HISTORY: Chapter 19, History of Cayuga Co., NY 1879; Cayuga co., NY

submitted by W. David Samuelsen
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1789 - History of Cayuga County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical
Sketches of some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, by Elliot G. Storke,
assisted by Jas. H. Smith. Pub. by D. Mason & Co., Syracuse, N.Y. 1879

CHAPTER XIX.
CAYUGA IN THE REBELLION - (CONTINUED.) THE THIRD NEW YORK ARTILLERY - ORGAN-
IZATION - IN FORT CORCORAN - CHANGED TO LIGHT ARTILLERY - SERVICE IN NEW BERNE
- EXPEDITION TO GOLDSBORO - BATTLE OF WHITEHALL - ATTACK ON NEW BERNE - IRON
CLAD ALBERMARLE - VARIOUS MILITARY OPERATIONS - SERVICES OF THE SEVERAL
BATTERIES - MEMBERSHIP AND LOSSES.

THE Special Order, No. 584, directing the formation of the 3d New York Heavy
Artillery, bore date December 11, 1861. At that time the efforts which had
been made to recruit for the 19th Regiment by Captains Kennedy, Giles and
Angel were supplemented by men;  the personal efforts of Colonel Ledlie and
others.   

Recruiting for the 3d Artillery was not, however, confined to the 21st
Military District. Accessions were obtained from various sources.     Captain
Edwin S. Jenney, of Syracuse, raised in his vicinity one hundred and forty-two
men; Battery H of the regiment was formed from skeleton companies from Utica
and Rome; Battery M came from Cortland and Battery B from New York City, and
all these recruits concentrated at the latter point, and were clothed in heavy
artillery uniforms and supplied with, and    drilled in the use of rifles, a
requirement of the arm of the service for which they were destined. They
numbered five hundred and thirty men and were accompanied to Washington by
Major Giles, where they arrived on the 21st of February, joined the camp of
the "Old Nineteenth." They were assigned by General William F. Barry,
commanding the defences of Washington, to Fort Corcoran, on Arlington Heights.
     
This was one of the series of five forts, on the west side of the Potomac,
intended for the protection of the Capital. It was on the plantation of the
Rebel General Lee, whose elegant and costly mansion was occupied for his
headquarters by Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart. It was an elevated, healthy, and
in every way, a very pleasant location for an army. With the Sibley tents well
floored, warmed and ventilated, the camp well laid out and supplied, the men
of the 3d Artillery began a very agreeable military experience. 

At this time the official organization and numerical force of the regiment
were reported as follows Colonel, James H. Ledlie, November 18, 1861;
Lieutenant Colonel, Charles H. Stewart, December 23, 1861; Majors, Henry M.
Stone, December 23, 1861, Solomon Giles, January 23, 1862, T. J. Kennedy,
January 23,    1862; Adjutant, J. Fred. Dennis, December 23, 1861; Quartermaster,
John H. Chedell, May 29, 1861; Surgeon, Theodore Dimon, May 20, 1861;
Assistant Surgeon, William H. Knight, October 17, 1861; Chaplain, William
Hart, November 14, 1861; Commissary Sergeant, George E. Ashby;   Sergeant-Major, Frank G. Smith.    

Company A - Captain, Charles White, 35 men; Company B - Captain, J. J.
Morrison, 101 men; Company C - Captain, James E. Ashcroft, 63 Company
D-Captain, Owen Gavigan, 95 men; Company E - Captain, Theodore H. Schenck, 64
men; Company F - Captain, Edwin S. Jenney, 142 men ; Company G - Captain, John
Wall, 89 men ; Company H - Captain, William J. Riggs, 102 men ; Company I -
Captain, John H. Ammon, 96 men; Company K - Captain, James R. Angel, 96 men;
Company M - Captain, James V. White, 145 men; a total of 1,091.

On the 23d of the previous November, Captain Kennedy's Independent Battery had
been mustered into the United States service and had up to this time been
attached to the arrny of the Potomac, rendering important service. Colonel
Ledlie desired to attach it to the 3d Artillery and to secure the revocation
of the order constituting it an independent command, in which he succeeded,
and it was entered on the rolls as Company L, and as such a few reports were
made by Captain Kennedy, but when he was elected Major in the 3rd Artillery
the command of the battery devolved upon Captain Cowan, who, for reasons never
fully explained, maintained its independent existence to the end of the war.

In Fort Corcoran the 3rd Artillery were thoroughly instructed in the heavy
artillery exercise in all its parts, the men being divided and drilled in the
different forts. They were nearly all raw recruits in this arm of the service,
and its very alphabet had to be taught them, but they had intelligent and
thorough commanding officers, and rapid progress was made. Accessions were,
from time to time, made to the regiment, so that by April it numbered 1,350
men. So many new men brought together during the inclement season subject to
heavy guard and patrol duty, was attended by much sickness, the veterans of
the old 19th mostly escaping.

The old acqueduct bridge over the Potomac was strictly guarded and no one
permitted to pass unchallenged. One night, however, an attempt was made to do
so by the driver of a heavy carriage from the Maryland side, on the plea that
it contained distinguished official persons, a probable ruse to test the
fidelity of the guards; but their pretensions were useless. The carriage and
its inmates were promptly arrested and brought into the presence of Lieutenant
Stewart, who found he had as prisoners, President Lincoln, Secretary Seward,
and General McClellan who, having sufficiently assured themselves of the
vigilance of the watch, retired, proceeding to General Porter's headquarters.

The cruel and blundering heartlessness with which men in authority sometimes
treated our soldiers, was exemplified at Fort Corcoran. Doctor Lyman, medical
director of Porter's division, ordered all the sick to report to Surgeon Dimon
without previous notice, and for whose comfort no proper accommodations
existed. In a few days five hundred invalids were thrust upon his care without
any reports of their previous treatment, without nurses, sufficient medicines,
or any suitable place for them, and this in the inclement month of March, with
good hospitals one and a half miles distant. As soon as possible tents were
erected in which to shelter the sick, and all the aid administered which was
possible by the daily and nightly attendance of the Surgeon. Here the
suffering men remained until the 24th of March, notwithstanding the continued
efforts of the Surgeon to secure their transfer to hospitals. They were then
transferred to the hospital at Georgetown.

The regiment was now to be changed to light artillery, for which purpose, on
the 22d of March, they drew new uniforms, and on the 24th received marching
orders. They had been selected as one of four regiments destined to reinforce
General Burnside, then successfully operating on the coast of North Carolina.
On the 25th they broke camp at Arlington and proceeded to Annapolis, whence,
with three other artillery regiments, they embarked in transports for Hatteras
Inlet, on the 28th. They were accompanied by the 2d Maryland, 17th
Massachusetts, and 3d New York, the whole under command of Col. T. C. Amory,
of the 17th Massachusetts. The entire 3d Artillery Regiment with its 1,300
men, its 700 horses, and several companies of the 1o3d New York, were stowed
away in the capacious steamer Fulton, which proceeded with its con-sorts
bearing the other regiments to the place of destination. After an experience
of sea-sickness rarely equalled, the expedition arrived at Hatteras Inlet on
the 30th of March. They were here transferred to lighter vessels and ascended
the river Neuse about one hundred miles to New Berne, which had on March 14th,
been captured by General Burnside, and which lies above the confluence of the
rivers Trent and Neuse and contains about 8,ooo inhabitants. Camp was formed
on the western bounds of the city, where they were visited by General
Burnside, who was very much delighted with the fine personnel of the regiment
and its complete equipment, which he highly complimented. Burn-side arranged
to fortify New Berne strongly on its western side by the erection of forts ;
the strongest was named Fort Totten, and became identified afterwards with the
heroic achievements of the regiment.

Captain Ammon, at his own request, was permitted with his company armed as
infantry, to participate in the siege of Fort Macon, which guarded the
entrance to Beaufort harbor, then proceeding under General Parke. His company
was landed eighteen miles below New Berne, whence they marched to their
destination and joined the forces operating against the fort. Fort Macon was a
very strong fortress and had been early occupied by the rebels. It mounted
sixty ten-inch colutnbiads and was garrisoned by a force of four hundred and
fifty men.

Captain Ammon, with Company I, were now to put into practice some of the
lessons in the use of heavy artillery which they had learned at Fort Corcoran.
They proceeded to Bogue Is-land opposite the fort, under fire of its
batteries, but fortunately, owing to the imperfections of their range, no
casualties occurred. At night they moved over to the side of the island
nearest the fort, and began the erection of a battery within four hundred
yards of it, an earthwork on which to mount ten-inch mortars. They raised the
loose sand eight feet high and kept it in place on the inside by sand bags
wired together. Lieutenants Kelsey and Thomas erected another battery in the
vicinity and there was erected in front and in advance of the others another
earthwork on which were mounted four parrot guns. Nearly two - weeks were
spent in the. erection of these works and mounting the guns and mortars; eight
mortars and four parrot guns. The latter were brought up and placed in
position at night ; a fusilade of shot and shell was kept up from the fort
while the work was proceeding, yet the men learned to listen to the re-ports
of the enemy's guns and to watch and dodge the approaching missiles.
The fort was summoned to surrender on the 24th, and our batteries opened upon
it the 25th, the blockading fleet cooperating. General Parke had posted a
strong picket line to protect the batteries from assault. At five o'clock A.
M., the parrot battery opened on the fort followed instantly by all the eight
mortars. After about twenty minutes the fort responded vigorously with
eighteen guns, one of them a 128 pounder columbiad.

Such an armament industriously handled would hurl an immense amount of metal
at the works of the besiegers, and it did so, casting up immense clouds of
sand, which would sometimes nearly bury the men without materially interfering
with the operation of the batteries, which soon obtained an accurate range and
maintained a very destructive fire. About nine o'clock four of our gunboats
steamed up and commenced an enfilading fire; but the water was too rough for
effective work and they were compelled to retire.

The effect of the fire upon Captain Ammon's works finally began to tell, and,
pending repairs, it was for a short time silent; but the mortars were soon
again at work with their former accuracy of range and destructive effect,
manifest in the growing weakness of the fire from the fort, whose guns, one
after another, had been dismounted until at three o'clock, P. M., all but one
had been disabled and silenced. The end was close at hand.

At four o'clock a white flag was displayed from the fort and after a parley,
an armistice was agreed upon until the following day, when the fort
surrendered with all it contained. In the fort eight men were killed and
twenty wounded, and four hundred and thirty prisoners were captured, also four
hundred stands of arms, twenty horses, and one ton of powder. One man only of
the besiegers was killed, William Dart, of Ammon's Battery, who had
imprudently exposed himself and was struck by a solid shot.

The success of the siege and the freedom of our men from casualties was
certainly marvelous. The fort was reputed second in strength only to Fort
Sumter, was heavily armed and sufficiently garrisoned, while it was assailed
and carried by hastily erected sand batteries, made under the direct fire of
the fort. That men in such a position, under the fire of such a fort, should
escapewith a single fatal casualty and yet capture the fortress, was so signal
an instance of military success as to crown the participants in it with
deserved renown. General Burnside gratefully acknowledged the service in a
special order, and Captain Ammon received from the field and staff of his
regiment a rich and beautiful flag, in-scribed " Fort Macon, April 16, 1862,"
with a very complimentary note.

During April, work on Fort Totten was continued and several acres were
enclosed by a sand wall eight feet high and from 12 to 15 feet thick, in which
28 heavy guns were mounted, comprising 32, 6o and ioo pounders. These were all
in position and the fort in a good defensive state by the first of June.

The 3d Artillery hitherto had been unsupplied with field guns. General
Burnside had with him but one other field battery, the First Rhode Island, and
was therefore anxious to complete the armament of the 3rd Artillery at the
earliest possible moment. Major Kennedy had come on from the Army of the
Potomac and been placed in command of one of the three battalions into which
the regiment was now divided, the other commanders being Majors Giles and
Stone. The batteries were but slowly supplied, and, at first, with guns of
various calibres, entailing much trouble to supply them with the requisite
ammunition, as they ranged from 12 to 24-pounders. The full complement of a
battery is six guns, six limbers, six caissons; forge, baggage-wagon and one
hundred horses. In the work of sup-plying and drilling the several batteries
both in light and heavy artillery practice, the summer and autumn of 1862 was
mainly spent. Several details were made however. Battery G, Captain Wall, on
the 28th of May, was sent to garrison the fort at Washington, North Garolina ;
Battery K was sent to General Reno ; and Battery M, Captain White, was sent to
garrison Fort Reno, on Roanoke Island, but was soon transferred to Fort
Hatteras.

General Burnside's Coast Division, aggregating nearly 15,ooo men, was now in a
condition, it was believed, to strike effective blows by advancing into the
interior of North Carolina and cutting the rebel communications between that
State and Virginia, supplementing the advance of the Army of the Potomac under
General McClellan. Orders were accordingly given on July 1st for an advance in
the direction of Kinston, for which full preparations were made, but the
disasters which had befallen the Northern army in the Chickahominy caused a
sudden change of plan. The advance was arrested by telegraph from Washington,
and orders given to General Burnside to forward the brigades of Generals Parke
and Reno to Fortress Monroe, to provide against threatened disaster from that
quarter. They were speedily sent, General Burnside following on the 4th of
July. Thus was withdrawn fully two-thirds of the forces operating in North
Carolina, and the small force left to hold our various positions there was put
on the defensive. General Foster was entrusted with the command of the
Department. Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart was made Chief-Engineer of the
Department on General Foster's Staff, on the loth of August, and was
especially entrusted with the defenses of New Berne, which, with its
diminished garrison and the offensive demonstrations of the rebels, required
close and intelligent care. Strong defensive works were being erected about
the town, which in January, had been so far completed as, it was believed, to
se-cure the place from capture. The work was mainly done by contrabands,
hundreds of whom were employed.

As illustrating one of the thousand forms of swindling to which the
temptations of the war gave birth, it should here be noticed that these
contrabands knew nothing of the value of the money in which they were paid and
a trifling part only of what was their due was paid to them, while their marks
were affixed to vouchers for the full aggregate, the balance going to enrich
the miserable swindlers. This practice was continued for months, before it
became known and was arrested.

On June 27th, Capt. John Wall, of the 3d Artillery, with ninety men, had been
sent, armed as infantry, to strengthen the garrison of Washing-ton, North
Carolina, a town of three thousand inhabitants, situated on the north bank of
the Tar River. Here they were employed in perfecting, through the months of
July and August, the defenses of the place, and in drilling. The swamps
surrounding them produced so much sickness in August, as to bring into the
hospital, an old academy building in the town, nearly two-thirds of Captain
Wall's men.

At four A. M., August 6th, a cavalry force of four companies and a battery of
four guns of the 3d New York Artillery, Captain William J. Riggs, marched
through Washington, on a reconnoitering expedition to Rainbow Bluff. At this
time a dense fog prevented the rebels from discovering this movement. Just at
this time a raiding party of the enemy, five hundred strong, and two companies
of cavalry, came suddenly into the town through a corn-field, the fog
obscuring all observation, capturing our sentinels. Two regiments from their
barracks were promptly on hand, and, hearing the firing, Captain Riggs and the
four cavalry companies returned . and joined in the defense of the town. The
rebels, with dogged obstinacy maintained a street fight for hours, the
obscurity of the dense fog aiding their operations. The four guns of battery
G, stored in the hospital grounds, the men being too sick to use them, were
the first object of attack and capture, showing that the party was posted as
to the enfeebled condition of the garrison. They had horses ready harnessed to
hitch to the captured guns, which were speedily turned upon our men. The
gun-boats Picket and Louisiana steamed up and rendered what aid they could ;
but the former exploded her magazine and retired, an accident by which
nineteen men were killed. The assailants, after a loss in killed and wounded
of nearly one-fourth their number, fled the town pursued by the cavalry. The
3d Artillery lost four killed, eight wounded, nine prisoners and four guns.
Both batteries engaged in this affair, B and H, inscribed "Washington, North
Carolina, September 6th, 1862," upon their flags.

Captain Kennedy, with four batteries and twenty guns, was sent with an
expedition ten thousand strong, designed to cut the Weldon Railroad. It
started on the 3d day of November, but on reaching Tarboro, so strong a force
of the enemy was found concentrated in their front, that the expedition
returned, leaving the batteries at Plymouth to protect the town.

The next important movement in which the 3d Artillery participated was the
expedition to Goldsboro, twelve thousand strong, intended to engage the enemy
in that quarter and prevent his concentrating against General Burnside, who
was then moving upon Fredericksburgh, Va. Lieut.-Colonel Stewart accompanied
the expediition from the path of the army. On the 12th, slight skirmishes with
the enemy took place with no damage to us. On the 13th, at the passage of
South West Creek, opposition was met, but it was speedily dispersed. On the
14th the army had neared Kinston, and, two miles in advance of the town, the
enemy six thousand strong was encountered, strongly fortified, holding the
route of our advance. The position was assaulted and a severe action followed,
in which the 3d Artillery played a conspicuous part. After a persistent
defense in which they received and inflicted severe losses, the enemy fell
back to Kinston, which was abandoned as our forces proceeded. Our loss was
thirty-eight killed and one hundred and eighty-five wounded. The 3d Artillery
had no killed and only ten wounded. The rebel loss was 250 killed and wounded,
400 prisoners, 500 small arms, I I cannon and other stores. Burn-side's defeat
at Frederick sburgh left a large rebel force free to resist Foster's
contemplated advance to Goldsboro. He decided, nevertheless to pro ceed, and
at Whitehall next day he met a force of the enemy, Io,ooo strong with ten
pieces of artillery. A brisk artillery and infantry fight ensued. Our
batteries of thirty guns were brought to bear on the enemy's position for over
two hours, by which his guns were silenced. General Foster had no time to
lose, and hastened on his march to Goldsboro. Our loss in this engagement was
75 killed and wounded. The 3d Artillery had but two killed and thirteen
wounded.

That day the army came within two miles of the railroad bridge, over the
Neuse, to destroy which was one of the objects of the expedition. The bridge
was sharply defended, but fired and burned, and the railroad torn up, thus
severing the main line of rebel communication in this quarter. The purpose of
the expedition being accomplished, a return march began. The rebels had
already massed a large force in the vicinity, and the army was, at first,
threatened with an attack, but it safely returned to New Berne.

Colonel Ledlie was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General on December 24th,
and the command of the regiment devolved upon Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, who, in
1863, was promoted tothe Colonelcy. Major Stone was made Lieutenant-Colonel
and Captain Jenney became Major. The forces in North Carolina were increased
to an army corps and Major-General Foster placed in command.

The Confederate government was greatly annoyed by General Fosters's energetic
movements, and resolved to drive him from the State, sending for this purpose
General D. H. Hill with fully 20,000 men. The first demonstrations of this
force were against New Berne, on March 13th, at three different points ; an
actual attack being made only on Fort Anderson, an unfinished earth-work. This
was vigorously assailed by General Pettigrew, but was so resolutely and
skillfully de-fended that the assailants retired. They could not capture the
weakest of our defenses and therefore abandoned the hope of capturing
New-Berne.

But Washington was less strongly fortified, and that town, General Hill
believed, could be regained. He proceeded thither, planted his batteries, and
bombarded it for ten consecutive days, wasting an immense amount of
Confederate ammunition.

The Tar river, on which the town is situated, is three-fourths of a mile wide
and navigable. The enemy erected heavy batteries below the town on the river,
intended to prevent communication with New Berne ; but General Foster
nevertheless cast himself into the fort and directed its defense. As
ammunition or provisions grew short they were supplied by running the
batteries at night. In the fort were 2,200 men, assailed by 20,000 commanded
by an able General, well supplied with artillery and every means of offense.
The persistence of the siege, induced General Foster to raise it, and running
the batteries, he proceeded to New Berne to prepare for it; but General Hill,
anticipating his purpose, retired, abandoning the siege.

In May the two years' limit of the enlistment of the members of the old 19th
would expire, and on the l0th of that month they sailed for home, reaching
Auburn on the 26th. They were received at the depot by military and civic
escort, conducted to the Western Exchange, where they were welcomed by a
patriotic address by John N. Knapp, the provost-marshal, and supplied with a
bountiful collation. They were mustered out the 2d of June and paid off on the
6th.

The companies that returned and the number in each were as follows :
Battery A-Captain White, and Lieutenants Tomlinson and Potter ; 75 men.
Battery C-Lieutenant Randolph; 83 men. Battery D-Captain Gavigan and
Lieutenants Boyle, Brannick and Dwyer; 63 men.
Battery E-Lieutenant Dennis; 80 men. 
Battery G-Captain Wall and Lieutenant Thompson ; 56 men.
Battery I-78 men.
Battery K-78 men.

A total of 524 men. Surgeon Dimon returned with this section of the regiment.
On the withdrawal of these two years' men, the 3d Artillery was reduced to 889
men, comprising the following companies
Battery B-Captain Ashcroft; 142 men. 
Battery .E-Captain Schenck; 105 men. 
Battery F-Captain Taylor; 133 men.
Battery H-Captain Riggs; 133 men.
Battery I-Captain Ammon; 113 men.
Battery M-Captain Howell; 131 men.

Colonel Stewart's request to recruit for the regiment was granted, being
cordially endorsed by General Foster, who added that from the 3d Artillery had
been drawn "all the excellent light artillery batteries we have formed in this
department, * * * nine in number."

The enlistments added about 300 recruits to the regiment. The two departments
of Virginia and North Carolina were, on July 18th, placed in command of
General Foster, with headquarters at Fortress Monroe, General John J. Peck
commanding the District of North Carolina. General Peck made a careful
inspection of his effective forces, and of the difficulties and dangers of his
position, and became fully convinced that it was the resolute purpose of the
enemy to drive him from North Carolina and rescue the State from Federal
control. He therefore diligently strengthened his defenses, and prepared for
the expected attack, which came on February 1st, 1864, when, about two o'clock
A. M., in a thick fog, the rebels, 12,000 strong, attacked one of the outposts
of New Berne, nine miles from the city. The garrison defended themselves
bravely, and fell back in good order, reinforcements being sent to their
support. Beach Grove, another outpost, one and a half miles distant from the
position first attacked, was occupied by Lieutenant Kirby and a strong force
of the enemy was interposed between him and our main works, rendering
hisposition untenable, and obliging the garrison to surrender. The officers
were sent to Libby Prison and the men to Belle Isle, where the latter nearly
all died. The former were successively transferred to Macon, Charleston and
Columbia. While engaged in cutting wood at the latter place Lieutenant Kirby,
Colonel Sidney Meade and Lieutenant Oliphant made their escape and safely
reached our lines at Knoxville, Tennessee.

The assailants, after two days' vigorous efforts, became convinced that New
Berne was too strongly fortified for successful assault, and retired, having
lost 35 killed, loo wounded and 1,000 deserters. Our loss was 100 killed and
wounded, and 280 prisoners.

This raid upon New Berne was a warning which led General Peck to immediately
erect more and stronger defensive works. The enemy remained in the vicinity,
threatening every assailable point, inciting constant alarm, and compelling
unceasing vigilance.

The rebel iron-clad Albermarle was at length ready and came forth to aid in
the rescue of the State. It drove our wooden vessels out of the Roanoke, and,
acting in concert with General Hoke with 7,000 men, on April 10th captured
Plymouth and 2,000 prisoners.

General C. N. Palmer succeeded General Peck on April 25th, the latter being
called to Virginia. Washington was evacuated, fearing that the fate of
Plymouth would, otherwise, befall it, as we had then at this point, no vessels
which could resist the formidable Albermarle.

On the 4th of May, New Berne was assailed by the rebel General Hoke, who drove
in our pickets toward night, and demonstrated strongly the next day, waiting
for his formidable ally, the Albermarle ; but that craft was so severely
handled by our war vessels at the entrance of the sound that she withdrew
altogether from the fight, and in October was sunk by a torpedo. General Hoke,
relying upon that vessel, summoned the city to surrender on the 6th, but was
sternly refused, and, learning the fate of the Albermarle, retired from New
Berne.

The Confederate necessities at this time in Virginia caused the withdrawal
from North Carolina of its forces, and left it open to new inroads by our
troops, which were frequently made.

The forces which General Foster had collected for a contemplated attack upon
Wilmington were diverted to aid in the reduction of Charleston, and sailed for
Hilton Head, arriving there at different dates during the first week in
February, 1864. They numbered about I i,ooo men. Accompanying the force was a
brigade of light and heavy artillery, commanded by Brigadier-General Ledlie, a
large battalion of which, from the 3d Artillery, was commanded by Major
Kennedy, comprising 400 men. 22 guns, and 400 horses.

On the 9th of February, the artillery had en-camped on the Island of St.
Helena, on the north side of Port Royal harbor. General Hun-ter was then in
command at Charleston, and to him General Foster reported. The latter was
coldly received, and, on communicating with Commodore Dupont, found him not
ready to cooperate, and that there was an evident " hitch " in the plan of
operations. General Foster left for Fortress Monroe ostensibly for siege guns,
but he did not return. General Hunter embodied the entire corps as as
reinforcements, against which many of its officers protested. General Ledlie,
at his request, was permitted to return to New Berne. Major Kennedy's
battalion of the 3rd Artillery was retained and lay in comparative idleness
for nearly two months ; but on April 3d set sail with the fleet, bearing the
troops from St. Helena, destined for Stono Inlet, to aid in the contemplated
attack upon Charleston.

During the attack of the fleet upon Fort Sumter on the 7th, Batteries B and F
of the 3rd Artillery and 4,000 troops, were landed on Folly Island, commanded
by General Seymour, ready at the proper time with pontoons, to siege Morris
Island.

The attack upon Charleston failed of success, and on the 12th of April the
fleet, with the 10th Army Corps, returned to Port Royal. The 3rd Artillery,
excepting Batteries B and F, was retained at Beaufort and St. Helena until
near the end of May, when it-was ordered to New Berne. Batteries B and F were
retained by General Hun-ter, and by his successor in command, General Gilmore.
These two batteries participated actively in the several operations of the
army on Folly Island, in the capture of Morris Island and Fort Wagner and Fort
Gregg, and in the long continued bombardment of Fort Sumter. The batteries led
the advance of the army, supporting the pickets, and were much exposed in the
erec-tion and working of batteries covered by the enemy's guns. They performed
much valiant and efficient work.

On the Loth of July, the attack on Morris Is-land was made, in which about
fifty guns were brought to bear upon the enemy's works. The batteries had been
so quietly placed and so thoroughly covered that their position and force were
a surprise to the enemy, who soon replied vigorously. The iron-clad fleet,
consisting of five monitors, steamed up and so effectively seconded the land
batteries that, after a contest of three hours, the rebel works were assaulted
and carried by the infantry, capturing nine cannon, two mortars, a variety of
stores, and many prisoners. The victory was promptly won and with trifling
loss, placing our forces within six hundred yards of Fort Wagner. In the
attack, Batteries B and F were distinguished for their rapid and accurate
firing.

On the following day an attempt was made to storm Fort Wagner by the brigade
under command of General Strong. It was resolutely and bravely made, but
repulsed with the loss of 150 in killed, wounded and prisoners. The work was
found to be stronger than was anticipated, and Gen. Gilmore resolved to
silence it by heavy bombardment and then assail it with an overwhelming force.
Seven days were spent in the erection and mounting of batteries, and on the
18th of July the fleet in the harbor and the' batteries on the island opened
upon the fort a furious cannonade, which had few parallels during the war.
This was continued for twelve hours, when, at evening our troops gathered on
the beach for the terrible assault. It was made in force, pushed with
fruitless bravery and failed; the assailants, in their approach to the fort
were exposed to a terrific fire and the enemy came out of their strong
bomb-proofs, uninjured by the heavy bombardment. For three terrible hours the
assailing column persevered in the desperate work and was finally compelled to
retire with a loss in killed, wounded and missing of 1,530.

A siege followed ; twenty-nine days and nights were spent in incessant toil,
and formidable batteries were completed. Batteries B and F of the 3d Artillery
occupied the right of the line. The wall of Fort Sumter facing our batteries
was strengthened by sand bags to the height of forty-five feet, and fifteen
feet thick, which, with the brick wall made a total thickness of thirty-six
feet. The fort was in range of our batteries over two miles distant, and the
purpose of our preparations was thought by the enemy to be a probable attack
upon it, and they judged rightly; on the 16th of August experimental shots
were discharged at the fort, and an effective range secured. The iron-clad
fleet joined in the bombardment of Sumter. The batteries for seven days, gave
their undivided attention to the rear wall, which was pierced and crumbled
into ruins, and the fort practically disabled. Its surrender and that of the
works on Morris Island were demanded and refused, and notice given that the
bombardment of the city of Charleston would speedily follow,which, although
five miles distant, was found to be within effective range of Gilmore's
heaviest guns, the missiles from which reached the heart of the city.
Coincident with the preparations for the bombardment of Sumter, General
Gilmore had vigorously prosecuted the work of his approaches to Fort Wagner,
on which he was employed from the 18th of July to the 6th of September, when
the long and difficult work was completed and orders given for the assault on
the following morning. The enemy, however, evacuated both Wagner and Gregg
during the night, leaving in our hands nineteen heavy guns, a large supply of
ammunition and seventy prisoners. This placed the city and harbor of
Charleston directly within the sweep of our guns.

The fame of the 3d Artillery had become so noted, that it was the great
rallying point for recruits. It had upon its rolls in June, 1,700 and in
October, 2,500 men and 11 full batteries, forty guns and 1,000 horses.

In October the dreaded and fatal typhus fever prevailed to an alarming extent
and several officers of the 3d Artillery were attacked and two died,
Lieut.-Colonel Stone and Lieut. Hilles, and also sixty men. The death of
Colonel Stone was deeply lamented and was a serious loss to the regiment. He
was a very active and efficient officer and his many excellent qualities of
head and heart, greatly endeared him to his comrades in the army, and his
friends at home.

Various and relatively unimportant details from the . 3d Artillery were sent
out during December and January, whose contests and captures were mainly with
and of pigs and poultry, which we cannot take the space to chronicle.
Battery F, Captain Day, had been sent on September 5th, with an expedition to
Jacksonville, Florida, where it remained over two months. Captain Day, in
October, returned home on a furlough, when the command of the Battery devolved
upon Lieutenant Titus, who, with Captain Messereau of Battery B, was ordered
to join, under General Foster, an expedition intended to cooperate with
General Sherman in his great march to the sea. The final point of destination
was Grahamsville, ten miles inland from Boyd's Neck, where General Foster's
forces were landed. The object was to blockade the railroad there. The force
comprised 5,000 men, largely composed of colored troops. A brisk skirmish with
the enemy took place within a few miles of Grahamsville, in which both of the
Batteries actively participated, and in which Lieutenant Wildt of Battery B
was killed. The Confederates fell back to Honey Hill, where strong
fortifications had been erected. They were here attacked, and, for the rest of
the day a desperate and bloody battle was maintained with great bravery and at
a fearful sacrifice of Iife by our troops. The two Batteries, B and F, were
engaged in the fight and were more exposed to the fire of the infantry and
sharp-shooters than is usual with artillery, and suffered correspondingly.
Lieut. Crocker was wounded in the right eye, but kept his place for a full
hour after receiving his wound; many of the men were also wounded, but none
killed. Our efforts to open the way to Grahamsville failed. The rebels held
the Hill, and our army, sadly depleted, fell back toward the Landing, having
lost in killed and wounded 746 men.

On the 6th of December a new and successful attempt was made to reach the
railroad at another point, this time from Devaux's Neck, whither they
proceeded in gun-boats. The rail-road was ten miles distant from the Landing.
The advance of the army was resisted by a strong force of the enemy, and on
the 7th a four hours' engagement was maintained, in which we lost So killed
and wounded, Battery F, one wounded. The railroad + was reached and carefully
guarded, preventing the passage of trains.

Here news was received that General Sher-man had reached Savannah, and General
Foster opened communication with him by sea, strongly fortifying the railroad
with heavy guns. to pre-vent the rebel General Hardy from escaping over it
from Savannah ; but he fled the city in another direction. Sherman's and
Foster's forces now took the necessary rest and made preparations for further
movements. Savannah was placed under the command of General Fos-ter, who was
also to cooperate in the movement upon Charleston, while General Sherman was
to continue his triumphal march until its final close at Spottsylvania Court
House.

General Foster's movements began on the 1st of February, with four army corps,
and with them were the fighting Batteries, B and F. But they had little else
to do than march, watch the movements of the enemy, stop, or advance, as the
general events of the campaign required. The fall of Savannah on the 21st of
December, and the combined movements of Sherman and Foster, led also to the
fall of Charleston on the 18th of February, after as gallant, successful and
protracted resistance against the mightiest enginery of modern warfare, as was
ever made by a beleaguered town.

Little else now remained for the army in this quarter to do, except to " hold,
occupy and possess the places and the property belonging to the Government,"
and this it proceeded to do. Batteries B and F, after their long and arduous
service, accepted with gladness the order " to help occupy, hold and possess,"
the city of Charles-ton, where they remained until the conclusion of peace.

While Batteries B and F, and those at New Berne, had been employed as we have
related, other portions of the 3rd Artillery had been employed in other and
equally important fields of duty, for the several batteries composing the
regiment were, as necessity demanded, detached on special service. Battery H,
Captain Riggs, and Battery M, Captain Howell, were, in October, 1863, ordered
to Fortress Monroe, in which vicinity they were chiefly employed in guard
duty, until General Butler's plan of proceeding to Richmond had been matured.
In April, 1864, those batteries were attached to Butler's forces in the
attempt to capture the rebel city, as were also two other batteries drawn from
New Berne, Battery E, Captain Ashby, and Battery K, Captain Angel. The four
batteries were under command of Major Schenck.

Battery, E proceeded to Bermuda Hundreds and participated in the bloody
battles at Drury's Bluff on May 13th and 14th, and was in the hottest of the
fight. Captain Ashby displayed great coolness and bravery under the most
trying circumstances, his battery contributing largely to the escape of our
army from capture in the battles of the 14th. By some blunder his battery was
left without infantry supports, and the enemy charged upon it. Two charges
were re-pulsed by the rapid volleys of the artillery, protected by the
obscurity of a dense fog, which prevented the contestants from seeing the
position or judging the number of their foes.

At the third and most furious assault, the battery was overcome and three of
its guns captured, the horses being shot. Captain Ashby and Lieutenant Fuller
were wounded and one of his men was killed and several wounded. Under the
circumstances, the small number of casualties was a marvel. Our losses in
these terrible battles were 4,000 killed, wounded and prisoners; and the rebel
loss was 3,000. Battery E, during the battle, fired 419 rounds. For the next
two weeks there were almost daily battles between Butler's forces and the
enemy. While Battery E had been winning laurels in the Peninsula, Battery M
had been in garrison at Fort Powhattan, resisting rebel attacks; in an
expedition to Spring Hill, resulting in the capture of the place; at Wilson's
Landing, repulsing a desperate rebel charge ; after which they came to the
front and shared in the toils, conflicts and dangers of the long and bloody
siege of Petersburg. Battery K joined in the siege on May 16th, building,
garrisoning and defending a fort at Spring Hill, from repeated rebel attacks.
The battery participated in the attack upon Petersburg June 14, 1864, opening
the first fire upon the enemy's line of defenses, resulting in its capture,
including its material, and 300 prisoners. But the city was not captured ;
like Richmond and Charleston, it was destined to be one of the "last ditches "
wherein the rebellion was to die, and for ten long and fearfully tragic months
it successfully resisted all our efforts to capture it, and surrendered only
on the collapse of the rebellion.

We have not the space to chronicle in detail the varied services of Batteries
B, K, M and H, in the numerous and important parts borne by them in that long
siege. The thorough experience of both the officers and men, their expertness
in handling and firing their batteries, and their coolness and good judgment
under the most trying circumstances, were so well known and so highly
appreciated in the army that they were actively engaged in responsible
positions during nearly the whole progress of the siege, attended by almost
daily battles, suspended only during the inclement winter weather. On the
night of April 2d, both Richmond and Petersburg were evacuated, and the
several batteries of the 3rd Artillery, which so long had lain before and
about the latter city, proceeded to and occupied Richmond, whence they were
ordered home for final muster out.

It now only remains for us to trace the operations of Batteries A, Captain
Russell; C, Captain Mercer; D, Captain Van Heusen; G, Captain William H.
Kelsey; and I, Lieutenant Richardson, each having about 180 men. 

These several Batteries on March 3d, 1865, accompanied an expedition from New
Berne, 6,ooo strong, under the command of General Cox, destined for Goldsboro,
which place in the then condition of our military affairs, it was important to
take and hold ; and this expedition was but a cooperative force acting in
concert with Major-General Schofield, then commandant of the department,
having under his command an aggregate force of 21,000 men.

Colonel Stewart had been so fortunate, as to have found a map of the region
over which they were to go, carefully drawn by rebel engineers from accurate
surveys, and so minute in its data that he could and did prepare, in advance,
suitable bridges for the several streams over which they were to pass, in
anticipation of their destruction. This enabled the army to advance with less
delay at the streams, though the roads were blocked by fallen trees. At a
tributary of the Neuse, its passage was on the 7th, strongly con-tested, both
by infantry and artillery, holding a fortified position. After feeling the
position of the enemy, and believing it to be a strong one, General Cox
decided to entrench and await reinforcements, which were soon to arrive. The
position was in a heavy and dense wood, and the entire night was industriously
and, events showed, very wisely spent in perfecting defensive works by felling
the trees, lopping the branches and throwing up breast-works of earth and
timber.

In the morning, the enemy appearing quiet, a reconnoissance was made by two
regiments ofinfantry, a squad of cavalry and a section of Battery I,
Lieutenant Seymour. The artillery opened on the enemy, and eliciting no
response the firing was kept up at intervals for nearly three hours without
any reply, when they suddenly found themselves flanked and enveloped by three
rebel brigades, that had made a wide detour. Our force was overpowered and one
of its guns and seven hundred prisoners captured ; including five from Battery
I. One man from the latter was killed.

General Hoke, commanding the rebels, then attacked our position with great
violence; but the men had so thoroughly protected themselves by fallen trees
and earthworks that they held their ground and kept the enemy at bay, though
they outnumbered us two to one. Pending the fight, General Ruger arrived from
New Berne with a division of infantry, and, joining in the battle, quickly
drove the enemy from our front. Our men were so well protected that
notwithstanding the large force of the enemy and the fury and persistence of
the attack, our losses in killed and wounded were small. The 3d ArtiI-lery
lost but one man killed, William A. Foster, of Battery I, and five,wounded.
BatteriesC and D did very effective work in this engagement, and though much
exposed, they fired their discharges so rapidly upon the assailing columns as
to check and repel them. Batteries G and I were also briskly engaged in the
work of repel-ling the eager assaults of the enemy.

The next day it rained incessantly and it was spent in comparative quiet ; the
enemy had been reinforced and occupied a carefully entrenched position, which
we did not care at that time to assail, as we were waiting the arrival of
General Couch with reinforcements. On the morning of the loth, Hoke, relying
on his superior numbers, threw a heavy force suddenly upon our rear, but he
found us prepared to receive him. Here the batteries again displayed their
effective skill and, united to the destructive infantry fire, after a short,
but to the enemy a very destructive con-test, they fled in disorder. After a
short interval, heavy masses of men were again rushing upon our works
determined to take them, this time entering the heavy abatis by which our
position was defended, but it was useless, they only came into the "jaws of
death," and after a half-hour's effort, retired. Our loss was less than two
hundred ; that of the Confederates, over two thousand; four hundred of their
dead and wounded were found in the abatis after the fight. As illustrating the
comparative safety of artillerists in action, it may be stated that the 3rd
Artillery had but two men wounded in this hotly contested battle.

On the I Ith General Couch arrived, swelling Schofield's army 20,000 men. When
Hoke de-camped to reinforce Johnston in his final struggles with Grant and
Sherman, Schofield was in communication with the latter, and they were to
combine their forces at or near Goldsboro. Schofield proceeded by the way of
Kinston, leaving a brigade and Batteries A and B, 3rd New York Artillery, to
hold the town, he proceeded with the balance of his forces, including
Batteries C, D and I, on his way to Goldsboro, living upon the country, as
Sherman's policy was : "If any-body must suffer let the rebels suffer." The
army made the first day eighteen miles, more than half the distance to
Goldsboro. The next day, March 21st, heavy skirmishing was maintained and a
large force of negroes employed in repairing roads and bridges ; but Goldsboro
was reached and the army commenced entrenchment at once. Signal guns were
fired by Battery I to advise Sherman of their arrival, until responses were
received, when a courier was sent to Sher-man. The latter reached Goldsboro on
the 23d of March, and was received with a Major-General's salute from Battery
I. He proceeded on the 25th, to City Point, and held a conference with General
Grant, returning on the 30th to Goldsboro.

On the 22d, the army of the Ohio had been reinforced. General Schofield
appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Kennedy his chief of artillery, comprising
thirteen batteries. General Sher-man's army, after its terribly exhausting
march of over six hundred miles perpetually harrassed by the enemy, sadly
needed rest and refitting. Most of the men had worn out their shoes, were
barefooted, and their clothing tattered. To rest and refit this army, the time
from the 1st to the loth of April, was spent. On the latter day, the whole
army, 70,000 strong, set out for Smith-field, in pursuit of Johnston, who had
about 35,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. Smithfield was entered on the 11th,
and here the news was received of Lee's surrender, and especial effortswere to
be made to arrest the further retreat of Johnston ; but that officer had also
received the news. and seeing the folly of any further effusion of blood, made
overtures of surrender. Terms were finally agreed upon, ending the great
rebel-lion and the toils and sacrifices, not only of the 3rd Artillery, but of
all our soldiers in the field.

FINAL REVIEW. - The light batteries encamped at Raleigh until early in June.
Here the whole army was reviewed, and the splendid artillery brigade,
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Kennedy, especially attracted the attention of
the commanding General, and the 3rd New York Artillery received his particular
commendation. In the latter part of June they were paid off, mustered out, and
returned to their several homes.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE THIRD ARTILLERY. - When mustered out the 3rd Artillery
numbered 2,200 men. The lowest number at any time had been 600 men, and its
highest, 2,550, and it had connected with it in the aggregate, at different
times, 4,408 men.

LOSSES. - The losses by disease were 247, in battle, 15, in rebel prisons, 70,
wounded, 233, by desertion, 347; ten guns were lost in action. The number
killed and wounded was, therefore, less than one in ten of the average number
of the regiment, while the number that died of disease, independent of the
prisoners, was nearly equal to the killed and wounded.

When we know that the regiment engaged in sixty-four battles, sieges and
skirmishes, the fore-going list of casualties seems surprisingly small. It is,
however, due to causes that fully explain the reason. Artillery generally
engages its enemy at long range, and its guns and gunners are usually
protected by natural or artificial hills, or works of their own erection.
Unlike infantry, they occupy a small space ; to shell a position successfully,
test shots are required and a change of position prevents the enemy from
obtaining an accurate range. It is with artillery the same as with general
officers ; it occupies positions re-mote from the center of conflict and,
except when flanked, surprised, or in the confusion of defeat, is much less
exposed than infantry, as the very instructive experience of the 3d Artillery
repeatedly and abundantly proved. For the most part they had an excellent
equipment; they had been most thoroughly drilled by officers who knew and
conscientiously performed their duty, and the men therefore knew how to handle
their guns with telling effect ; and when a body of grays came within the
sweep of their guns, they suddenly bit the dust or retired before them. Their
exceptional freedom from casualties was, therefore, due to their less
exposure, to the skill and efficiency of the officers and men of the regiment,
and to the further fact, that on very few occasions, were they engaged where
our forces were defeated, and where, in the confusion of re-treat and the
swoop of cavalry, artillerymen often greatly suffered.