., O C '±^ O 13 K Pt , 1 B 8 13 . COMMITTERS. Gk.n. [loKvno KocKKs, Gen. Elisua II. Kiiodes, biKi r. Amos .M. Howk-n, 2(1 K. I. Vols. C'.M'T. Ukn.iamin II. ('nil, 11, Uatleiy A, R. I. L. A. I). CoiT TAV1.0K, Cai't. Gideon SrENCER, BattiMV B. U. I. L. A. OKKICEKS OK THE EXCUKSJON. Gk.n. IIokatk) Hoi. Take cars for Providence. If A^ou wish you can remain upon the boat and take 7.55 a. m. train for Providence. The wise and the sleepy will do so. 4.30 or 9.15 a. m. Arrive in Providence. "Home, sweet Home." Tickets good for ten days from Oct. 11. Information will be given by the Manager at any hour, day or night, " rain or shine." ELISHA H. RHODES, Excursion Manager. 10 KHOUK l>I.AM> l.X< IKSltjN TO GKTTYSBURG. Tho roster of tin- (.'xcursiun as luadf up 1>y tlic manager was as follows : LAUIKS. .Mrs. t:t(.rsc T. HakiT. ----- Diowiiville, R. I. Mrs. Mt.scs n. Cliace, Piovideuco, Mrs. Hriijiimin II. Child, . - . - - Mrs. Wiliiain D. Child. Mrs. William J. Crosslcy, Mrs. Klias M. Jt-iukcs, Mrs. Kdwiii H. Jones, 3Iiss Susie A. Lewis, - - Mrs A If rid O. Makce, >lrs Gciirire II. Paddock, Miss Louise F. Peine, Aiiburu, Mrs. Uol)erl Koberlsou, Ceutral Falls, " Mrs. T. Mil 111 ford Seabury, Newport, Mrs. John P. Sauborn, " Mrs. Hichniond J. Slouc, Howard, Miss Mabel H. Stone, ------- Mrs. I>. Coit Taylor, Providence, Mrs. P»ter Vennerbeck, " " 3Irs. Josiah T. Warren, Bristol, 8ECOND RIIUDK 1S1.-\ND VOLTNTEKKS. Arnold, Kdwin W Corporal Providence, R. I. Buwen, Amos M First Lieutenant Cook. Lowell C Corporal South ]Milford, Mass. Crossloy. William J Sergeant Providence, R. L Curtis, Joseph IJ Sergeant " IIortoM. Daniel II Private Pawlucket, R I. Johnstone, Robert L Private " I.*wis, Charles L. C. . . . . . Private. Hope Valley, R. I. Makee. Alfred O ]*rivate Providence, R. I. Martin. Owen 2d Private " 3IcI)oiiough. Patrick Private Olneyville, R. I. N'ichols, Charles S Private Hope Valley, R. I. Purkhurst, Albert H Private Woonsocket, R. L PreullKB, Kilinund F Captain . .Providence, R. I. Proctor, Thoiniis IJ Private Davisville, R. L Hhrxles, ElisliH H Colonel Providence, R. I. RiiberlJMJii, Hoberl First Lieutenant Central Falls. R I. l{i»(,'erH, Horatio Col. and Bvt. Brig. Gen. . . Providence R. I. Stone. Hiclimiind J Sergeant Howard, R. I. Warren, Johiah T I'rivate Bristol, R. I. RHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. 11 BATTEIiY A, FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. Cargill, Charles Private Providence, R. I. Child, Beujamin H First Lieutenant Child, William I) First Sergeant Culliu, Timothy Private Greene, Stephen M Sergeant JeiTolman, James T Bugler Lewis, James Private Oluey, Amos M Quartermaster-Sergeant BATTERY B, FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. Delevan, John Private Brooklyn, N. Y. Reynolds, Wm. F Private Milf ord, Mass. Taylor, D. Coit Private Providence, R I. Whipple, Albert J Private Woonsocket, R. I. Addeman, Joshua M Captain, 14th R I. H. A Providence, R. I. Baker, George T Sergeant, 10th R. I. V Drownville, R. I. Chace, Moses B Corporal, 10th R. I. V Providence, R. I. Chase, Philip S Lieut. , Bat. F, R. I L. A. . . . Jackson, Richard H. . . Lieut., 9th N. Y. Vols Jenckes, Elias M Q. M. Sergt. 1st R. I. D. M. . ■HT 11 T^i „ XT i 1st Lieut, and Brevet ) -n^„t^ iit.,„o Markley. John H -j ^,^p^ ^^ ^ g j^^,^,^^ j- . .Boston, Mass. Paddock, George H Private, 1st. R. I. D. M Providence, R. I. c, T r\ \ Com. Sergt.. 1st R. I. ) ., Swan, James O -J j^ j^I and 10th R. L V. T ' Tanner, James A Sergt., Bat. E, R. I. L. A CIVILIANS. Arnold, Charles ------- Providence, R. I. Briggs, Osmond H.- Fisher, Samuel H. Johnson, William S. Jones, Edwin R. . - . - - Keuyon, William H. - - - - - Lowry, William N. - - - - - Mathews, Adrian, M. D., Mathews, Franklin, M. D., Miller, William H. - - Providence, R. I. Morris, Edward D. Newell, Oscar A. Pendleton, Benjamin E. - - - - Pickering, Augustus ----- Sanborn, John P. Seabury, T. Mumford ----- Hope Valley, R. I. Providence, R. I. Hope Valley, R. I. Providence, R. I. Philadelphia, Pa. Central Falls, R. I. Hope Valley, R. I. East Blackstone, Mass. Newport, R. I. 12 RHODE ISLAND KXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. Stniight. (Miarlcs T. . . - - Pawtucket, R. I. Toye. Hobcrl G. - Provideuce, R. I. VcnnorlK'ck. Peter Welib, Hev. Saimu-I 11. The weather iipon the excui-sion was delight inlly warm and el«-nr, except Thursday afternoon, when it was show^cry, and the itinerary was faitlifully carried out. On Wednesday, Oct. 13th, at 10 a. m., the party took the train for Little Round Top station, wdiere it arrived ten min- utes later, and a walk of about seven minntes brought it to the memorial of the 2d R. I. Vols. Amid the rocks and un- der some trees hard by, the following dedicatory services wen' held : INVOCATION BY RP:V. SAMUEL IL WEBB, Chaplain of the Excursion. Ahni^iity and Everlasting God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to i)lease thee, grant us the aid of thy grace in the services in which we are now to be engaged. We acknowledge thee as the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Almighty Ruler of nations. We adore and magnify thy glorious Name for all the great things which thou hast done for us. We render thee thanks for the goodly heritage wliieh thou iiast preserved to us. We tliank thee for the civil and religious privileges which we enjoy and for all thy goodness toward us. May we be duly grateful for thy mercies aud for the Herviees of those whose memory we this daj^ recall. Coutiuue to us, we beseech thee, the })lessiugs of i)eaee ; restore them to na- tions deprived of them, and secure them to all the people of the earth. As we gatlier this day upon the field of bygone strife, make us sensible of the great work wrouglit for the preservation of our country. May we live in holy obedience to thy righteous laws, and thus lie kept fiom the guilt of abusing the uumifold blebhiugH bcslowed upon us. Defend with thy fatherly care the orphans and widnws. Comfort and relieve all those who are in trouble, sorrow, m-ed, sickness, or any other adversity. Bless nil in legislative, judicial and executive authority, that the}' may have grace, wisdom and understnnding so to discharge their duties nit most ((Tectnally to piomolc lliy glory, the interests of true RHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBrUG. 13 religion and virtue, and the peace, good order and welfare of this laud, no longer rent with internal dissension. Lead us by thy Holy Spirit ever to put our trust iu thee, ever to honor and obey thee. Imprint upon our hearts a deep and habitual sense of the great truth, that the only security for the continuance of those blessings we enjoy consists in our acknowledgment of thy sov- ereign and gracious Providence, and in holy and humble submis- sion to the gospel of thy Son Jesus Christ. Restrain, we pray thee, the enemies of peace and union. Give wisdom and strength to all in authority over us, that by their counsel, control and ef- forts, upheld and guided by thy power and blessing, this Republic may ever be preserved. May truth, duty, union and patriotism ever triumph. May we keep in mind the example of those who so nobly defended our beloved land in her hour of peril, and teach our sous and daughters rightly to esteem the blessings of liberty and freedom. Be with us in our present duties, direct and govern our thoughts, words and deeds in accordance with thy will ; and when the warfare of this present life is ended, may we be num- bered among those who have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We ask for these things in the name and through the merits and intercession of thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. ADDRESS BY GEN. HORATIO ROGERS, The Colonel commanding the Second Kiiode Island Volunteers AT Gettysburg. Comrades of the late Civil War^ Ladies and Gentlemen : We stand on historic ground. Here rebellion culminated. On this spot the onward march of armed resistance to the Government was stayed. Thus far could it go and no farther. From these hills and plains the waves of civil war rolled backward, and in less than two years disappeared from the face of this fair land forever. The battlefield stretched before our eyes is famous for the results achieved upon it. It is likewise celebrated for its natural beauty ; and some of the events that transpired here nearly a quarter of a century ago, for grand scenic and picturesque effects, have rarely been equalled and never surpassed in the annals of the continent. 11 Kni)I»E ISLAND EXCURSION TO GKTTYSBUUG. The bloody struiigle in the Devil's Den, the scaling of Little Round Toj) and the desperate contest for its possession, the terrific honil.urdment of the third of July, the gallant but fatal diarge of Pickett's Division, in which but Pickett him- self of all his generals, and a single lieut.-colonei of all his field olVicers, escaped unscathed from the annihilation of his command, are ineffaceably impressed upon the minds of all beholders, and form one of the most memorable chapters of our national history. Then, too, the battle fought here was imiqiiL' ill having been the only one on free soil during the great contlict between union and secession. All these ele- ments of interest combine to make this the typical battlefield of the late war, and Gettys))urg has been pictured upon can- vas and narrated u|>on papei' with a graphic distinctness and a fullness of detail that has characterized no other scene of conflict in America. It is apparent, therefore, why this has been selected as the battlefield of the civil war where all or- ganizations taking pai-t in the stirring events enacted here have been invited to erect fitting memorials of their partici- pation. As the colonel of the Second Rhode Island Volun- teers at Gettysburg, 1 have been chosen to take the chief part in the dedication of its memorial on this historic field, and I shall strive to make the recital of its services more graphic by weaving into it my own recollections, which course I ti'ust will iiRct with your approval. After the Cliancellorsville campaign, in the spring of 1863, the Second Rhode Island lay (piietly at Falmouth till June Cth, when it ])r(»ceeded to the l)anks of the Rappahannock, f(jr it lieiiig apparent to Hooker that Lee was making some kind of a move, General Sedgwick, of the Sixth Corps, had been (ordered to reconnoitre the south bank of the river, in the hope of developing the enemy's force, and for this purpose a pontoon bridge had been thrown across at Franklin's crossing on the ijth. A thousand men of the brigade, including a de- tail from tlie Second Rhode Island, were ordered to report, without anus, to me at the head ol the bridge, at dusk of the 7th, and when it beeame (birk we crossed the river and threw RII01>K ISLAND EXCUHSION TO C.KTTYSIUJRG. 15 up a lino ol" entrenchments about a mile long marked out for us by General Warren. We labored all night in silence, hav- ing l)een forbidden to talk or to light a match, and by dawn of day we had constructed a practical cover, which the troops then relieving us found no difficulty in completing under lire. June 9th, the Second crossed to the Fredericksburg side of the river, where it remained under an occasional shelling till the night of the loth, when in darkness and in rain descend- ing in torrents it recrossed with the rest of the Sixth Corps, and bade a final farewell to Fredericksburg. It had transpired that Lee was moving northward, so the Army of the Potomac followed, the Sixth Corps being on the extreme left, and form- ing the rear of the army. June 14 we crossed Potomac creek , halting at Stafford Court House till late in the evening, when we pushed on again, crossing Acquia creek early on the 15th. We marched, and marched, and marched, trudging along by day and by night, now under the heat of a scorching sun, and again under the chill of a driving rain that soaked us to the skin. Night and day, rain and shine, dust and mud were all alike to us, however, as we had to take it as it came, and on we went to Dumfries, then to Occoquan creek, next to Fairfax Station. June 18 we had got as far as Fairfax Court House, and for six days we had a little variety of duty, even if it was not all rest, as the corps was strung along as far as Bristoe Station, guarding the railroad and watching the mountain passes. June 26th we started again, reaching Drainesville that night, crossing the Potomac on pontoons the next day at Edwards Ferry, and camping near Poolesville, in Maryland, the night of the 27th. Onward we pushed the next morning through Poolesville and Barnesville, along the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain, through Whitestone to Percy Mills. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was passed on the 29th, and on we went through Newmarket and Ridgeville to Mount Airey. The last day of June we marched through Mount Vernon and Westminster to the neighborhood of Manchester, where, happily, we halted for a day. The hardships of that march from Fredericksburg, who, 16 KlIoDK ISLAND KXCTUSION TO GICTTYSBUliG. that tonk it, will ever fori>et ? The fierce rays of the sun that lu-at upon us the day we reached Dumfries burned into my incniory so deeply that tliey can never be obliterated. 0, the utti'r weariness of going- into bivouac at midnigiit after a long day's march to start again at 3 in the morning ! What chafeil anil tired limbs there were, what aching heads ! For- tunately for nic 1 was a mounted officer, which helped some- what, but the colonel of the Second Rhode Island was not so much of a martinet but that he could tramp for miles to give foot-sore officers and men a needed lift, and one little drum- mer boy, but for the rides he got from the mounted officers, would have succumljed entirely. But weariness was not our only misery. Wagon trains were on the move, and baggage was not accessible. For three weeks I did not take off my clothes, and when 1 did ihey never went on again, hence it will re(|uire no very active fancy to i)icture our unenviable condition. The fare, too, was in keeping with our other trials. Wc could not always stop to cook, and, when we were fam- ished enough, raw salt pork spread upon hard tack proved an api)etizing combination, which made us, like Oliver Twist, to ask for more. Then, too, as we had no base of supplies, we could ill afford to condemn provisions that would support life, and, unfoi'tunately for us, some of our crackers had been on the peninsula the year before, and had become wormy. Time and again have I broken my hard tack into my coffee, and, scooping olf a myriad of worms tluit rose to the toj), content- edly ate the I'cst, for, fastidious as a man may naturally be, there is nothing like an empty stomach to knock the dainti- ness out of bim. Rough as our experiences were, it was very far from being all wretchedness, however, for the scenery was grand and pictures(]ue, we could sleep at a moment's notice without waking for eight or ten hours if permitted, we could digest the coarsest fare and get hungry enough to enjoy it, tlie lile was adventurous and in the open air, and, above all, we hml the conKci(jusness that we were doing our duty. W'r s|H.'iil tln' last day of Jtme near Manchester, and though inon- ili:in a scort- of yeai's has since elapsed, the delight of RHODE ISLAND EXOUHSFON TO GKTTYSBUUft. 17 that rest to our weary limbs a,l)i(l(!s like a red-lcttei' day in my memory. All were wondering- what liad become of Lee, and expectation was roused to tlie highest ])oint. We knew that rebel cavalry had been hovering round us, as the Second had had some guarding of wagon trains to do, and I had been particularly warned of the proximity of Confederate troopers. Then, too, we had occasionally passed dead cavalrymen that had fallen in recent skirmishes, so that orders to march were momentarily looked for. Nine o'clock in the evening came, but the expected orders had not arrived, and quiet reigned over the camp. Presently, however, far away and faint in the distance, though distinctly audible, rang out the assembly from a single cavalry bugle. 1 interpreted its meaning in- stantly, and ordered little Dick lliggins, a drummer boy in his early teens that was kept at headquarters, to beat the drummer's call preparatory to the assembly. Some of the staff listened to me in astonishment, as an aid or an orderly was always sent from brigade headquarters with orders to pack up, and taking the responsibility of routing out the regi- ment and getting it ready to march at that time of night without orders, struck them as peculiar, to say the least, and they so intimated. My opinion was that the bugle call was the sure precursor of the long-expected orders, and as my staff were officers and gentlemen and I was colonel, no more comments were made, whatever may have been their thoughts, so the assembly of the Second Rliode Island Drum Corps broke sharply forth upon the still night air, much to the sur- prise of my brother colonels, as no one had as yet received any orders to move. The men packed up rapidly, and in lif- teen or twenty minutes down galloped an orderly with the anticipated orders, and hardly had he got out of hearing when the generals began to appear, first the brigade and then the corps commander, and when General Sedgwick saw the Second Rhode Island all in line ready to march, he rode up to Colonel Eustis, commanding the brigade, who was talking to me, and said : " I am glad to find a regiment in the corps ready to march. Order it to move out at once !" Thus it was the 3 18 KllnlH- ISLAND EXCIRSION TO OETTVSBrKG. Sccoiul Rhode Island led the corps on that eventfnl march towards (Jettyslnirir. It was a beautiful, calm night, the at- niosi»here was soft and balmy, and the moon shed forth a jrentle radiance snlVicient to light us on our way. We tramped all niirht with scarcely a halt, and to say that we were tired but faintly expressed our feelings. For one, I was completely and utterly exhausted, and when shortly after sunrise we iialted for a little rest and to make coffee, I fell asleep, and slept as heavily as if drugged, so that when General Sedgwick was ready to start I could not be wakened, and another regi- ment was pushed into my idace ; and thus the Second Rhode Island lost the head of the corps. When, however, I did at last get my eyes open, it was no small problem to wake up the exhausted and sleeji-ridden soldiei'S. I remember aiding some of the line oflicers in rousing their men. I had on thick top boots and carried a heavy cavalry sabre, so I wMjuld kick a man on one side of me and strike another with my sheathed sabre on the other with force enough to knock a wide-awake person over, and yet my vigorous efforts often needed repeti- tion l)efore the weary souls could be induced to open their eyes. At last we ap|troached the battlefield, and before reaching it a crowd of stragglers swarmed by us. Indeed, it seemed fi-oin the fragmentary mass flocking along as if the whole army must jiave disintegrated and gone to pieces. There has b(.-en nnit.'h discussion as to the time the Sixth Corps ar- rived at Gettysl)urg. General Doubleday and the Comte de Paris, in their accounts of the battle, state that the head of the corps arrived about 2 p. m., while others give a later hour. Hut whatever the tinu' may have been when we finished our thirty-four-mile march — a march famous in the annals of the war — lighting was going on when w^e turned off the Baltimore Pike on to Powcrs's Hill and came to a halt on the battlefield. We rested and nuide coffee, all the wdiile hearing heavy firing at our left, till after a time our brigade was dispatched in that direction to strengthen our lines near Little Round Top, and we first went into line of battle just back of this memorial. RHODE ISLAND KXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. 19 Here we waited expectantly, listening and watching and won- dering, but not being called on to do more. Here we re- mained till day went out and darkness settled over the com- batants, and here we spent the night in line of battle, resting on our arms. How well 1 recall that night! My headipinr- ters were under a large tree a few jjaces in roar of the left wing of the regiment, and all night long a throng of wounded in blue and gray were borne along close by us. The groans of the poor fellows were heart-rending, and as I lay at tlie foot of that tree in the pale moonlight, watching the sad pro- cession, listening to the agonizing sounds and wondering what the final issue of the great struggle we were engaged in was going to be, 1 could not help thinking of the Duke of Welling- ton's famous saying, that, next to a defeat, the saddest -ht Gcnci-al Lee drew liack his left wing', which encircled our right, tlius straightening his line and making it a less aggressive and a better defensive position. Neither side showed any disposition to attack, but the picket lines kept up a constant fire. Early in the day the regiment was ordered down to the Emmetsburg road to sup- port Berdan's sharpshooters on the picket line. To protect the men as much as possible from the constant fusilade going on, I brought the command into line of battle and took it at the double quick the last few hundred yards, and even then one man was wounded. At the Emmetsburg road we hugged mother earth for shelter, our only duty being to support the sharpshooters in our front in case of a Confederate advance, which, however, never came. Aftei- a while, the lire became less lively, and we began to look about us. What a sight was spread before our eyes ! It was enough to appal the stoutest heart. We lay between the two armies where the fighting had been hot and heavy on the second day, and where the Union fire swept the Confederate lines as they advanced in the famous charge the day before. We commanded an ex- tensive view, and dead horses and stricken men lay in myriads about us. Blue uniforms and gray were commingled there, the wearers having joined other ranks where those colors ceased to have significance. We seemed to have entered the very Court of Death. The dead were everywheie. The ground, in places, was fairly carpeted with them. Just back and to the left of us, in an orchard, was a Union battery, com- plete as to oflficers, artillerists and horses, save that all were stiff and stark in death. It was in position for action. The limbers wei'e in rear of the pieces with the horses hitched to them. The men grasped their rammers and their lanyards. Everything about it seemed entire, save that all that had lieen instinct with life two short days before, had been stricken down. Dotting the field one could sec little white flags where wounded men had raised a handkerchief on a ramrod as a '2-2 i;inii>K island kxcursion to gettysbukg. signal of distress and as an indication that they were not dead, so that assistance might go to fhein. Stretcher-men, of conrse, were l)nsy, and we Uiy quietly and watclicd Die sad and sick- ening sight. Indeed, prostrate foims were so numerous that, as we could not be relieved till after nightfall to avoid ex- posure, 1 had to dismount and lead my horse when we left the lield for tear of ste])ping on human bodies. The sun shone fiercely anon, and then the rain would descend in tor- rents, and this continued at intervals throughout the day. The atm(ts|theric effect upon the dead, therefore, was extremely rapid, and the stench was terrible. War alt'ords many striking incidents, and one occurred on that grim tour of picket duty that illustrated alike the value and the virtue of Masonic brothcj-hood, and shed a soft and hallow- ing iniluence over the ghastly surroundings of that scene of strife. Many dead lay in the Emmetsburg road in front of us, and just opposite the right of the regiment, stretched out at full length, was the lifeless form of a Confederate colonel. His was a fine, manly figure, and he was smitten down in the prime of life. It was ascertained from a Masonic certificate in his jiocket, which I hold in my hand, that his name was Joseph Wasden, and that he was a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 11, of Warrenton, Ga. Thereupon it was determined that this deceased bic^ther, an enemy in life, that had been stricken down far from his home and loved ones, should be buried by fraternal liaiuls, and the blue uniforms gathered round the gray as a sipuid of the Second Rhode Island, under the direc- ti(jn of Captain Thomas Foy, a Past Master of King Solomon Lodge, No. 11, of East Greenwich, raised the inanimate form in their ai-ms and bore it carefully two or three hundred yards to the right, where they tenderly and reverently buried it on the south side of (Jodori's barn, the opposing picket shots serv- ing as minute guns. Several years ago, at one of our regi- mental reunions, I requested Capt. Foy to send me the certifi- cate, and to give me the details of this burial in which he was the chief |iarti(ipanl ; and 1 extract scmie sentences from the RHODE ISLAND KXCURSION TO (JKTrYSHLTUG. 23 letter he soon afterwards sent me. He wrote : "1 saw Cor- poral Archie Stalker the day after the nninion, but ho was unable to remember the names of the privates who assisted us at the burial of Colouel Wasden. " It should be mentioned that Cori)oral Stalker (who is an excellent amateur letterer), by my direction, prepared a head- stone (stf) out of the top of an ammunition box, and carved the Colonel's name, rank and regiment upon it, and erected it at the head of the grave, and the corporal informed me that he had conversed with the author of a picture of the battle- field of Gettysburg (Carpenter, I think,) who asserted that he saw such a headstone when he was on the field taking notes. " You doubtless remember that the grave was made contigu- ous to a barn. Well, in that barn at the time there were a lot of wounded rebels, a part of whom claimed to be members of Wasden's regiment. I requested them, if they lived to get home, to inform the friends of Colonel Wasden that he was decently buried, and by a Mason." The grave was so well marked that many people here in Gettysburg remember it, and a year ago, or more, when I was here last, an officer of Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 336, loca- ted here, informed me that members of that Lodge assisted in removing the remains wlien subsequently exhumed and for- warded to his friends. Being myself a Mason and interested to know sometiiing more of the subject of this romantic inci- dent, a few weeks since I addressed a note to the Master of Franklin Lodge, No. 11, of Warrenton, Ga., and this is his reply : "ORDiNARy's Office, Warren County, "Warrenton, Ga., Sept. 22, 1886. "To Horatio Rogers, Esq., Providence, R. I. : " My Dear Sir and Bro. — Your letter of inquiry reached me yes- terday. I must confess that I was touched by its perusal, I have been a Mason about fortj'-two years. * I have been Master of our Lodge, Fraukliu Lodge, No. 11, a great many times. Under the 21 RHODE ISLAND KXrUHSION TO GETTYSBURCi. ciicii instances it affords me unnsual pleasure to comply with your request, at least in part. Josei)li Wasdeu enlisted as a volunteer in this county, 31st day of August, 1861. He was captain of the company. He was afterwards promoted Major, then Lieutenant- Colonel, and then Colonel of the 22d Georgia Regiment. He was killed on the second day of the fight, and on the 2d day of July, 1803. " Some tidings of the kindness and tender offices shown his body had reached here, but nothing so satisfactory as that which your letter contains. I am glad to know that his body fell into such hands, and that the blessed principles of our ancient craft are not to be forgotten or eclipsed by the clangor of arms, the din of war, or anything else, and that the nerveless embrace of death is no barrier to a Mason's charity. Colonel Wasden was about 35 years of age. He was a poor boy, did not receive much education, but had spirit and ambition, and was destined to distinction if he had lived. He was a lawyer by profession, and was rising slowly, but surely, in the practice. " His wife — he had no children — was a northern lady, and I sup- pose at this time is at St. Paul's, Minnesota. If his body was sent anywhere, it must have been sent to her in some northern State. It was not brought to Georgia. Mrs. Wasden's given name was Marion. The Colonel's sword is in this county now, in possession of a friend of Mrs. Wasden, with whom she lived after the death of her husband until the war was over. I do not know that Mrs. AY. is living. " I have to-day seen Captain Beall of Colonel AVasdeu's regi- ment. He saj's the Colonel was rising fast in the army. His superior oUicers had their eyes fixed on him, and he would soon have been promoted still higher. '' In conclusion, I am glad to assure you and all connected with that transaction, that your kindness was not unworthily bestowed. " I am very truly and fraternally yours, etc., "R. W. HUBERT, " W. M. Franklin Lodge, No. 11." 'J'lie Twenty-Second Georgia was in Wright's Brigade, An- derson's Division of A. P. Hill's Corps, and it lost at Gettys- burg 21 killed and 75 wounded, and Colonel Wasden must UHODI': ISLAND KXCIIKSION To (iKTIVSItrm; . 2.) have been killed late in the art(,'rnuon ol' the second day's light.* When on picket we all felt sure that Lee was retreat ini;;, for all day long we could hear the rumble of his wagon trains. After dark we rejoined our brigade, but the next morning, July 5th, the Second Rhode Island was ordered to report to General Neil, and be temporarily attached to his brigade, which led the pursuit of the Confederate army, for the latter had departed during the night. The rebel wounded were everywhere. We overtook them on the road ; the barns and * Through the courtesy of Dr. J. W. C. O'Neal, of Gettysburg, the following, in regard to the removal of Col. Wasdon's remains from Gettysburg to Georgia, has been obtained : "844 N. 10th St., Phila., Oct. 27th, 1886. " Dear Doctor : It affords me pleasure to gratify your desire for information concern- ing the exhumation and reburial of the remains of Col. J. Wasden, 22d Ga. Reg't, who was killed at Gettysburg, July — , 1863. " During the summer of 1871, per contract with the Savannah Memorial Asso'u, I e.\humed the remains of Col. Wasden, and those of one hundred Georgians, who had been buried on the battlefield at Gettysburg; and shipped the same to the S. M. Asso'n, by whom they were re-interred in the cemetery at Savannah, Ga. "The grave, on the head-board of which was conspicuously marked 'Col. J. Wasden, 22nd Ga. Reg.,' was located on east side of Emmettsburg road, just inside the fence, and near the south end of Codori's barn. The grave was single and alone. I exhumed the re- mains of Col. W. and packed them in a large box. No. .5, in company with those of eight other Georgians whose names were known, as tlieir graves had been marked. " The remains were not packed separately in small boxes, but collectively in large boxes, by direction from the S. M. A. to meet the limited capacity of the Soldiers' Lot in the ceme- tery. Any further information which may be desired concerning these remains can be re- ceived by addressing Mrs. John Williamson, President of the S. M. Asso'u, Savannah, Ga. '.'1 am fraternally yours, " R. B. WEAVER. "To Dr. J. W. C. O'Neal, Gettysburg, Pa." "Dear Doctor: I trust that the enclosed note may meet your want. If I understood you correctly, you desired a note showing that I removed the remains of Col. W., by who.se authority, and where they could be found— or, rather, where they were re-buried. These three facts my letter contains. " You will understand why Col. W.'s remains were not packed in a separate box. I sent a list of the names to the Association, so that by referring to the list they can ascertain in which one of the 8 boxes any one of the remains, sought after, may be found, for the names on the list correspond with the number on each box. Col. W.'s bones are in box Xo. f>, with the bones of 8 other comrades, and among which are the bones of Lt.-Col. D. R. E. Winn, 4th Ga. (You mind he was buried at Blocker's, and it was his gold-plate teeth that I paid $5 for through you. You expressed the teeth and receipt to me, and I expressed them to Savannah.) I will be pleased to reply to any inquiry you raay^nake at any time. Hoping that you may continue in good health, "I am, with best wishes, R- B- W." Dr. Weaver is at present Demonstrator of Anatomy in the Halmemau Medical School, Philadelphia. 26 HHODK IS1,.VN1> EXCURSION TO GKTTYSBUKG. houses we passed were filled with them ; and it seemed as if tliere was no end to them. Move or less al)le-l)odicd stra<2,"glcrs were pirked up, and 1 recall the tone and manner of one of them as 1 was .uiving orders how to guard a S([uad of a dozen or fifteen that I had in charge. I spoke of them as "Gray- backs," and he smilingly looked up and said : " Colonel, I never heard us called by that name before." We followed Lee down to Virginia, capturing some prisoners, skirmishing heavily at Funksto^nl, where several of the regiment were wounded, and where we thought we were going to fight. The Confederate army was allowed to cross to Virginia practically unmolested, and the Gettysburg campaign ended. The casualties in the Second Rhode Island in the famous battle fought here, were utterly disproportioned to the services rendeied and the sufferings endured, as it had but one man killed and five wounded. The smallness of the loss, however, was largely due to the regiment's having been studiously spread out while it was exposed to the furious cannonade of July 3d, so that a bursting shell could hit but a single man, whereas one of the other regiments of the brigade that marched with closed ranks lost nearly five times as many as we. An- other favoring circumstance was that our brigade, like most of the Sixth Corps, was in the reserve, and this at once con- duced to our safety and afforded us superior opportunities to olnserve what was trans})ii-ing around us ; but it was, neverthe- less, a trying and onerous j)Osition, as reserves are called on in emergencies, and are, therefore, of the flower of the army, that can be relied on at a pinch. Napoleon's Old Guard was always in his reserve. It is an infinitely harder strain upon the nerves of men to watch and wait, often enduring a fire they are forbidden to return, than it is to actually fight, for the pent-up feelings find relief in the excitement of action. This, Comrades, and Ladies and Gentlemen, constitutes the record of the Second Rhode Island at the great battle fought here, and it is to perpetuate this record that the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association has invited us to place a memorial upon this field. In response to that invitation this KIIODK ISLAND EXCUIlSfON TO (IKTTYSI'.rilC. 27 brou/.c surmounted granite, bearing, besides its otber orna- mentation, the arms ol" the State and an appropriate inscriji- tion, has been erected at the joint expense of the State ol' Rhode Island and the Second Rhode Island Veteran Associa- tion, and we confide it to your keeping, Mr. Secretary, as the representative of the Gettysburg Battlelield MeuKjrial Associ- ation, to guard with the other memorials of both o{)ponents on this historic field, that have been, and are to l)e, placed here, and which for all time to come will attest the constancy and the valor with which this people, North and South, con- tended for their ])rincii)lcs. But, while this memorial is in- tended to commemorate the honorable part we of the Second Rhode Island bore in the most memorable struggle of the late civil war, it is intended to represent nothing more. The din of battle is over, the animosities of war have ceased, and Yank and Reb., Unionist and Secesh, Federal and Confederate, have laid aside both their arms and their bitterness, and having fought their differences out like men, now greet each other as fellow-countrymen, and point with pride to a common flag as the segis of our liberties. ADDRESS BY HON. JOHN M. KRAUTH, Secretary op the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. Veterans of Rhode Island, Ladies and Gentlemen : — It af- fords me very great pleasure, as the representative of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, to receive into our care and custody this monument. This beautiful struc- ture, as already stated, has been erected by a grateful State, supplemented by the subscriptions of the survivors of the regiment, to commemorate and perpetuate the gallant deeds of the gallant men who here fought for the integrity of the Union. I can assure you that it will give this Association and its successors the greatest pleasure to see that no harm shall come to these monuments, to so guard them that they shall be preserved in their beauty to be handed down to the latest generations, in order that they who come to tliis great field 28 KIIODK ISLAND EXCURSION TO GKTTYSBtJRO. of battle may see what the citizens of your State and the citi- zens of the northern portion of the eonntry sacrificed for this country. Again we thank you and congratulate you on your distinguished service, and renew our assurances that we shall guard this memorial to perpetuate the services and gallantry of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers. BENEDICTION BY CHAPLAIN WEBB. The Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord ; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen. The party then proceeded by train to Hancock Station, whence a few minutes' walk brought it to the memorials of Batteries A and B, where the following dedicatory services were had, beginning at the memorial of Battery A. INVOCATION BY CHAPLAIN WEBB. Most Might}' and Merciful Father, we come before thee in an humble sense of our own unworthiness, beseeching thee to assist us in the solemn duties of the preseut hour. Be with us as thou hast promised to be with tliose who make their petitions in thy Son's name. Give us wisdom from on High that we may faith- fully observe thy laws and do thy will. May we preserve ever- more the remembrance of our departed comrades. May their heroic deeds be held in grateful esteem by those who enjoy the blessings they helped to gain for our country. Let thy good Spirit abide in our midst that so we may perform faithfully and well the duties of this day. As we gather here in thy presence, help us to realize the greatness of the work performed by those whose bravery we commemorate. May the good example of our fallen comrades be had in mind. May we wisely improve our opportunities and shew forth thy glory by upholding the principles of efjuity, freedom and patriotism. Have mercy upon our land and all who dwell therein. Keep them from all evil, prosper their efforts lo protiiole pi!aee and li:ipi»ir)ess on earth. Look in mercy RHODK ISLAND EXCt'RStON TO OICTTVSI'.I ItC . 20 upon the distressed of this and other lands. Hless all in author- ity over us, and so ride their hearts and strenjrtiien their hands that they may punisli wickedness and viee, and maintain thy true religion and virtue. May we in our present life serve well the great Captain of man's salvation, and in tiiiue own good tin)e be received into the Church triumphant. All which we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. ADDRESS BY LIEUT. BENJAMIN H. CHILD, Who Served as a Sergeant with Battery A, at the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he was Wounded. Mr. Chairman, Comrades, and Ladies and Gentlemen : Hardly had the first call for three months' men, in 1861, been responded to, when the military authorities of Rhode Island contemplated the oi-ganization of the Second Regiment of Infantry and a second battery. Enrollments progressed rapidly, and but a few days after not less than 400 men were desirous of linking their fortunes with the battery. The arm- ory on Benefit street in Providence, was the rendezvous of men from sunrise till late at night eager to acquire the knowl- edge of military tactics, foot drill and manual of the piece. Some men were so anxious as to come before daylight, and would not leave in the evening until the armorer persuaded them to. We expected to get mustered into three months' service, but the Federal Government by issuing a call for 75,000 men for not less than three years, left no other alter- native but to serve the said term. At last the day that was to transform us from citizens to soldiers arrived, the required number to man the battery being selected, out of 400, by Sur- geon Wheaton. On the 5th day of June, 1881, at 5 o'clock p. m., we were mustered into the service of the United States for three years, unless sooner discharged. The 19th inst. witnessed our departure for Washington, D. C. On July 9th a sad accident occurred at section drill. Through some un- known cause a limber-chest of Lieut. Vaughn's section, filled with cartridges, exploded, while Gunner Morse and Privates 30 KHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. Bi-own and Freeman were mounted. Morse and Brown died within an hour. Freeman was badly injured, i)ut recovered after a lingering sickness. Sunday, July 21st, we received our first bai)tisin by fire at the l)attle of Manassas Plains, or Bull Run. We advanced steadily from Centreville until ai-- riving at Bull Run and Sudley Church, where a halt was made to rest our men and horses. At this moment the brave Rhode Island Infantry, commanded by Col. Slocum, came upon the enemy, who were concealed in the woods. Their situation was getting critical ; the report of cannon and musketry fol- lowed in rapid succession. Our battery, after passing Sudley Church, commenced to trot in great haste to the place of com- bat. At this moment Gen. McDowell rode u]) in a state of great excitement, shouting to Capt. Reynolds: "Forward with your light battery." This was entirely needless, as we were going at high speed, for all were anxious to come to the rescue of our Second Regiment. In quick time our guns were unlimbei'ed, with or without orders. No matter, it was done, and never did better music sound to the old Second Regiment than the quick report of our guns, driving back the enemy. For nearly forty minutes our battery and the Second Regiment defended that ground before any other troops were brought into action. The setting sun of that day found the fragments of our army not only in full retreat, but in a com- plete rout, leaving most of the artillery in the hands of the enemy, our battery being the only six-gun battery taking all its guns off of the battlefield, two guns being in a disabled condition. Five of our guns were lost at the Cub Run bridge. The following morning we arrived in Washington with one gun and a six-horse team, all that was left of our battery. We lost one man killed and several wounded and prisoners. On the 13tli of August, the State having organized a regi- ment of light artillery, we were no longer called the Second Battery, but Battery A, First Rhode Island Light Artillery. The battery was engaged in most of the battles in the Penin- sula campaign of 1862. September 2, 18C>2, we were in the Second Corps at the KHODK ISI^ANI) KXCriUSION TO (iK'ITVSKUKC . 31 second Bull Run. We left Fairfax Court House at 8 u. ni., t'onii- ing in line of battle on Flint Hill. Not being attached, our line of march was resumed. Soon a rebel battery opened on our rear directly from the town. Gen. Sumner, commanding the Sec- ond Corps, ordered one section of our battery and the First Minnesota Infantry, commanded by Col. Sulley, to take posi- tion, planting the two guns of the right section on each side of the road. About dusk the enemy appeared. We could hear the unlimbering of the artillery. At that moment we opened lively with shell and canister, while Col. Sulley threw his regiment across the road and kept up a brisk musketry fire on the advancing cavalry of the enemy. l>oing unal)le to use their artillery, the rebels retreated. The First Minnesota lost seven men killed. One of our limber chests was upset and the pole broken, injuring one man and a horse. Col. Sulley was anxious to fall l)ack, and advised our captain to lose no time, and, if necessary, to abandon the gun. Capt. Tompkins replied he would carry the gun along or share its fate. We all went to work tying the two guns and limbers together, and they were carried safely away. September 17th — Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg. Since 4 a. m. the l)attle has raged furiously. Gen. Hooker gained some ground early in the morning, but was wounded soon after the ball opened. Our battery was ordered to take position close to Hooker's line. The battlefield wore a terrific aspect at our arrival. Before reaching our designated position we had to pass through the enemy's artillery fire for nearly a mile. Two of our men were wounded before getting into position. While marching through a corn-field we saw one of our batteries entirely demolished, and hundreds of dead and wounded, both the blue and the gray, lay everywhere around us. Crossing the field we were heartily cheered by the famous old Sedgwick's division, which was advancing on the enemy like veterans. We took our position near a cemetery and in front of a burning farm house — a place already fought for all the morning, as could be seen by the dead and wounded strewn around. We relieved a battery of Gen. Hooker's command, ;}2 KUODK ISLAND EXCDUSION TO GETTYSI5UKG. and were supported by two companies of the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry commanded by a sergeant. Here we fought steadily against infantry and artillery for four hours and a half. At one time our situation was very critical. The euL-my, after driving Gorman's brigade on our right, came charging from that direction. We used double canister. There was a time when half of tlie battery was compelled to cease tiring. The order " Limber to the rear " was given, but, fortunately, not heard, as it would have resulted in the certain capture of the battery. At this critical turn Capt. Tompkins called on our infantry support to advance, which they did, enabling us to load again. The enemy failing to take the battery, retreated slowly, leaving a battle flag behind, which by right sliould have been given to the battery, as it fell before the infantry advanced. Our ammunition giving out, Capt. Tompkins sent word to be relieved. Our bugler, John Leach, deserves due mention here for carrying notice through the hottest fire, regardless of his personal safety, to bring rescue to his comrades. Shortly afterwards, Battery G, Rhode Island, came to relieve us. We left our position under a heavy fire of the enemy's batteries, leaving our dead and wounded be- hind. Battery G was driven from the position we had held for four hours, when the ground was taken by the enemy. Our losses were : killed — Sergt. Reed, Privates Lawrence, Bosworth and Stone, and 13 wounded, and 9 horses killed. The foil wing morning Lieut. Jeffrey Hazard with eight men tried to obtain the bodies of our killed, but was not success- ful, as the enemy's shar))shooters fired at our approach. Later in the day the bodies were recovered in a mutilated state, and buried in the evening in the presence of the battery. Deccmlier 13th — Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. Firing commenced about II a. m. Capt. Tompkins, having been promoted to major, left the battery, and after making a fare- well speech to the l)oys, introduced our new commander, Capt. Wm. A. Arnold. Shortly after, the command "Forward!" was given, and we took our position on the outskirts of the town. Shot and shell were ploughing through the street al- RFioDK ISLAND KXCiutsioN TO <; r"iTvsr!n;< ; . 3.3 ready. We took i)ositioii on tlu; i-oad Icmliiii:^ to St. Mary's Heights, and wc kept np a constant fire diirinjr the afternoon. Owing to our jwsition being protected by houses, our h)sses were small. Pi-ivate Hicks was shot through both feet, ren- dering auii)utation of both members necessary. (Jn June 14th, 1863, the Second Corps left its jiosition in front of Frederieks- bui-g, Va., for Gettysbui-g. Let there be a lasting place in our memory for thos(! who sleep forever on the blood-stained fields of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania — not forgetting comrades Lonnegnn, Zim- nila, Creamer and Higgins, who wei-e killed on this very ground and now rest in yonder cemetery.* Comrades, until within the past few days, I had expected our old commander, Capt. William A. Arnold, to be present with us on this occasion. Instead of coming, however, he has sent a communication giving an account of the battery's doings on the eventful days of July 2d and 3d, 1863, wishing it to be read at the dedication of the battery's memorial, and 1 will accordingly read it. CAPT. ARNOLD'S REMINISCENCES. To the Surviving- 31embers of Baltery A, First R. I. Light Artillery, that meet on the historical field of Getlijshirrg- to dedicate a monument erected on the ground occujiied bjj the Battery on the 2d and 3d of July ^ 1863. I assumed command of Battery A on the 13th of December, 1862, in the streets of Fredericksburg, Va., the battery being in the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, and always renuiined in that grand old corps. The company and myself were com- * The bodies of the following named Rhode Island dead are buried in the Natfonal Ceme- tery at Gettysburg, viz : 1 Charles Powers, Co. C, 2d K. I. Vols. 8 John Greene, Bat. 15, 1st R.I.L.A. 2 Patrick Lonnegau, Bat. A, Ist R.I.L.A. : 9 David B. King, " 3 John Higgins, " " \ 10 Ira Bennett. 4 John Zimnila, " " | " William Beard, Bat. E, 5 Corp. Henry H.Ballou, Bat. B, " 12 Francis II. Martin, 6 Alfred G. Gardner, " " 13 Alvin Hilton, 7 Corp. William Jones, " " ' 1^ Ernest Simpson, " 5 31 iniODK ISLAM) KXCLUSION TO (IKTTYSlSUKt; . parative strangers to cacli other. Confidence was established between us in that l)attle, and as far as 1 know, that eonlidencc was never impaired. As is well known to you, Gen. Hooker suc- ceeded Gen. Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac. Shortly after Gen. Hooker took command he issued an order for the inspection of the entire army. Batteries that passed an Al insjiection would be allowed one officer and five pri- vates leave of absence at the same time. Battery A came within the list, and it always maintained that high reputation. The army left the front of Fredericksburg, Va., to find the enemy. They were found at Gettysburg. The battle of the first day of July took place while we were at Taneytown, Md. As is well known, Gen. Hancock was sent forward to Gettys- \n\Y 1{II<>1>K ISLAM) KXcrnsION TO (iKTTVSBUHG. After all was over, the next day or two, I was directed to take the material from Battery A, Fourth United States Ar- tillery, the men and horses from Battery B, First Rhode Is- land, to put the l>attery into movinu- condition. This was done, and the hattery performed its part afterwards. It was a fa- voiite with such generals as Couch, Howard, Alex. Hayes, Birney, Barlow, Gibbon, and Hancock, the magnificent com- mander of the grand old Second Corps, to which we had the honor to belong. We all remember Fredericksburg, Gettys- burg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor. It is al- most impossible to tell the number of engagements and battles the battery was engaged in. It was enlisted for three years, not during the war. The term of enlistment expired at Cold Harbor, Va., on the 6th of June, 1864. It was kejtt up to the extreme front until almost the last hour of its enlistment. The battery — what was left of it — was turned over to Lieutenant Dwight, and I started for Providence with fifty-three men, all that remained of 150 originally enlisted. During the time that I commanded the battery, from December, 1862, to the muster out in 1864, not one man died from disease. The men lost were killed in battle, a record to be proud of. I often wonder how many of the fifty-three men that came home with me, are alive to-day, and how many have i)assed over the river to join their com- rades that went before. We are all growing older, and in a few years none will be left to tell the tale, but this monument will last as long as gianite will stand to i)erpetuate the mem- ory of those who fought and died there to save their country in its extreme j)eril ; and when we are gone it will be a blessed history to hand down to our children. The State of Rhode Island is a small one in tei'ritorial limits, but it did not have a small place in the war, and by the erection of these monuments on the field of Gettysburg she takes a position with the larger States, and the care which she took of her soldiers makes one proud to be a native of the State. 1 icgret exceedingl}- that I shall not be able to be with you RIIODK ISLAND EXCURSION To (iKTTYSIUim;. .'^7 on the meniorablo occasion, Iml 1 leave it in tlie liamLs of the old comrades who were always hiaxc and true, and it will In; well done. The following address w'as prepared for the occasion hy Mr. William D. Child, who served as a i)rivate in Battery A at the battle of Gettysburg-, though lack of time prevented its de- livery. Mr. Chairman., dwirar/es and Friends of Battery A : The field of Gettysburg is still a ground which cannot be trod without emotion. Although a genei-ation of men has come ui)on the stage since the events wliich have j)laced the name of this l)eautiful Pennsylvania borough in histoi'y as the scene of one of the most terrific and sanguinary battles of the world, to be men- tioned as long as the names of Thermopylae, of Balaklava, or of Waterloo, are spoken, and perhaps beyond, for history will not forget that the emancipation and freedom of a race was a grand and controlling factor in that problem, yet to you, comrades, who come to this field now for the first time, to you, the cycle of whose years has doubled and commenced its second course since those mighty events which gave to you and yours forever a share in its glory, tell me, does there not crowd upon the memory a train of thoughts so tender, so proud, and yet so vivid, that they seem like the events of a year but just agone ? To the soldier who escaped its perils, and to the student of history wdio understands in the light of events the conditions, which obtained on both sides the bayonet guarded line, of the reasonable rising hopes of that monstrous fallacy of secession, and of the still hopeful but well-nigh discouraged loyalty of the North, the mention of this field recalls not only a vivid picture of heroism and of terror, but of a period in the history of that tremendous four years' struggle, when the opposing theories represented by the two contending hosts, who met almost by accident here — theoiies which had long since passed 88 RII()I»K ISLAND F.XOCUSIOX TO GETTYSBrRG. l)eyond the doinaiii of statcsinaiiship — liad been relegated to the hist dread arbiti'aiiient of the sword, and upon this spot between two giganlie armies ahnost equal in numbers, both ably marshalled, were to lind, the one, either an opening grave or the liist tangible sign of a resurreetion morn. A just eonception of the battle of Gettysburg, with all its momentous consequences for weal or woe to the cause we loved, cannot be had without considering the salient points, at least, of the immediate causes which led thereto. It may be doul)ted if this republic of ours, since its birth 'mid the throes of war, e'er saw a darker hour than that which pre- ceded the dawn of the first of July, '63. You are all familiar with that history, and I shall speak but briefly thereon, from the private soldier's standpoint. Two years and more had elapsed since the first three years' contingent had taken the field and commenced the mighty preparation of drill and discipline which was destined in the later and closing years of the struggle to permeate the mass like an inspiration, while of the original, whose names were borne upon the rolls, but a small fraction remained. The heroes and the victims of the early "Bull Run" had all but lost their identity as such, and the Army of the Potomac had been l)orn. A soldier from the West had been summoned to its com- mand, and no lover ever transferred his allegiance of mind and soul to the object of his hrst passion more wholly and with more honest purpose than did that army tender to him its devotion and its blood. To it and to him was entrusted at first the protection of our own capital, and later the sub- jection of the capital of the Confederacy, — a complex and gigantic duty, — and history will tell how it was performed. On Washington's birthday, 1862, the army strikes its tents, and then commences a series of five chapters in its history, namely : the peninsular campaign, the Pope defeat, the scmi-vict(jr} of Antictam, the failure of Fredericksburg, and the blunder at Chancellorsville, all written in letters of blood, and, with one possilile excepiion, all covered with the pall of KIIODK ISLAND KXCIIRSION To (iK ITVSl'.Uin; . ')9 defeat. Meanwhile at home the voluntary oulislniciits h.-iil slop- ped, and the wheel of the draft-box had eoniiiieneed. Coppc-i-- headism, now beconung rampant, had just shown its teeth at Springfield, 111. (June, '68,) in a convention r('i)rcsenting half a million of men, whose sworn and bounden duty it was to deter enlistments, to encourage desertions, and in every possible manner to chock the wheels of Federal success, whether in the field, the senate chandler, or the streets of our cities and hamlets, every one of which, almost, had sent its representative to the front. Wherever men congregated its hideous counsels were heard, and broken-hearted mothers and gray -haired fathers went back to their homes with the despair born of the mo- mentary thought that i»erhaps their sacrifices had been in vain. Our letters from home did not betray this, thanks and honor to the hands and hearts that could write through their burning tears those epistles so full of faith, and hope, and love. Who shall say what was their effect upon this sanguine field ? and, to them, does there not belong a part of its glory 'i Aside, then, from these letters from home, sometimes in- terrupted for w^eks, but always acting like a tonic when re- ceived, there w^as not much encouragement to be found in a review of the past. We had seen regiments and companies about us decimated by one-half and more of their numbers ; we looked in vain foi- many familiar faces, whether he were a commander or a messmate ; and for thousands of these al)- sentees, the graves which marked our paths from the Poto- mac to the Pennsylvania line, alone could answer. Within a period of ten months the fourth commander of the army in regular succession had given way to the fifth, and now in the presence of a buoyant and exultant enemy, wdiom, to use a very mild term, we had grown to respect. One of Gen. Meade's initial orders concludes with this sen- tence : " Corps and other commanders are authorized to order the instant death of any man who fails in his duty this hour." 10 KIIOUK ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. Upon wliat liypothesis can the lanuuage of tliis sentence be based otlier than that he and his advisers with the govern- ment at Washington felt and knew that, in the impending struggle, it was tlien or never for tin; army of the Potomac, and all that hinged thereon ? Did that army ever before re- ceive such an order ? Did it ever afterwards? Not that the speaker remembers or can find. Is the deduction, then, in the premises, not perfectly fair which concludes that, with the highest authorities, the conviction had obtained, that as that army answered for itself on this field, so would history an- swer for the preservation or dismemberment of the Union. Gen. Lee and his advisers, in contemplating the practicability of this invasion, had taken all these considerations and many more into the account. There were evidences to them that the time had arrived for the Confederacy to strike but one more determined and successful blow uj)on the all but faint- ing head and theory of popular government. Let them but plant their banners at Philadelphia, with its stores and trea- sure, and Washington be cut off by bayonet line from its ])00j)le at the North, when out from Baltimore would come to their relief thousands of armed men who were waiting sul- lenly, but hopefully, for the hour. New York city, which at the behest of secession had already had the proposition of withdrawal from the Union and es- tablishing lierself as a free city, made through the person of its mayor (Fernando Wood), was now wrangling over the constitutionality of the draft, and, if we may believe our own conclusions, was ready at that moment for anything which promised its withdrawal. Foreign complications were trying the mettle and genius of our state-craft. England, the pow- erful, and France, the boastful, waited with undisguised im- patience for the hour of our doom to strike, while the enemies of the republic everywhere rejoiced in the belief that its dis- solution was at hand. With the commencement of the year the edict of emancipation had gone forth from the hand and heart of that noblest soul of all the [)roductions of those troublous times. To it and its ultimatum our army stood RHODI': ISLAND KXCUKblON TO (IKTTY.SHUUtr. 41 committed. It was for them now to write with tlieir swoi-ds, their bayonets, and their lanyards, wliat the <2:reat Lincohi iind written with the pen. Its immortality hin^^cd not more on its conception than on its supi)ort ; its realization now de- pended on the fate of battles. In the months and years of war through which we had just passed, (here had ol)taiued lo some extent thi'onghout the army an aversion to any measure of this kind. This aversion had l)ecn outspoken l)y one of its commandci'S, had been shared by some of his subordinates, had entered into their councils, had acted as the dead-weight about their necks in more tiian one campaign, and, in the oi)inion of the speaker, had contributed largely to more than one defeat. Have we not the spectacle of a commander dictating from the field, by the midnight lamp, messages of advice upon this subject to Washington, and while those messages were being studied and written, his opponent was preparing against his army a campaign from the toils of which it barely escaped ? But, thank God, this sentiment did not appreciably affect the rank and file ; and, at the period of which we speak, its bale- ful element had been largely, if not entirely, eliminated from its councils, and the caps of liberty upon the staffs of our regimental fliigs stood, for one and all, as no longer the em- blems of an idle and groundless dream, but as the symbols of an enunciated and living fact. If we succeeded, it would live the pride and boast of all coming time ; if we failed, it would find a grave amid the common wreck. And now Gen. Lee and his lieutenants, with every external reason for hopefulness of success, sanguine of their own abil- ity, with no shadow of doubt of the constancy of the ragged and dirty, but devoted divisions which they led, knowing that in some instances their soldiers had come to hold in derision "the Army of the Potomac, which now alone could bar their progress and wake them and their cause forever from their dream of disunion, had started out to carry the war into the North, and the recognition of their cause in Europe. Says one writer : '' The future of America was about to be decided forever." 42 RUODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO GETTYSBURG. A few days after the vanguard of that invading host had crossed the Rappahannock on the right of our camps at Fal- mouth, and, in light marching order and with lighter hearts, had sped on well towards the North, Gen. Hooker puts his columns in motion, and, at route step, always the order when a long jour- ney was before it, the Army of the Potomac takes up again its task of protecting its own capital and beating back an invasion. Analyze that task, if you can ; measure its breadth, sound its depth ! Only the plummet of the Almighty can reach the limit. That army comprised a mass — that mass composed of units, every one of those units representing a human heart, a human soul, living, breathing, hoping, loving, to whom the name of home and loved ones was as dear, to many the prattle of w^hose children was as sweet, and to one and all the desire for life as strong and controlling as are any or all these senti- ments to this company to-day. That army, that mass, those units had now become, for the time being, at least, the forlorn hope of its government ; with their bayonets and their bosoms they were to form the last bulwark of defence between the loyal cities of the North, with their industries, their wealth, their homes, their altars and their firesides, and the hitherto victorious arms of Lee. Do you comi)rehcnd the meaning of that task ? In a mea- sure, yes ; but words fail and become impotent in the jn'osence of the facts towards which that oft-defeated army now, with resolute step and determined visage, wends its way. Dante, Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, and Carlyle, have, each in his own way, written of battle scenes ; all have brought their wonder- ful and varied power of language to bear in reciting the phy- sical transaction ; but which of these has ever depicted the mental phase, or what is felt 'mid the shriek of shrapnel and the whiz of lead ? Go, read them, you soldiers of twenty battles, and see if even these masters of delineation have told all that is experienced 'mid the noise and confusion, the roar of aitillery, the crash of small arms, the struggle of death, thi- h(MiJorrhag»3 (jl' friends, the beseeching look for assistance which you cannot give, and the thousand sickening details of RHODE ISLAND KXCURSION TO fiKTTVSr.lIU;. 13 a fio-lit. Men have come out from these scenes without the vestige of a physical bruise, but with mental lialance gone, reason dethroned. Physical science teaches that 'tis l)ut a step, but a hair's breath, but a feather's weight, between sane and insane ; but who has ever told what a man may suffer before that weight is changed ? We left our camps in front of Fredericksburg and the near vicinity of Chancellorsville, without regret, for, saving the graves of comrades tried and trne, there was notliing there that did not incite a shudder, aiul, wliile we knew instinct- ively that the campaign upon which we were just entering could not be closed without a fearful struggle, yet the pre- dominant feeling was, anywhere, but there, for the next trial of arms. The march of the Second Corps, with the soldierly Hancock in command, over long and circuitous routes, sometimes in battle line, sometimes en masse, fording rivers and ascending hills, always on the watch as one "who peers into th(^ darkness for the foe he knows is there, is without special interest in 'this narrative, till a point near Taney town, in noi'thern Mary- land, is reached on the 30th of Jane, at night. We had scarcely resumed our march of the morning, before the sound which we had been for days expecting to make or to hear, was borne upon our ears — that sound, which once heard can never be mistaken, of continuous and increasing artillery fire ; and, although it was miles away, its volume was por- tentous. Quickly and instinctively the ranks of the sturdy infantry close up, gunners look to their pieces as they have done a score of times before, though, excepting a sponge bucket may need refilling, there is notlung to be done to pre- pare them for the fray. At eleven o'clock the hamlet of Taneytown is reached, where the Second Corps is briefly halted, for, at this stage, the plan of battle, which the next few hours was to develop, had not yet had its birth, and in obedience to orders we were not hur- ried to the front. During this halt we hear of the death of Gen. Reynolds, and we know that one of our ablest and best 44 UHODK ISLAND KXCL'KSION TO GETTYSBURG. has forever sheathed his sword. With this sad news there also comes the wildest rumors of disaster at the front — of the First Corps and Buford's Cavalry fairly enveloped by a cloud of Confederates, befoi'e whom they are stubbornly giving ground. We knew that splendid First Corps and those equally brave horsemen, and, if they were giving ground before an enemy wlumi they had met, it was evidence conclusive that Gen. Lee had commenced, if he liad not already effected, the coucen- tration of his troops. The probability of this conclusion, and of the rumors which were rife, was constantly enhanced by the ever-increasing battle-sound, which tells to the now anxious minds of both armies that the hour of trial was at hand. Gen. Meade, with a retinue, gallops not hastily along the road to where our headquarter flag is seen, and there, with Hancock, occurs a conference, the import of which all the world knows. " Go to the front, General, assume command of the field in my name, bring order, if you can, out of chaos, if chaos there exists, and report to me promptly the feasibility of concentration there !" Gen. Hancock enters an amlnilance instead of the saddle, that he may have better opportunity of studying his ma})s and plans, while he is driven rapidly toward the point where danger thickens. Immediately the weary feet of the Second Corps are moved battle-ward, and the tired soldier takes heart, for this is the man of whom Gen. Grant, within a few years, has said that he " never knew him to make a mistake." You have already listened to an historical address by Lieut. Benjamin H. Child, whose triple battle-scars from Bull Run, fr(jm Antietam, and finally, and all but fatally, from this once shot-torn ground upon which we now stand, so mutely entitle him to speak in this glad and sad reunion hour ; also to a brief ])apcr prepared by Capt. Wm. A. Arnold, reciting in modest \vost, we would meet at the end of our beats and converse in low tones of our homes, and tell to one another GUI- i)huis and what we intended to do if we lived to arrive safe at home. Many of them never lived to enjoy the realiza tion of their cherisiied plans and desires, but have passed RHODE ISLAND EXCURSION TO OETTYS15UKG. 47 liciicc on this and other fieUls, or fi-oni lin^^ei-iiiLi: disciisc, or from wounds I'cccived. I foci that we, the survivors, have much to be thankful for, that we have Ijoen spared from the sad casualties of war, and our hearts should he filled with gratitude to a kind Providence which has guided our marches by day and by night, and permitted us to gather here after so many years. As I stand on this sacred spot, I cannot help comparing the occasion of tliis visit with that of (jur first visit so many years ago. We have a duty to j)erf(^rni to-day ; we had a duty to perform then ; but what a vast difference in these duties ! To-day we arc here to dedicate the monuments contributed by the State of Rhode Island in grateful rec(jgni- tion of our services in this desperate battle. Well might Rhode Island be proud of her soldiers, for they fought side by side with the best troops of other States, and have met in battle array the choicest troops of the Confederacy, and on no field, under no circumstances, has the honor of Rhode Island suffered at their hands, especially her artillery. We are here to-day to dedicate this monument, sacred to the memory of our unfortunate and revered comrades who fell at this place, dying in the full vigor of manhood. Death, under the most favorable circumstances, is terrible to contemplate ; but to the soldier on the field of carnage — torn, mangled, bleeding, dying in the full vigor of manhood and health, witli all the bright prospects of future glory blotted out forever I 0, how my heart throbbed in agony as I saw them fall on this field I — comrades whom I had associated with for nearly two years, sharing with them the dangers of other fields, sharing to- gether our scanty rations, drinking from the same canteen, and gathered around the camp-fire they told me their lives, their hopes, read to me their loving letters from home. Cruel, cruel war ! I feel that we are here to-day to dedicate this monument to the memory of Battery B, the pride of our hearts, and the grandest, choicest recollections of our lives. Battery B was mustered in at Providence, Aug. loth, 18151, for the period of three years, and proceeded immediately to Washington, where we went into (puirters at Camp Sprague, 48 KIIODK ISLAND KXCUKSION TO GKTTYSBDRG. and received our guns and horses. Then we marched to Poolesville, Md., near where we had our first fight, the dis- astrous battle of Ball's Bluff, and lost one gun and nearly a whole gun detachment. In the spring of '62 we took part in the capture of Winchester under Gen. Banks, after which we proceeded to Washington, where the battery joined the forces of Gen. McClellan, and took a very active part in the siege of Yorktown and the rest of the campaign. Then came South Mountain, Antictam, first and second Fredericksburg, lu the fii'st battle of Fredericksburg we were ordered into what we termed a forlorn hope. I will make a short mention of it here. It was the 13th day of December, the day of the hard fighting. We were in reserve until uear night, when we were ordered to report to Gen. Howard, who commanded a division of the Second Corps. We moved to the front, to the edge of the city, and found Gen. Howard watching the battle. I heard him tell our captain that he was about to order a charge on the cnen)y's works, and it was necessary for a smooth-bore battery to go up first and to fire rapidly, not stop to cut fire, l)ut to create a cloud of smoke to hide the troops and to give them courage. And then he said : " Capt. Hazard, 1 do not expect you to come out — with your guns, at least." The battery dashed in. Our loss was heavy for the length of time we were engaged. The charge was repulsed. The battery took a part in the second battle of Fredericksburg, and had the pleasure of assisting in the capture of the heights. At this battle the section to which I belonged fought a duel with a section of the famous Confederate Washington Artillery. One day in June we received oi'dcrs to pack up and be ready to move at night, but not to strike tents till dark, as we were camped in sight of the enemy across the river. When it became dark our tents were struck, and then com- menced our march for Gettysburg. But we were not then aware of our destination. We marched nearly all night, forming lines of battle so as to be prepared to receive the enemy if they should attempt to follow. The next day was very hot, and it told on us, as we had had no sleep the night KHODK isr.ANi) KxcuKsioN To < ; i/nvsruijo. 49 before, Miul wc had I)Ccu caiu|>iim- willi shades (jver iis. In the afternoon the road was strewn with the dead and dying from the effects of the sun. Our corps had a skiiinish at Thorouglifarc Gap on our way, after which we crossed the Potomac into Maryhvnd, near Lcesburg, in (he vicinity of our first battle, Ball's Bluff. On we went through roolesville irdo Pennsylvania. We now began to nuderstand Ihc intent of the enemy, and our greatest anxiety was, — VVoidd wc Ijc in time? 1 remember the anxious look of the residents along our route in Pennsylvania, as they came running to the road- side — men, women, and children. After noon on July 1st, we heard distant firing of artillery, and, as wc reached the top of a hill, we saw away in the distance the smoke of battle. Then we knew the Army of the Potomac Avas in time. At dark we arrived near the field. The Second Corps threw themselves down to rest and sleep. Poor, weary men I the next night many of them will sleep the eternal slecj). The next morning we started for the front line. As we marched across those fields, there were columns at the right of us, and columns at the left of us. One thing, in particular, I ol)- served, that on other similar occasions there would be more or less cheering and other demonstrations of enthusiasm, but on this occasion, everyone appeared dumb, silent, stern. It might have been from the effects of their long and fatiguing march, but to me it seemed that they realized the great im- portance of the issues at stake in the coming battle. Behind us were our homes and all we held dear ; above us, the starry flag, which, next to Heaven, we most revered ; in front of us, our old adversary, the gallant Army of Northern Virgijiia, with its skillful leader, and its bravest and most experienced corps commanders, flushed with the knowledge of previous victories, and joyous in expectations of present success. Be- tween the two armies, on an open field and no favors, nearly equal in numbers, there was about to take place a struggle of giants, on the issue of which hung the destiny of this conti- nent. Well might the soldier of the Army of the Potomac be silent and thoughtful. 50 KlIODE ISLAND KXCUUSION TO GETTYSBURG. The battery occupied three positions on this field ; first, in the morning, at our left and front, where you see those shocks of corn, but we were not engaged there, but moved to the right, and taking position on that small ridge in front of the line of battle and forming a spur from the main line, facing at right oblique, but firing left oblique — a very tiwkward ])Osi- tion, especially for the left of the battery, as when our skir- mishers were drawn in, which was the case, our left flank would be in the air. As we went into position here, we ob- served the chimneys, and roofs, and steeples of a village at our right and front. We asked what town it was, and soon word was passed, — Gettysburg ! We had never heard of such a place before, but, soon, thousands of hearts, North and South, would throb in anguish at the mention of Gettysburg. I will relate some of the incidents of our share of the second day's battle, as I saw it. I was gunner of the left gun, the farthest from the main line. The sergeant of our gun ob- served, as he dismounted, that he hoped this would be the wickedest old fight the battery was ever in. He had his wish gratified, and it was the sergeant's last fight in Battery B. The ground had recently been plowed, and made a good posi- tion for our guns in action, as they could not recoil. The sun shone hot, and there was no shade. For a long time we stood or reclined around our guns, waiting the opening of the Book of Fate. The enemy's sharpshooters crawled up in our front, and made targets of us. One of them closed one of his eyes on me, and the bullet passed between my arm and body. Near four o'clock there was a movement at our left, which caused us to sj)ring to our feet. .The Third Corps was mov- ing to the front. As our position was, we had to face partly to the rear to see them. It was one of the grandest sights I ever witnessed. They did not move in line of battle, but in a solid mass. The sun shone on bright guns, and glistening bayonets ; and the waving colors, and their steady, compact movements made a picture of dazzling beauty. We were sur- l)rised at this movement, for we did not expect to be the at- tacking pai-ty. The boys said to one another, — Tiiey cannot KllOniC IST.ANI) KXCHHSION TO f;i:ri'YSI'.UH(;. 51 go far ill that direction before they ^vill strike a snag. Soon from the edge of the woods in their front came jjiiffs of smoke, then, bang ! bang ! Soon there was a commotion in the Thii'd Corps, and in a few moments they were liotly engaged. From where we stood we could look over them, and sec the enemy emerge from the woods, and they came on gallantly, fii-iiig as they came. We could see them close in on the left Hank of the Third Corps. We saw Gen. Meade and staff dashing out to them, and saw the enemy fire on him from the left. Then we knew it was all day with the Third. Soon a regi- ment broke, then a brigade, then a division ; then it appeared that the whole corps was in full retreat, coming back. J Jut what a difference from their going out ! The disaster to the Third Corjis filled us with dismay and anxiety, as we did not know what the result would be, for the enemy were following them sharply, and where would the Third stop ? 1 heard some of the boys exclaim, "Whipped again !" and it did look shaky. A part of our corps (the Second) had already been sent to their assistance. There has been much discussion, of late, in regard to the disaster to the Third Corps, and to whom the blame, if any, should be attached. It is not my purpose to quote anybody else's opinion, but to give my own from the evidence of my own eyes. It was, and is, my opinion, that the disastrous result of the move proved it to have been a mistake, and the blame must necessarily be attached to the person who ordered it, whether it was the general command- ing, or the corporal of the guard. Surely, there should be no blame attached to the men in the ranks, for they made no mistakes, and disobeyed no orders ; they did the best they could, for the old Third was a fighting corps. The best troops that ever formed a line could not have withstood that front and flank attack. But there was one fortunate circum- stance, for, if some officer did blunder, the men in the ranks knew enough to retreat when badly beaten, as, if they had staid, they would have been annihilated, and the Army of the Potomac could not afford to lose so many good lighters at so critical a time. U2 RllODR ISLAND EXCURSION TO OETTTSBURO. Our attention was suddenly called from the Third Corps by the rapid discharge of artillery on our right. We about-faced and saw at our front, away of^' near the woods, a Confederate battle-flag apparently lifting itself up out of the ground, and then two rows of heads, and then the shoulders of a long line of battle. As yet we had made no move or preparation, but stood gazing at them in silence, and well we might, for they wore a grand ol)ject to behold. At first we saw them as they came up the slope, now their heads, next their shoulders and bodies, in a long circling line. There was something terribly suggestive in their steady advance, denoting that their visit to us was not of pleasure, but purely of business. I suggested to the sergeant that we had better prepare for business, as the Johnnies were coming for us. The sergeant said, "No, they are our men coming in." At that movement a sheet of smoke rolled up from them, then a crackling of their rifles, and the dirt flew among us. I asked the sergeant if he didn't think our men were careless with their guns. Immediately we heard our commanding officer shout to us to open on them at once ; " They are the enemy !" Instantly the whole machinery of the battery was set in motion. A quick opening of am- munition chests, a running of powder-monkeys, a whirling of sponge staffs — " Ready, fire !" — and, out from the front of Battery B, leaped jetting flames ; the sul))hurous smoke envel- oped the cannoneers as a cloud of dirt spurted up among the enemy from our shots, but it made no impression on them. We were using fixed ammunition, firing about five times per minute from each gun. We had at first to fire at an eleva- tion, Init, as they advanced, we kept de])ressing our pieces till at a point-blank. Then the enemy's fire was terrilde. The air around us a]i]»cared alive with lead. Once I glanced up along the line, while in the fiercest of the fight, and pride took the jtlace of fear. It was a sad but glorious sight to see how sjdendidly the boys were handling tlic guns. Our smoke was rolling back over the main line. There seemed to be a constant jetting of flame from the front of the battery. At evci') liniltcr some ol' the horses weie down, Ihnincing in the UlIODK IST,ANn KXCritSION Tf> r.KTTYSI'.riM.. 'i.S agonies of death, but the guns were jumping and roaring, not appearing to miss a cog. Every one of tlio hoys seemed to he earning his thirteen dollars ])er month. The enemy were jiow pilinut on they came, with their slouch hats pulled over their eyes, bringing their guns to the shoulder and firing. We could see their hands go up and down as they loaded as they advanced. They were now sweeping around on our left, and at this moment two men were shot at our gun, a powder-monkey and the sergeant. The lattei" and I were disputing about the management of the gun, when the shot struck him. Wc now began to realize that we were in a critical i)lacc, and should have been ordered back when the troops fell back. If we staid much longer, we would all be killed or taken prisoners. We were pleased when wc heard the command to limber to the rear. But now came the greatest difficulty, to get our gun off, as the enemy were most on to us. We had to cease jfiring to hitch on to the gun. Those who have been in close quarters in a battery can realize what an ordeal it is for the drivers to mount in the saddle right in the face of the enemy. I know that two men at this time were spilled out of one saddle by the enemy in succes- sion, one killed, the other wounded. As the order to limber up was given, I shouted to the drivers, who had already mounted, to advance. I was standing beside (he trail looking over my shoulder to see if we had time. Thei-e were but a few yards between the gun and the enemy. But the drivers would not come, for all I could do or say. They dashed up to the right and hitched on to the next gun, and away. The cannoneers, who were standing at the gun, now became diseouiaged and ran for the rear, leaving me and the gun. I could not blame them, for there was now no jirospect of saving the uun. A 54 RIIOOK ISLAND EXCrUSION TO GF-TTYSmJUC. cIos])air seized me, and I threw myself down 1>esidc the gun to share its fate. Tliose drivers tohl me, afterwards, that the reason they would not come to the gun was tliat the enemy were as close to the gun as they were, which was about eleven yards. But the gun was saved for all that. 1 had hut just thrown myself down when I heard a rattling of chains. Looking up, I saw a limber coming at a dashing gait from the wall. Our caissons were in rear of the main line, and as soon as the limbers at the pieces became nearly exhausted, those of tlie caissons would take their places. This proved to be one sent to our ])iece, not knowing that we were ordered out. Some of the detachment were retui-ning with it. The limber, with its six horses on full run, created a cloud of dust in the plowed ground, and had the aj)pearance of a charge. I sprang up and glanced at the enemy to see if we would have time to limber the gun. I observed that the rebs had come to a halt, apparently fixing bayonets, which gave us time, and caused them the loss of the gun. All of this did not occupy more than one minute. I remember, as the limber dashed up, there Avere three of the Fifteenth Massachusetts boys who had been fighting on our left and front, but the regiment had retreated. The three men came running to us, saying, "For God's sake, get this gun out of here, quick !" One of them dropped his gun and helped to lift the trail. The other two faced the enemy, and discharged their guns in their faces. The gun was limbei-ed, the drivers lashed and spurred their horses, and away went the gun through the wall fifty yards away. I had become completely exhausted. I tried to catch hold of the sight of the gun to pull me along, l)ut I missed it and fell on my face. The enemy had discovered their mistake and were after us. As I reached about half-way to the wall, I saw the gun go through. The Sixty-Nintli had been impa- tiently waiting for us to get out of the way, so they could liave a hand at the rebs. With feelings of despair, I saw them thrust the muzzles of their guns across the wall. As I looked at the row of dark muzzles pointing down on me, it was no pleasant sight. Then came a sheet of liame and liHOUK ISLAND K.XCUUSION To (;Kri'V.sr.lK<; . of) smoke ; and whiz! euiiie their bullets. Here the poor fellow of the Fifteenth Massaehnsetts, who heljted at the trail, fell dead at my side. I then thought my days on earth were numbered. It seemed to me 1 should die a dozen deaths be- fore I could reach the wall. 1 have heard it said that, when a person faces certain death, the whole of his past life comes instantly before his eyes. I believe it to be a fact, for on this occasion I thought I was as good as dead, and I am not ashamed to say that the home of my childhood and the dear friends of my youth came before my vision, and to me, just emei'ging from boyhood to young manhood, life was precious, and the thoughts of death terrible. I had but little fear of future judgment, for I Ijclieved that my Creator would have more mercy on this poor, weary young soldier, who had tried his best to do his duty this day, than that screeching, yelling mob at my heels. In fi'ont of the wall was a hole about ten yards across and reaching within two yards of the wall, and about four feet deep in the middle, but tapering up to the edge. I was not aware of this place, and as I came to it I was blinded by the smoke of the Sixty -Ninth, their fire being hot in my face. I fell into this hole, and I lay whore I fell. I raised my head to see what station it was, and I discovered a man of my detachment reclining on the other side under the fire of the Sixty-Ninth. As he saw me he smiled ; I suppose, at my coming in, for I did not stand on the order of my com- ing, but I just came. The enemy halted here and lay down, some of them at the edge of the hole, and fired across. Here the two lines were about twelve yards apart, so near that they quarrelled as they fought. Every time the Sixty-Ninth fired, they accompanied it with a shout. The rebs screamed back. I felt confident that the rebs would be defeated, as I knew that the Sixty-Ninth would not give in, for they told us when we took our position that they would protect us while they had a man left, and gallantly they redeemed their promise. There were other troops engaged, but the Sixty-Ninth were our spe- cial support. The survivors of Battery B will always carry in their hearts a grateful remembrance of the brave Irish 56 lUlOUK ISLAND KXriTKSION TO CKTTYSBUKG. Sixty-Xinth i'ciinsylvauia. 1 made up my mind while lying there, that, as soon as the rebs were defeated, I would make a ilash lor the wall, for there were two rel)s firing across me, and they could touch me with their guns. Suddenly the enemy ceased firing. 1 jumped up to make a dive for the wall, liiit, like Lot's wife, I looked back. Those two rebs had got up to run. As they did so, I heard two voices say from the wall, "Come in, you sons of !" 1 glanced (|iiickly at the wall, and there stood two of the Sixty- Ninth with llieir guns at their shoulders, with fingers on the trig- gers, their eyes glancing along the barrels. At first I thought they had mistaken me, but 1 was so close to them I could see one of them was aiming by my right shoulder, the other by my left. They had got the drop on those two rebs, wdio threw their guns down as if they were hot. We three came over the wall together. I found my gun at the rear of the Sixty-Ninth. They had given me up for dead, and Billy Jones was acting as gunner in my stead. Poor Billy ! he was killed the next day. This ended this day's fight. It was now evening. I remcml)cr it was a very pleasant evening overhead, the moon was shining bright. But it was a sickening sight under foot — dead and wounded everywhere. There was a detail made from our men to go down on our pjosition to take care of any dead, and to secure the harnesses of our dead horses. I went with them. I shall never forget 'the sight. The ground where we fought, and in front, was covered with dead. We could tell where our guns stood, by the piles of dead horses. I forgot to state that the Sixty- Ninth charged after the enemy as I came over the wall. They ca])tured several hundred of them, and as they were taking them to the rear, they passed through our battery. The rebs recognized us, and saluted us with curses loud and deep. They swore that if they ever got another chance at us, they would cut our hearts out, and there w'ould not be a grease sjjot left of our battery. We did not reply to them, for we knew that Battery B had stung them, and they were smarting fi'om its effects. As our loss in men and horses had been KIIODK ISLAND EXCURSION T(J <;KTTVSItI|{(;. 57 severe, and our rations liad given out the w York, Providence and Boston R. R. Co.; Capt. John [I. Alarklcy, Travelling Passenger Agent, Pmiisyl- vania R. R. Co.; John 1>. Pagley, (Jeneral Ti-avelling Agent, Cinuhei'land Valley K. R. Co.; William 11. Woodward, Sn|>er- intendent, llarrisliurg and (letlyshiii'g R. R. Co.; Henry Ving- ling, Proi)rietor, and Rufus E. Culp, Chief Clerk, Eagle Hotel, Gettyshurg ; Simon J. Diller, Proprietor, McClellan llonse, Gettyslmrg ; and John M. Krauth, David Buehler, Col. Charles H. Buehler, John L. Schick, and William D. Iloltzworth, Local Meml)ers of the Board of Trustees of the Gettyshurg Battle- field Memorial Association. Thursday aftci'iioon came the departure from Gettyshurg, either diix'ctly for home or via such [)oints of interest as in- dividual desire dictated. At a meeting of the Excursion Committee, held shortly after the return, the Chairman was ajjpuinted a committee to pro- cure and present to Col. John B. Bachelder, and to the Man- ager, Gen. E. H. Rhodes, suitahle testimonials of the Excur- sion's appreciation of their services, and accordingly a massive bronze thermometer and a silver-plated coffee urn, suitably inscribed, were forwarded to the respective parties. The chairman, Gen. Horatio Rogers, was appointed a committee to prepare a record of the excursion, and to supervise its publication. Thus ended one of the pleasantest and most successful ex- cursions that ever left Rhode Island. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 558 685 7 LIBRRRY OF CONGRESS 013 558 685 7,