Comrade Sumner took a great deal of interest in this history and had a large part of it written when he was "called away to join his comrades who had gone before." The death of our comrade made it necessary for some one to take up the work. It was impossible to fill his place, and when the writer agreed to take up the history and complete it, it was with a great deal of hesitation, knowing his inability to carry on the work, and not having time to devote to the proper carrying out of Comrade Sumner's ideas.

Comrade Sumner had a great many marginal notes attached to his manuscript which he was familiar with, but to another person they were not very plain. Without doubt he intended to add considerable to his manuscript, but on taking up the work I found it almost impossible to follow out what he had evidently intended to do, and came to the conclusion that it was best to publish it as he left it. I hope the comrades of the Battery and whoever else that reads this work, will remember that the author was called away before he had time to even revise his original manuscript.

Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
A Comrade of the Battery.

CONTENTS.

[CHAPTER I.]
Organization—Camp Sprague, Washington, D.C.—Winter Quartersat Munson's Hill, Va. [1]
[CHAPTER II.]
Campaign to Centreville—Falmouth—Fredericksburg—ThoroughfareGap—Rapidan River [6]
[CHAPTER III.]
Rappahannock Station—Groveton—Bull Run (or Manassas) [13]
[CHAPTER IV.]
South Mountain and Antietam [28]
[CHAPTER V.]
Fredericksburg—Bell's Landing—Hampton—and Trip to theWest [40]
[CHAPTER VI.]
The Campaign in East Tennessee [62]
[CHAPTER VII.]
The Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee [98]
[CHAPTER VIII.]
Battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania—The Campaign inthe Shenandoah Valley [125]
[Roster] [157]
[Commissioned Officers] [181]
[Enlisted Men Commissioned] [181]
[Temporarily Attached Men] [182]

[CHAPTER I.]

Organization—Camp Sprague, Washington, D.C.—Winter Quarters at Munson's Hill, Va.

At the commencement of the Civil War, in April, 1861, there was in the city of Providence, among other excellent military organizations, one of light artillery, known as the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery, which for years had been interesting and instructing the young men of the city and vicinity in the manœuvres of this branch of military service. A natural sequence of the presence of this company was to draw attention to this arm, and led Gov. Sprague to offer the government a fully equipped light battery, in addition to the First Regiment of Infantry. The offer being accepted, a battery was speedily organized for three months service, and on the 18th of April, six days after the firing upon Fort Sumter, it left Providence, fully equipped, for Washington. When it became evident that more troops and a longer term of service would be needed, Gov. Sprague at once began the organization of a regiment of light artillery. The second battery (or A, in regimental orders) was mustered into service June 6th, 1861, for three years or the war, and left home for Washington June 19th. After which, at intervals of less than a month, a battery left Providence for the seat of war, until eight had been sent, which completed the First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery.