Statewide County RI  Archives Military Records.....14th Regt. RI Heavy Artillery 
Civilwar - Rosters 14th Regiment RI Heavy Artillery, Field and Staff
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14th Regt. RI Heavy Artillery
FIELD AND STAFF. 

Colonel.

J. HALE SYPHER. Private First Ohio Light Artillery April 21, 1861; commissioned
first lieutenant Battery B, First Ohio Light Artillery, Oct. 8, 1861; captain
Nov. 20, 1861; resigned Feb. 3, 1864; commissioned colonel Fourteenth Rhode
Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) July 5, 1864; mustered in Aug. 11, 1864;
assumed command of regiment Aug. 24, 1864; appointed by order president of board
of examination for officers of colored troops Sept. 6, 1864» appointed president
military commission Sept. 26, 1864; relieved from duty on military commission
and board of examination by orders dated Nov. 21 and 22, 1864; appointed by
order to command artillery camp of instruction Greenville, La., Nov. 25, 1864,
and borne in command until January, 1865; commanded the United States forces at
the military posts of Plaquemine and Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and the reserve
artillery of the department, and also served on special duty as president of
general court-martial; mustered out Oct 2, 1865; breveted brigadier-general
United States Volunteers to date from March 13, 1865, for faithful and
meritorious services during the war.

Lieutenant-Colonel. [1]

NELSON VIALL. Corporal, sergeant, Ninth Infantry United States Volunteers, 1847,
and served in the Mexican War; in the War for the Union commissioned first
lieutenant Company B, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, April 17, 1861;
mustered in May 2, 1861; resigned June 4, 1861, to accept commission as captain
in Company C, Second Rhode Island Infantry, June 5, 1861; mustered in same date;
major July 22, 1861; lieutenant-colonel June 12, 1862; appointed to the
temporary command of the Tenth Massachusetts Infantry, July, 1862; promoted
colonel Second Rhode Island Infantry Dec. 13, 1862; resigned Jan. 25, 1863;
commissioned major First Battalion Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Aug.
21, 1863; commissioned lieutenant-colonel (and charged with the organization of
the regiment) Jan. 15, 1864; mustered in same date; commanding regiment until
Aug. 24, 1864, when Col. Sypher assumed command; in immediate command of the
Third Battalion, with short interruptions by other details until muster out of
regiment; commanding Post Parapet, La., April 23 to June 5, 1864; commanding
Third Battalion June 5 to 21, 1864; commanding post and artillery at Parapet
from June 30, 1864; commanding District of Carrollton, as well as Post Parapet,
Sept. 18 to Nov. 7, 1864; on general court-martial Nov. 7, 1864, and so borne
until Dec, 1864; commanding post and Third Battalion from Dec, 1864, to March
20, 1865; on general court-martial March 20, 1865; president military commission
at New Orleans, La., July 6, 1865; mustered out Oct, 2, 1865; brevet
brigadier-general of volunteers May 25, 1866, for faithful and meritorious
services during the war.

[1] In the fall of 1863, Capt. Charles R. Brayton, of the Third Rhode Island
Heavy Artillery, appeared before the Examining Board at Washington and received
an appointment as lieutenant-colonel of the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy
Artillery, but declined appointment.

Majors.

JOSEPH J. COMSTOCK. Private Seventh New York Volunteers, Aug. 19, 1861;
commissioned second lieutenant in the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Sept.,
1861; subsequently promoted to first lieutenant and appointed adjutant Oct. 9,
1861; relieved from duty as adjutant and reported for duty in Company C, by
order dated Jan. 11, 1862; commissioned captain March 11, 1862, and assigned to
Company M; borne on detached service at Fort McHenry, Md., from July 24, 1862,
until Aug., 1862; on special duty general court-martial, March, 1863; resigned
by reason of promotion to major in Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery,
Sept. 16, 1863; mustered in Oct. 3, 1863; assigned to command of First
Battalion; commanding First and Third Battalions at Camp Parapet, La., from June
21 to 30, 1864; ordered on general court-martial June 27, 1864; president
general court-martial Aug. 18, 1864; commanding Forts Jackson and St. Philip,
from July 6, 1864, until March 20, 1865; commanding Third Battalion (Camp
Parapet), from March 20 to May 22, 1865; discharged on surgeon's certificate
July 25, 1865.

RICHARD G. SHAW. Commissioned captain Company D, Third Rhode Island Heavy
Artillery Aug. 27, 1861; mustered in Oct. 9, 1861; ordered to Fort Seward, S. C,
Jan. 4, 1862, and so borne until July, 1862; borne on special duty commanding
battalion at Morris Island, from Sept. 12, 1863, until Nov., 1863; after the
capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg by the Union forces was assigned to the
command of the latter battery, and continued in that capacity until Jan. 13,
1864, when he received an appointment as major in the Fourteenth Rhode Island
Heavy Artillery; commissioned major in that regiment Dec 14, 1863, and assigned
to the command of the Second Battalion; mustered to date Jan. 31, 1864; borne in
command of Post Plaquemine, La., from March 26, 1864, until Aug. 24, 1864, when
relieved by the arrival of Colonel Sypher; resumed command of Post Plaquemine
Sept. 23, 1864, and so borne until Jan., 1865; on military commission at New
Orleans, La., from Aug. 21 till Aug. 28, 1865; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865;
entered the regular army as second lieutenant in Battery M, First Artillery, May
4, 1866, and was breveted captain in the United States Army March 2, 1867, for
gallant and meritorious conduct on Morris Island, S. C; commissioned first
lieutenant July 28, 1866; promoted captain Sept. 20, 18S3; placed on the retired
list June 20, 1896.

ANDREW J. FITZWATER. Commissioned major Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery,
Aug. 30, 1864; mustered Sept. 26, 1864; assigned to Third Battalion; commanding
Third Battalion from Nov. 7 to 24, 1864; ordered on military board of
investigation Nov. 25 to Dec, 1864; president of a field officers' court-martial
Feb. 18, 1865; commanding First Battalion from March 20, 1865, to Oct. 2, 1865;
mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

Surgeon.

BENONI CARPENTER. Commissioned Surgeon Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry Oct. 15,
1862: mustered in same date; mustered out July 29, 1863; commissioned surgeon
Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Oct. 16, 1863; re-mustered to date Sept.
5, 1863; served with Third Battalion; medical director and inspector, District
of Carrollton, June 15, 1864; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

Assistant Surgeons.

JOSEPH R. DRAPER. Entered the medical department of the United States Army in
1862, and was assigned to service in Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D. C.;
commissioned assistant surgeon in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery
Dec. 1, 1863, and served with First Battalion; mustered in Dec. 11, 1863;
mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

HORACE MECORNEY. Commissioned assistant surgeon Twenty-fifth Massachusetts
Infantry Sept. 29, 1862; mustered in same date; resigned July 16, 1863;
commissioned assistant surgeon Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Dec. 7,
1863; mustered in Dec 7, 1863 5 served with Second Battalion; mustered out Oct.
2, 1865.

Adjutant.

JOSEPH C WHITING, JR. Private and corporal Company E, Tenth Rhode Island
Infantry, May 26, 1862; mustered in same date; mustered out Sept. 1, 1862;
sergeant Company A, Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry, Sept. 22, 1862; mustered in
Oct. 13, 1862; promoted first sergeant Jan. 1, 1863; commissioned second
lieutenant May 23, 1863 5 mustered to date from June 2, 1863; mustered out July
29, 1863; commissioned first lieutenant Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery,
Nov. 9, 1863; re-mustered to date from Sept. 14, 1863; appointed regimental
adjutant by Regimental General Orders, No. 1, dated Aug. 27, 1863; detached as
post adjutant at Post Parapet, La., from April 23, 1864, until Aug. 22, 1864,
when he was summoned by Col. Sypher to the new regimental headquarters at
Plaquemine, La.; on military commission from Oct. 26, 1864, until Nov. 21, 1864,
when he was relieved from that duty; accompanied Col. Sypher to New Orleans, to
Greenville, back to Plaquemine, to Donaldsonville; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

Quartermaster.

JOHN B. PEIRCE. Commissioned first lieutenant Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy
Artillery, Oct. 27, 1863; assigned to Company A; re-mustered to date Sept. 22,
1863; detached as regimental quartermaster Sept. 27,1863, and designated as such
while regiment was being recruited, and accompanied the Third Battalion, serving
as its quartermaster; detached as acting assistant quartermaster in chief
quartermaster's department. New Orleans, La., and so borne until Jan., 1865;
ordered on duty as acting assistant quartermaster at Shreveport, La.; mustered
out Oct. 2, 1865; afterwards received a captain's commission, and remained in
the service until 1866.

NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF.

Sergeant-Majors.

ZEBEDEE HOWLAND. Enrolled as sergeant Company A, Aug. 4, 1863; mustered Aug. 28,
1863 5 sergeant-major Nov. 5, 1863; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

WILLIAM MERCER. Enrolled as private Company E, Sept. 8, 1863; mustered Oct. 5,
1863; promoted to sergeant March 27, 1864; borne as acting sergeant-major Second
Battalion from Feb. 8, 1864, until Aug. 31, 1864, when promoted sergeant-major
of regiment and transferred to non-commissioned staff; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

Quartermaster Sergeants.

GEORGE W HAMBLIN. Enrolled as private Company A, Aug. 5, 1863; mustered Aug.
28,1863; appointed quartermaster sergeant Aug. 28, 1863; promoted to regimental
quartermaster sergeant Jan. 25, 1864; sick in Portsmouth Grove General Hospital,
R. I., Aug. 1, 1865, and so borne until Aug. 30, 1865, when he was discharged on
surgeon's certificate.

DAVID E. HOWARD. Enrolled and mustered as private Company L, Feb. 19, 1864;
promoted to quartermaster sergeant and transferred to non-commissioned staff
Sept. 17, 1865; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865.

Commissary Sergeant.

JOSEPH G. POTTER. Enrolled as private Co. A, Aug. 6, 1863; mustered Aug. 28,
1863; promoted to regimental commissary sergeant Aug. 22, 1864; mustered out
Oct. 2, 1865.

Hospital Steward.

JOHN A. FIELD. Enrolled and mustered Feb. 19, 1864, as hospital steward;
discharged by sentence of general court-martial Feb. 28, 1865.

Principal Musician.

CHARLES J. TOSSETT. Enrolled as private Co. D, Sept. 14, 1863; mustered Sept.
22, 1863 5 acting regimental drum-major, and so borne until Feb., 1864; died at
Fort Jackson, La., Nov. 20, 1864. Also borne as CHARLES I. TOSSETT.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

The Fourteenth Regiment
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored,)
In the War to Preserve the Union,
1861-1865

By

William H. Chenery, Late First Lieutenant, Company F, Second Battalion

Providence: Snow & Farnham, Printers and Publishers (1898)

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ri/statewide/military/civilwar/rosters/u14thregi2gmt.txt

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