A Typical Union Army Light Artillery Battery
On November 7th Battery F left Rhode Island for Camp Sprague, near Washington, D.C. At Camp Sprague the battery received its guns - four 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 12-pounder howitzers.
On November 12th Captain Moies resigned his commission for unknown reasons. In the interim, First Lieutenant Charles H. Pope served as acting commanding officer. Captain James Belger of Newport assumed command of the battery upon his arrival on November 22nd.
Belger had served in the regular Army for 10 years rising to the rank of First Sergeant in a light artillery battery. He was stationed at Fort Adams in Newport from 1857 to 1859 with Brevet Lieutenant Colonel John B. Magruder's battery of light artillery. Magruder rose to the rank of Major General in the Confederate Army.
Many years later it was written of Belger - "He pocessed all the excellencies of the old time Regular including the ability to carry an indefinite amount of whisky without betraying the fact." (Historical Address, Rhode Island Light Artillery; George B. Peck, MD; Providence Publishing Company, 1917.)
On December 2nd the battery moved to Camp California near Alexandria, Virginia and was assigned to General Sumner's division.
On December 12th the battery moved to Annapolis, Maryland where it joined the Burnside Expeditionary Corps bound for North Carolina. This unit was commanded by Major General Ambrose Burnside who was the highest ranking Rhode Islander during the Civil War.
On January 9th the battery embarked and, after a difficult sea voyage, the battery was landed at Hatteras Inlet on January 21st. The battery's horses had to be off loaded by a means which was both simple and effective. The horses were pushed out of the steamer into the water whereupon they swam to shore. This was necessary as there were no docks which the ships could tie up to and that horses were unsuitable for transporting to shore in boats. This operation took almost a full day to accomplish but none were injured during the enterprise.
On January 22nd Battery F was assigned to Williams' Brigade and was quartered at Camp Winfield. On February 19th Private Horton died of illness. He was thought to be the first man of the battery to die but, it was later discovered that Private Baxter, who remained in the hospital at Annapolis, had died on February 5th.
On February 27th, 1862 the battery embarked on a ferry boat for Roanoak Island arriving on March 2nd. The battery's horses and a few men to care for them were landed while the rest of the battery proceeded to New Berne. The horses and their caretakers arrived at New Berne on the 14th. There was a battle in progress that day and, despite their best efforts, the battery was unable to join the action. Nevertheless, the battery was permitted to enscribe "New Berne, March 14th, 1862" on their guidon.
From March 20th to May 18th Battery F performed picket duty as cavalry (an easy conversion as light batteries were provided with mounts for every soldier) and were chraged with protecting the road approaching New Berne against the confederates. While performing this duty members of the battery were engaged in several skirmishes and, on May 2nd, Corporal Benjamin F. Martingale was the first member of the battery to be killed in action.
On April 26th a detachment consisting of Lieutenant Thomas Simpson and 14 men served in the seige of Fort Macon on Pamlico Sound.
In April of 1862 Burnside's Expeditionary Corps was redesignated the Department of North Carolina.
On June 14th the battery recieved two new guidons - one for parade and one for drill - from friends of Captain Belger. The battery turned out in their full dress uniforms - which were particulary elaborate for light artillerymen. These were issued to the battery as a means of impressing (on intimidating) the southerners whose land they were occupying.
On June 20th the battery participated in a pagent honoring General Burnside and fired a salute in his honor.
On July 4th Battery F fired a national salute of 34 guns, one for each state in the union. They were rewarded with a special meal of beef, chicken, lamb and ham. Desert was plum duff with whiskey sauce and hard crackers.
General Burnside was succeeded as commander of the Department of North Carolina on July 6th, 1862 by Major General John G. Foster.
On October 29th the battery left New Berne and marched to Little Washington, N.C. from which location it performed reconnaisance duties and returned to New Berne on November 12th where it remained for the winter.
On November 2nd the battery was advancing on Williamston, NC and was halted by Confederate fire at Little Creek. The battery was called on to dislodge the Confederates from their positions and was quite sucessful in this forcing them to retreat first to Rawles Mill, a mile away and then to the far side Raonake river. The battery fired 300 rounds of ammunition (50 per gun) in these engagements.
Colonel Stevenson, to who's brigade the battery was attached, wrote, "Too much praise cannot be awarded to Captain Belger and his command for the masterly manner in which his guns were manuvered."
On December 16th the Battery was engaged with the enemy at Whitehall Ferry and suffered the loss of two men killed, two others severely wounded and eight horses. In another action the next day at Goldsboro Railroad Bridge three men were wounded.
In January 1863 the Department of North Carolina was redesignated the 18th Army Corps and Battery F was assigned to the artillery brigade under Colonel J.H. Ledlie.
On April 8th, 1863 Battery F performed a reconnaissance across the Neuse River and proceded towards Little Washington as part of a force, commanded by General Spinola, attempting to relive General Foster's command which was under seige.
The next day the battery was engaged at Blount's Creek where Captain Belger was seriously wounded in the right leg, his horse having been shot from under him. He was quoted as saying, "I don't care a _____ about being wounded myself, if they hadn't killed my horse." In this engagement the battery fired 302 rounds of ammunition.
On April 10th the battery returned to New Berne having marched 50 miles in two days. On April 29th Captain Belger was granted leave and returned to Newport and on July 19th was detached on recruiting service. He returned to the battery later that year. In his absence, command of the battery was exercised by First Lieutenant Thomas Simpson.
In July the battery was assigned to the defenses of New Berne under Brigadier General C.A. Heckman.
Years later, a monument was erected in the National Cemetery in New Berne to honor the dead of the Rhode Island units which served there. Photos of the monument can be found on the Colonel Henry T. Sisson website.
After several more months of routine operations, the battery embarked on October 10th, 1863 and arrived at Fort Monroe on November 5th and encamped at Newport News. On November 23rd the battery moved to Point Lookout, Maryland and was on prision camp guard duty there until January 23rd, 1864.
On January 24th, 1864 the battery was sent back to Virginia and transferred to the Defenses of Yorktown, Virginia serving in the Army of the James under the command of Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler.
Battery F was assigned to the artillery brigade of the 2nd Division of the 18th Corps. The brigade, division and corps commanders were, respectively, Colonel Frederick M. Follett, Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel and Major General William F. Smith.
From February 6th through 8th it participated in Wistar's Expedition toward Richmond. This raid was unsuccesful due to a traitor in the Union ranks how informed the Confederates of the plan. The traitor was eventually caught and executed.
0n April 23rd, 1864 the battery was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division of the 18th Corps.
On May 3rd the battery left Yorktown and sailed up the James River to participate in the seige of Petersburg and arrived at Bermuda Hundred on May 6th. On May 12th the battery engaged the enemy on the Richmond and Petersburg Pike, the primary road betwen the two cities. One man was killed and three men seriously wounded.
On the 14th the battery was engaged at Drury's Bluff without casualties. On the 16th it was engaged again at the same place and lost 3 men killed, 8 wounded and 4 missing along with losing 26 horses, 2 guns and 4 limbers. The two guns lost being fully one third of the battery's fire power.
It was during this engagement that Captain Belger was captured by the Confederates and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond. Although he was able to escape, he never rejoined the battery.
From June 16th, 1864 to April 2nd, 1865 Battery F participated in the seige of Petersburg. This period was uneventful for the battery as there was little combat action.
A pay muster on June 30th showed the battery's strength to be 2 officers and 84 men. To compensate for this relatively low strength 20 privates from the 5th Maryland were attached to the battery on July 30th. To these were added 20 more on August 7th and an additional 27 on December 24th.
On September 29th the battery was engaged at Chaffin's Farm with light casualties.
From October 7th to November 8th the battery was on duty at Aiken's Landing. On October 27th Lieutenant Simpson was taken prisoner and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond. He managed to escape and rejoined the battery on April 3rd, 1865.
On October 29th the original enlistees in the battery were mustered out at the completion of their three year enlistment. Of the original troops only 53 remained in the Army at this time to be mustered out - 42 were with the battery, 3 detached and 8 in the hospital. After the muster out the batteries enlisted strength consisted of 27 reenlistees from the original members, 44 other enlistees with various dates of enlistment and 41 men attached from other units for a total of 112.
In December 1864 Battery F was assigned to the artillery brigade of the 24th Corps in the vicinity of Richmond, Virginia. The battery was not engaged in combat for the remainder of the war.
On April 3rd Union forces were ordered to move into Richmond which had been recently abandoned by Lee's retreating army. Battrery F was among them and saw the devastation that four years of war had brought on the city.
After the conclusion of hostilities, Battery F was mustered out on June 27th, 1865 in Richmond. The total fatalities suffered by Battery F being 10 killed in action and 17 died of disease. On July 1st the battery arrived back in Providence and was saluted by the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery. After a formal reception at Washington Hall the battery's soldiers returned to their homes and enjoyed the benefits of a hard won peace.
Appendix A
Commanding Officers of Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery
CPT Miles G. Moies - Circa October 1861
Appendix B
Battery F's Battle Credits
Roanoke Island, NC, 1862
Sources -
Report of the Adjutant General of Rhode Island, 1865.
Dyer's Compendium of the War of Rebellion.
History of Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery by Lieutenant Philip S. Chase.
Back to Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery Homepage.
Organization and Early Service
Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery was mustered into federal service on October 29th of 1861 at Camp Perry in Cranston, Rhode Island. It had an original strength of 5 officers and 138 enlisted men. The battery was recruited by sending recruiting teams throught the state each of which had a cannon with them. Captain Miles G. Moies was appointed as the battery's first commanding officer.
Captain James Belger
North Carolina Expedition
December 1861 - October 1863
Major General Ambrose E. Burnside
Landing of Horses at Hatteras Inlet
Map of New Berne, North Carolina
(Click for Larger View)
Lieutenant Thomas Simpson
Reproduction of Battery F's Guidon
Service in Virginia
October 1863 - June 1865
Major General Benjamin F. Butler
Badge of 2nd Division, 18th Corps
Light Artillery Battery in Action
Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia in 1865
Grave of Private John White
Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery
North Burial Ground, Providence
1LT Charles H. Pope (Interim) - November 11th, 1861
CPT James Belger - November 22nd, 1861
1LT Thomas Simpson - April 29th, 1863
CPT James Belger - As of October 19th, 1863
1LT Thomas Simpson - May 16th, 1864
2LT Philip S. Chase (Interim) - August 22nd, 1864
1LT Thomas Simpson - August 31st, 1864
2LT Philip S. Chase (Interim) - October 27th, 1864
1LT Robert Smith - November 2nd, 1864
2LT Charles E. Guild - January 26th, 1865
CPT Thomas Simpson - April 12th, 1865
Battery Mustered Out of Service - June 27th, 1865
New Berne, NC, 1862
Little Creek, NC, 1862
Rawle's Mills,NC, 1862
Blount's Creek, NC 1863
Bermuda Hundred, VA, 1864
Drewry's Bluff, VA, 1864
Petersburg, VA, 1864 - 1865