United States Regiments & Batteries > Rhode Island


Rhode Island’s Battery E lost 17 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 12 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
September 23 Organized at Providence
October 4 Left State for Washington, D.C. Duty at Camp Sprague attached to Heintzelman’s Division, Army of the Potomac
November 5 At Fort Lyon, near Alexandria, Va.
1862
March 1862 Attached to Artillery, 3rd Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army Potomac
April to August Virginia Peninsula Campaign
April 5-May 4 Siege of Yorktown
April 15 Warwick Road
May 5 Battle of Williamsburg
May 31-June 1 Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines
June 25-June 1 Seven days before Richmond
June 25 Oak Grove, near Seven Pines
June 27 Jordan’s Ford
June 29 Peach Orchard and Savage Station
June 30 Brackett’s and Charles City Cross Roads and Glendale
July 1 Malvern Hill
July – August At Harrison’s Landing
August 15-26 Movement to Centreville, Attached to Artillery, 1st Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army Potomac
August 27 Bristoe Station or Kettle Run
August 29 Groveton
August 30
Second Battle of Bull Run
September 1 Chantilly
September Duty in the Defenses of Washington
October 11-November 23 March up the Potomac to Leesburg, then to Falmouth, Va.,
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
February-April At Falmouth
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign. Attached to Artillery Brigade, 3rd Army Corps
May 1-5
Battle of Chancellorsville

Lieutenant John K. Bucklyn was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

July 1-4
Battle of Gettysburg

The battery was commanded at Gettysburg by Lieutenant John K. Bucklyn until he was wounded on July 2. Second Lieutenant Benjamin Freeborn then took command in spite of being slightly wounded himself.

Battery E brought 116 men to the field serving six 12-pounder Napoleons. It lost 3 killed, 26 wounded and 1 missing

July 23 Wapping Heights, Va.
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 7 Kelly’s Ford
November 26-December 2 Mine Run Campaign
November 27 Payne’s Farm
1864
March Attached to Artillery Brigade, 6th Army Corps
May-June Rapidan Campaign
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 26-28 Line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31 Totopotomoy
June 1-12
Cold Harbor
June 1-3 Bethesda Church
June 18-22 Before Petersburg; Siege of Petersburg begins
June 22-23 Jerusalem Plank Road
July 9-16 Moved to Baltimore
July 17-19 Back to City Point, Va. attached to Artillery Reserve, Army Potomac
July Operations against Petersburg and Richmond
December Attached to Artillery Brigade, 6th Army Corps
1865
April 2 Fall of Petersburg; attached to Artillery Reserve, Army Potomac
April 3 Ordered to City Point
June 11 Mustered out