Monday, October 28. — Commenced to build a stable for horses, three hundred feet long. Captain Bess, our chief of artillery. Our battery remained at Muddy Branch up to the twenty-seventh of November. Little is to be said of this period. Drill as usual. Received the news of the taking of Beaufort, South Carolina, and [...]
Sunday, October 27.—Established our camp.
Saturday, October 26.—General Williams’ brigade and our battery marched off to Muddy Branch in the morning. Arrived there, in camp of the Twenty-eighth New York, in the afternoon.
Friday, October 25. — Remained the same, at Edwards Ferry.
Thursday, October 24.—After all the troops had been withdrawn, the rebel pickets held the line close to the river, and fired a shot once in a while. Rickett’s, ours, and Captain Bess’ batteries, were drawn up in one line. Our battery is detached to General Williams’ brigade.
Wednesday, October 23.—A clear day. The enemy in great force around Leesburg. We can see the church steeples of that place. Skirmishing kept up all day. In the evening our battery received orders to embark and cross the river,—Capt. Tompkins, having come back from Harper’s Ferry, with the right section, the evening before,—three guns were [...]
Tuesday, October 22.—Arrived at Edwards Ferry by six o’clock A. M. Two thousand men were already landed on the Virginia shore, opposite the ferry, others were continually crossing on canal boats. Since daylight, rain fell incessantly. On the Virginia side, skirmishing was going on all day. At five o’clock both lines of battle advanced. A [...]
Monday, October 21.—Battle of Ball’s Bluff, Gen. Stone crossed the Potomac near Conrad’s Ferry, across Harrison’s Island, with Col. Baker’s brigade, this morning. (Forty-second New York, Fifteenth and Twentieth Massachusetts Regiments, and a piece of artillery, of Capt. Vaughan’s battery. The rest of the battery stayed on Harrison Island.”) By seven o’clock in the evening, [...]
Saturday, October 19.—Gen. Banks and staff honored our battery drill with their presence. Col. Geary of the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania, and Capt. Tompkins, with the right section, had a fight with the rebels at Harper’s Ferry and Bolivar Heights. Our right section, occupying Mary land Heights, fired into Bolivar and on a rebel battery on Loudon [...]
Wednesday, October 16.—Battery drill, and speech by our First Lieutenant. Gen. Banks visited our camp this evening. Nothing important up to (October 19)
Tuesday, October 15. — Parade drill of the battery, in presence of Gov. Sprague, and Col. Tomp kins, the drill proving very satisfactory. Capt. Vaughan visited us the same evening, and addressed us as follows: “Boys, I deserve to be kicked for ever leaving this battery, because, by right, it is my battery, and I [...]
Sunday, October 13.—Gov. Sprague visited the camp. Private Benedict deserted.
Friday, October 11.—A new lieutenant for our battery arrived to-day. Jeffrey Hassard, our First Lieutenant’s brother.
Monday, October 7. —Capt. Tompkins very suddenly marched off to Harper’s Ferry, with the right section. Thunder storm in the evening.
Sunday, October 6. —Camp at Darnestown. The battery received three new guns in the afternoon. Lieut. J. G. Hassard, having joined our battery, at Darnestown, commanded the right section as First Lieutenant. Company cooking was introduced by him. Before that, every detachment done its own cooking. The enterprise itself, of cooking for the whole company, [...]
Thursday, October 3.—Left the picket line again, returned to Camp Jackson, started for Darnestown by six o’clock, and arrived there by eight o’clock P. M. Thus ended our stay at Seneca Mills, the most pleasant period of our three years service. Vegetables and fruit, chickens and pigs, were plenty, for we owned the whole plantation [...]
Tuesday, October 1.—One o’clock A. M. Orders arrived to return immediately to Seneca Mills. The left section marched at once, arriving towards day-break. At sunrise, the fifth gun went on picket duty once more. Lieut. Newton, Sergeants Hammond and Read, were with the left section. Commenced to throw up intrenchments during the night.
Monday, September 30 .—The section returned to Darnestown, and the battery was once more together.
Tuesday, September 24.—We were paid off in gold for two months service. Quiet in Camp Jackson up to (Monday, September 30).
Monday, September 23.—Orders came to leave the picket line at dark, and return to Camp Jackson.
Sunday, September 22.—Squads of cavalry and infantry visible on the Virginia shore. Great changes took place during this period. Orderly J. H. Newton being promoted to Lieutenant, took command of the left section. Sergeants Owen and Randolph, after having been promoted to Lieutenants, left the battery, and were transferred to other Rhode Island batteries. The [...]
Tuesday, September 17.—Our piece kept on firing at an imaginary enemy for a whole hour; the Major of the Thirty-fourth being present. Nothing remarkable up to (Sunday, September 22).
Monday, September 16.—In the evening, some of [the Thirty-fourth New York Regiment crossed the river, had a skirmish with the rebels, and returned with the loss of four men. Capt. Reynolds being promoted to Major, le? the battery. So did Lieut. Albert Munroe, promoted to Captain. Lieut. Tompkins, also promoted, took command of our battery.
Tuesday, September 10.—Gov. Sprague, Col. Wheaton, Major Tompkins, and Capt. Reynolds, visited the section on picket. Quiet up to (Monday, September 16).
Monday, September 9. — Major Charles H. Tompkins, in company with Col. Wheaton, of the Second Rhode Island Regiment, tried a few shots, without reply.