Battery B, 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery

Battery B, 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was a heavy artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

The Battery B, 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was initially organized in Providence, Rhode Island as the 3rd Rhode Island Infantry in August 1861. It was officially changed to heavy artillery on December 19, 1861 at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The battery was attached to Sherman's Expeditionary Corps to April 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Department of the South, to July 1862. U.S. Forces, Hilton Head, South Carolina, Department of the South to September 1862. U.S. Forces, Hilton Head, South Carolina, X Corps, Department of the South, to July 1863. U. S. Forces, Morris Island, South Carolina, X Corps, Department of the South, to March 1864. District of Hilton Head, South Carolina, Department of the South, to October 1864. Morris Island, South Carolina, Northern District, Department of the South, 1st Separate Brigade to August 1865.

Battery B, 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery mustered out of service August 27, 1865.

Detailed service

Duty at Hilton Head, S.C., until February 1862. Operations against Fort Pulaski, Ga., February 21-April 10. Bombardment and capture of Fort Pulaski April 9-10. At Hilton Head until May 23. Moved to Edisto Island, S.C., May 23. Operations on James Island, S.C., June 1-28. Action on James Island June 10. Battle of Secessionville June 16. Moved to Hilton Head S.C., June 28-July 1, and duty there until July 1863. Assaults on Fort Wagner, Morris Island, July 11 and 18. Siege of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, July 18-September 7. Capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg September 7. Operations against Fort Sumter and Charleston until March 1864. Duty at Hilton Head, S.C., until October 1864. Operations against Charleston from Morris Island, S.C., until February 1865. Duty at Sullivan's Island, S.C., and in the Department of South Carolina until August.

Casualties

Individual battery losses are not available, but the regiment's losses (all 12 batteries) are reported as a total of 135 men during service; 2 officers and 39 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 90 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

Regiment

• Colonel Nathaniel W. Brown
• Colonel Edwin Metcalf
• Colonel Charles R. Brayton
• Lieutenant Colonel William Ames

Battery

• Captain Augustus Colwell
• Captain Albert E. Greene
• Captain Sibeus C. Tortellot

See also

• List of Rhode Island Civil War units
• Rhode Island in the American Civil War

References

• Denison, Frederic. Shot and Shell: The Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment in the Rebellion, 1861-1865 (Providence, RI: J. A. & R. A. Reid), 1879.
• Dyer, Frederick Henry. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.

Attribution

• This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.