The Fourteenth Regiment
Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored)
in the War to Preserve the Union, 1861-1865
William H. Chenery
Providence: Snow & Farnham, 1898,
Part 5 - Company M & Personal Sketches
[Transcribed by Dave Swerdfeger]
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COMPANY M. Captain. HENRY K. SOUTHWICK.
First Lieutenants. WARREN RALPH.
GEORGE A. PIERCE.
Second Lieutenants. FRANK FROST.
ALBERT W. DELANAH.
First Sergeant. SYLVESTER BURNS.
Quartermaster Sergeant. NATHANIEL SCOGGINS.
Sergeants. HANNIBAL C. BRYAN.
PETER BRADFORD.
WILLIAM W. HAMPTON.
BENJAMIN H. LAVENDER.
JAMES M. WELLS.
CHARLES H. COREY.
CHARLES NEWSON.
Corporals. AMOS G. FREEMAN.
JOHN W. CORTRIGHT.
GREENBERRY HONEYCUTT.
CHARLES H. MOOR.
NELSON CROSS.
DAVIS JACKSON.
JOSEPH R. PARKER.
WILLIAM RUSSELL.
HENRY B. WILLIAMS.
JOHN DIGGS.
GEORGE GREEN.
HILLERY R. BURNS.
Musicians. SIDNEY W. JOHNSON.
Privates. ADAMS, JAMES.
ALLEN, HENRY.
AMBROSE, HARRISON.
BAILEY, ANDREW.
BARRETT, HENRY.
BATTLES, ALFRED R.F.
BRADFORD, ALONZO.
BROWN, GEORGE W.
BROWN, JESSE W.
BROWN, JOSEPH B.
BROWN, NATHAN.
BULAH, JOSEPH P.
BURLEY, FLETCHER W.
BUTLER, AMOS.
CARLISLE, CALVIN.
CARTWRIGHT, GEORGE W.
CASEY, GEORGE E.
CASEY, REUBEN D.
CASEY, WILLIAM M.
CLARK, AMBROSE.
CLAY, WILLIAM.
CONE, WILLIAM A.
CONGDON, JAMES.
CORTRIGHT, PRIME.
COWAN, JAMES M.
CUMMINGS, THOMAS C.
DAVIS, AUGUSTUS R.G.
DICKERSON, JOSEPH.
DIXON, HEZEKIAH, JR.
DORSEY, ELIJAH.
DORSEY, JOHN H.
DUFFIN, CHARLES J.
DUNBAR, AMBROSE.
ELEBRECK, HENRY N.
ELLET, HENRY.
ELLIS, GEORGE W.
FAIRFAX, THOMAS C.
FLETCHER, WESTON.
FREEMAN, ELUM C.
GARNETT, ANDREW.
GIBBS, MILES.
Go, LEVI.
GRAYSON, JOSEPH.
GREER, RICHARD.
GREGOR, SAMUEL D.
GRIFFIN, CHARLES A.
GRIFFIN, HENRY A.
HALL, NATHANIEL.
HAMMET, STEPHEN F.
HARDIMAN, ALEXANDER.
HARMON, JAMES.
HENDERSON, HENRY.
HENRY, JAMES F.
HERBERT, THEODORE.
HERRELL, RICHARD.
HOPKINS, THOMAS C.
HORNBECK, THEODORE.
HOVEY, JOSEPH.
HOWARD, JAMES.
HOWELL, EDMUND.
HOWLAND, GEORGE.
ITCHISON, WILLIAM.
JACKSON, SILAS.
JOHNS, EVANS.
JOHNS, GEORGE.
JOHNSON, GEORGE A.
JOHNSON, GEORGE H.
JOHNSON, THOMAS H.
JOHNSON, WILLIAM.
JONES, BENJAMIN.
JONES, DAVID.
JONES, JAMES F.
JONES, ROBERT.
JONES, WILLIAM A.
JONES, WILLIAM H.
KENNEY, WILLIAM.
LACEY, CHARLES.
LEE, HENRY.
LEE, WILLIAM A.
LEMON, JOHN H.
LUCAS, JAMES.
LUCAS, PHILIP.
MARK, WILLIAM.
McGOWAN, SAMUEL.
MILLER, JAMES.
MOORE, GEORGE.
MORRISON, WILLIAM A.
MURRAY, WILLIAM.
MYERS, AARON C.
PAINE, ARTHUR.
PALMER, WILLIAM.
PARKER, JAMES.
PECK, WILLIAM H.
PETERS, ABRAHAM.
POOL, FIELDING.
PUGSLEY, ALEXANDER.
RANDALL, GEORGE H.
RICE, DANIEL.
ROBERSON, JOHN L.
ROOTS, JAMES.
SCANKS, MARTIN.
SMITH, ANTHONY.
SMITH, GEORGE M.
SMITH, JAMES.
SMITH, JAMES B.
SMITH, ROBERT.
TERRELL, ROBERT.
VALENTINE, WILLIAM.
WASHINGTON, GEORGE.
WATKINS, STEPHEN L.
WENTWORTH, GEORGE C.
WEST, CHARLES.
WHITE, GAZEWAY.
WHITFIELD, JOSEPH H.
WILLIAMS, WILSON.
WILSON, HARVEY.
WILSON, WILLIAM.
WIME, JOHN.
WOODS, ANANIAS.
YOUTER, JAMES R.
UNASSIGNED RECRUITS. BELL, HENRY.
BRIGHT, CHARLES.
BUCK, JOHN.
BURNS, JOHN.
CHAPMAN, DANIEL.
CHERRY, WILLIAM.
COPPER, HENRY.
EASTON, DAVID M.
FERGERSON, ENOCH.
FLETCHER, JOHN B.
FREEMAN, THOMAS.
GARDNER, CHARLES F.
GARDNER, EDWARD.
GARDNER, HENRY F.
GLOVER, WILLIAM.
GRIMES, DAVID.
HAZZARD, ELI.
HAZARD, PERRY S.
HERNANDES, CHARLES.
MARTIN, CHARLES.
MORANDERS, JOHN O.
MULLEN, WILLIAM.
NILES, CHARLES W.
PERRY, WILLIAM. PHILLIPS, JOSEPH.
POTTER, ISAAC.
RAY, JOSEPH F.
RHODES, ANDREW.
ROBERTS, LEWIS W.
SCOTT, WINFIELD.
SPELLMAN, SAMUEL.
THOMAS, FREDERICK D.
VALENTINE, JAMES D.
WRIGHT, DANIEL G.
YARNEY, JOHN.
PERSONAL SKETCHES [We have inserted sketches of the officers of the regiment as far as they can be obtained.] JOEL METCALF, JR.
He was enrolled and mustered as first sergeant of Company F, Tenth Rhode Island Infantry, May 26, 1862; mustered out Sept. 1, 1862; commissioned first lieutenant Company H, Eleventh Rhode Island Infantry, Oct. 1, 1862; mustered in same date; mustered out as first lieutenant Dec. 31, 1862; promoted and mustered in as captain, Company H, Jan. 1, 1863; mustered out July 13, 1863. He was commissioned as captain in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Oct. 27, 1863, and assigned to Company D; re-mustered to date Sept. 22, 1863; borne on general court-martial from Oct. 6, 1864, until Nov., 1864; borne on general court-martial at New Orleans, La., from Nov. 5, 1864, until Jan., 1865; mustered out Oct. 2, 1865. At the close of the war he was engaged as bookkeeper at the Merchants Bank in Providence, R.I., for many years. He died Dec. 11, 1895. He was greatly esteemed among his associates, both in civil and military life, and his many noble and manly qualities endeared him to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. He was a member of the First Congregational Church, of Providence, R.I. He was one of the founders of the Unitarian Club, and for many years its secretary. GEORGE BUCKLIN.
Upon his return to Rhode Island Lieutenant Bucklin was commissioned captain in the First Brigade, Rhode Island Militia, Sept. 1, 1863, but resigned about September 21st, to accept a captaincy in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored). Passed examination as captain at Washington, D.C., before General Casey's Board, and was appointed captain by the President of the United States, in same regiment, and assigned to Company C. He was re-mustered to date Nov. 23, 1863. He was stationed with his battalion at Fort Esperanza, Matagorda Island, from Jan. 3, 1864, until May 19, 1864. Removed to Fort Jackson, La., on the Mississippi River, July 3, 1864. Removed to Brashear City, La., in May, 1865. Company was detached and placed in command at Fort Buchanan, Bayou Teche, where it was flooded out and returned to Brashear City. Captain Bucklin resigned his commission at the close of the war (Aug. 24, 1865), and returned North. He subsequently bought a cotton plantation in Alachua County, Florida, and resided there for five years. Since that time he has been interested in real estate mostly, and for a number of years has relinquished business entirely. He is a member of the Colorado Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Bucklin Post, No. 20, Grand Army of the Republic, of East Providence, R.I., Providence Chess Club, president of the San Antonio Chess Club of San Antonio, Texas. Also a member of the San Antonio Club of the same place, and the Metropolitan Club of Denver, Colorado. Is now a resident of the city of Providence, R.I. NELSON KENYON.
He resided for several years in Louisiana, and then removed to Chicago, Ill., and engaged in the harness business. He afterwards went to Cleveland, Ohio, and was the inventor and maker of the celebrated "Kenyon's American Catarrh Cure." He remained there four years, and then came East and settled in Worcester, Mass, where he was engaged in the general collection and brokerage business. Captain Kenyon's son, George T. Kenyon, was a musician in the Second Rhode Island Infantry. Captain Kenyon's failing health compelled him to relinquish business, and for several years he was an inmate of the Soldiers' Home in Bristol, R.I., where he died June 2, 1898. GEORGE W. COLE.
He enlisted in the Union army as a private in Battery G, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, Nov. 1, 1861, and was mustered in Dec. 2, 1861. He was subsequently promoted to corporal, serving for several months as acting chief of the first piece, and participated with his battery in all the battles of McClellan's Peninsular campaign. He was discharged for disability Dec. 2, 1862. Recovering his health in the summer of 1863, he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the State militia, retaining that position until he was commissioned as captain in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, on the 10th of November, 1863, after an examination by General Casey's Military Board at Washington, D.C. After assisting in the organization of several companies at Dutch Island, he was assigned to Company E, and re-mustered to date Oct. 20, 1863. He proceeded with his battalion to New Orleans, La., in January, 1864, and was stationed for awhile at English Turn, a few miles below the city. While in camp at that place Captain Cole was given the command of a detachment from his battalion that was detailed to take part in a movement to be made upon Mobile. His command was held in readiness for several days awaiting orders, but for lack of transportation or some other reason the services of the detachment were not required. Captain Cole was in command of his company doing garrison duty at Plaquemine and Donaldsonville, on the Mississippi River, and served on several courts-martial. He was president of one that convened at Plaquemine on the 25th of May, 1864. In March, 1865, he was on detached service as provost marshal of the Parish of Plaquemines, and later the Parish of St. Bernard was added to his jurisdiction, in which service he remained until he returned to his regiment to be mustered out, Oct. 2, 1865. For a few years after the war he engaged in mercantile business, during which time he was trustee of a school district, justice of the peace, notary public, and postmaster. Returning to his old occupation of teaching, for which he was especially qualified, he was principal of the grammar school at Valley Falls, R.I., in 1871-72. In 1873 he became principal of the Grove Street Grammar School at Pawtucket, R.I., continuing in that position for eighteen and a half years. Resigning on account of poor health, he has since been an insurance agent, and has also served as an assistant in the office of the city treasurer of Pawtucket. Captain Cole has the respect, good will, and love of hundreds of young men and women, who in their youthful days received the benefit of his watchful care and instruction in school. He is at the present time residing in the village of Anthony, R.I. He was formerly a member of Prescott Post, No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic, but was afterwards transferred to Tower Post, No. 17, Pawtucket, serving as chaplain of that Post for several years, declining further advancement. He was chief mustering officer of the department one year, and aid-de-camp on the staff of the commander-in-chief. Prior to entering the service in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, in 1863, he became connected with the Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Masons, and has held several offices in the Blue Lodge and in the Royal Arch Chapter. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and also of the Knights of Honor, being a past grand dictator and past grand representative of the latter order. He is also a member of the First Rhode Island Light Artillery Veteran Association, and has held the office of president of the association. JOSHUA M. ADDEMAN.
Resuming the study of law, he was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 1866, and engaged for a time in the active practice of his profession. He was also interested in journalistic work; was clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives for several years, and in April, 1872, was elected Secretary of State of Rhode Island, holding that office by annual election until 1887. He was then elected treasurer of the Industrial Trust Company, now one of the leading financial institutions of the State, retaining that position until July 1, 1895, when he became vice-president of the Company, which office he now holds. He was clerk of the Common Council of Providence (1867-82); treasurer of the Rhode Island Electric Protective Company; president of the Franklin Lyceum; president for four years of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Historical Society of Rhode Island; and has been associated with various other business, literary and charitable institutions. He is now a vice-president of the Home for Aged Men of Providence; president of the Tenth Rhode Island Veterans Association; and president of the Rhode Island Electric Protective Company. He is an honorary member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati, a member of Prescott Post No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic; a member of the Grand Lodge of Masons, and of other Masonic bodies of Rhode Island. He is married and lives in Providence, R.I. CHARLES C. CRAGIN.
His services were often called into requisition in positions requiring good judgment and executive ability, as indicated as follows: On general court-martial Oct. 3, 1864; on inspecting council Oct. 25, 1864; president of a garrison court-martial Dec. 1, 1864; president of a board of survey Dec. 27, 1864; on battalion council of administration Jan. 9, 1865; president of board of survey Jan. 17, 1865; and again in the same capacity Feb. 21, 1865; on general court-martial March 6, 1865; on board of investigation April 19, 1865; on military commission May 4, 1865; on battalion council of administration May 24, 1865; on military commission at Thibodeaux, La., July 6, 1865. He was mustered out Oct. 2, 1865. On the 10th of November, 1865, he was appointed captain of the Fourteenth United States Colored Artillery (Heavy), but declined the appointment. Returning to the North he entered the Chicago Theological Seminary. After graduating from that institution he was installed pastor of the Con(missing part). ... Owing to ill health he was compelled to relinquish the ministry. He engaged in business for several years on a fruit ranch at San Jose, Cal. His health subsequently improving he was enabled to resume the work of the ministry, and was pastor of the Congregational Church of Sebastopol, Cal., February, 1896-1897; since which time he has been pastor of the Congregational Church in Rio Vista, Sonoma County, Cal. SAMUEL FARNUM.
Samuel, the subject of our sketch, received his early education in the public schools of his native town. He subsequently pursued his studies at the Friends' School in Providence, R.I., where he fitted himself for college course. He entered Haverford College in 1860, and continued in that institution until the fall of 1862, when he was prompted by a sense of duty to offer himself as a soldier in that hour of his country's peril, and like Gen. Nathanael Greene, of Revolutionary fame, although of Quaker ancestry, decided to take up arms in defence of the Union. He enlisted as a private in Company K, Seventh Rhode Island Infantry, Sept. 6, 1862. He was promoted to corporal Jan. 4, 1863, and sergeant June 4, 1863. Sergeant Farnum served faithfully with his regiment, participating in its battles and campaigns until Dec. 22, 1863, when he received an honorable discharge to accept a commission as captain in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored). He was assigned to the command of Company I, of the Fourteenth, and joined the Third Battalion on Dutch Island, R.I. The Third Battalion proceeded to New Orleans on the 3d of April, 1864, and from thence were ordered to Camp Parapet, La. Here Lieutenant-Colonel Viall assumed command of the district and post, and the temporary command of the battalion devolved upon Captain Farnum, he being the senior captain, and often acted in that capacity. He was on different occasions called to serve as a member of general and field court-martials, and frequently acted as president and judge advocate of these bodies. Captain Farnum was mustered out with his regiment at Camp Parapet, La., Oct. 2, 1865. On his way to the North, on the steamer Atlanta, he lost his life by the foundering of that ill-fated vessel. GEORGE A. SPINK.
Captain George A. Spink received a common school education in the village of Natick, R.I., and at an early age was apprenticed to a jewelry concern in North Attleboro, Mass. In 1860 he returned to Natick, and subsequently worked at the jewelers' trade in Providence, R.I. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted as a private in Company D, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, April 17, 1861. He was the first man to volunteer from the town of Warwick, R.I. He participated with his regiment in the battle of Bull Run, and was mustered out Aug. 2, 1861. He again entered the service as first lieutenant of Company C, Ninth Rhode Island Infantry, May 26, 1862. His company was stationed at Fort Ricketts, in the Defences of Washington, D.C. He was on court-martial duty in the city of Washington for several weeks. He was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service, Sept. 2, 1862. On the 9th of October, 1862, he was commissioned a captain in the Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry, and was assigned to Company C. He was present with his regiment at the battle of Fredericksburg, and in its subsequent campaign in Kentucky. He was mustered out July 29, 1863. Again desirous of serving his country he applied for a commission in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery then being organized. He was commissioned a captain in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Jan. 4, 1864, and assigned to Company L, of the Third Battalion. He was mustered in Jan. 15, 1864. He accompanied his battalion to Louisiana, and was stationed with his company for awhile at Camp Parapet, La. On the 30th of June, 1864, Captain Spink with his company was detached from the battalion, and ordered to garrison Fort Banks on the opposite side of the river. It was a responsible position, and required the exercise of great tact and firmness on the part of the commanding officer. The territory over which his authority extended covered a distance of nearly seventy miles from Fort Banks to Donaldsonville on the north. That Captain Spink's services as commanding officer were appreciated by the citizens residing in the vicinity of Fort Banks, is attested by the fact that upon his retiring from that command he was made the recipient of an elegant field glass, presented to him by the citizens of Jefferson Parish, La. Captain Spink was mustered out with his regiment Oct. 2, 1865. Upon his return to Rhode Island he was engaged in the general store business at Olneyville, R.I., under the firm name of Spink & Straight. This business was closed out in 1866, when he associated himself with the firm of L.D. Anthony & Co., wholesale dealers in Yankee notions. Captain Spink remained with them with the exception of one year, when he was connected with D.M. & L.E. Salisbury & Co., wholesale dry goods dealers, until August, 1877, when the firm of Murray, Spink & Co. was organized. He severed his relations with this firm in February, 1897, and is now engaged in the general insurance business. Captain Spink served as a member of the General Assembly from Warwick, for three years, 1873-5 inclusive. He was appointed by the Supreme Court as one of the commissioners to assess land damages on the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad. He was an inspector of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad for three years, an appointment by the Governor. He was made a Mason in Warwick Lodge, No. 13, Phenix, R.I., in 1866. He subsequently became a member of Landmark Chapter, River Point, and of Calvary Commandery, Providence. He is a member of Palestine Temple, Mystic Shrine; president of the Auburn branch of the Co-operative Savings Society of Connecticut; and has been president of the Auburn Free Library Association, and Free Masons' Building Association. He is a vestryman in the Church of the Ascension, Auburn, and a member of Slocum Post, No. 10, Department of Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic. ANTHONY RICHMOND RAWSON.
CAPTAIN ANTHONY RICHMOND RAWSON, son of the late Samuel Rawson, was born in Providence, Feb. 20, 1836. He was educated in the public schools in his native city, but on the death of his father, which occurred when Richmond was sixteen, he left the school and went to Messrs. Hunt & Owen, jewelers, in whose employ he remained until the breaking out of the Rebellion. At the first call for troops he joined the First Rhode Island Detached Militia, and, as sergeant of Company D, Capt. Nathaniel W. Brown, he served during the three months for which that regiment enlisted, participating in the disastrous battle of Bull Run. On the 2d of October, 1861, two months after his return, at the recommendation of his former captain, who had been made colonel of the Third Rhode Island Volunteers, he received a commission as second lieutenant, and joined that regiment prior to its starting on the expedition to South Carolina, under General Sherman. On the 11th of March, 1862, he was promoted to first lieutenant. On the first of July, 1863, he was detached from his regiment, and ordered to report to Lieut. Guy V. Henry, Battery B, First United States Artillery. He remained with this battery during the summer and fall, joining in the attack on Fort Wagner and siege of Charleston. On the 26th of October, 1863, Lieutenant Rawson was appointed a captain in his regiment, but before his commission reached him he had received and accepted an appointment in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, and in December came North to be examined. He passed his examination before the examining board of which General Casey was president, and, on the 16th of January, 1864, was ordered to report to Col. Nelson Viall, at Dutch Island, where the regiment was in camp. Captain Rawson proceeded to the island, but an uninterrupted service of twenty-seven months in a southern climate, without leave of absence, and the exposure in the trenches before Wagner, had seriously impaired his constitution, and rendered him unfit to endure the severity of a northern winter. After having performed but three days' service, he returned home, sick, and lingering through an intensely painful illness of nearly four months, he died on the 5th of May, 1864. Captain Rawson married November, 1860, a daughter of Gen. James Shaw (who lost another son, Capt. John P. Shaw, a week later, at Spottsylvania), and left a widow and two little daughters. J. HALE SYPHER.
General Sypher is a member of the Society of Sons of the Revolution. He received a liberal education and was graduated from Alfred University in 1859, and adopted the profession of the law. He responded to the first call for troops in defense of the Union, and has the honorable distinction of winning his way from the ranks to the command of a regiment. He enlisted for three months as a private in the Cleveland, Ohio, Light Artillery, on the twenty-first day of April, 1861, and served in the Army of West Virginia under McClellan and Rosecrans. He participated in the first battle of the war on June 3, 1861, at Philippi. On the expiration of his three months' term of enlistment he engaged in recruiting and organizing Battery "B," First Regiment Ohio Light Artillery, and on the 8th day of October, 1861, he was mustered into the service with his battery as first lieutenant, and served in the Army of the Cumberland, participating in its campaigns and battles until February, 1864. He received honorable mention in official orders and reports by the commanding general for gallant conduct in battle as follows: I deem it a duty to refer in complimentary terms to the marked efficiency of Lieutenant Sypher." And again: "Lieutenant Sypher deserves especial notice." (History War of the Rebellion, Vol. 10, Part 1, pp. 894, 895, 905, 921.) The principal battles in which General Sypher was engaged were Philippi, Beverly, Rich Mountain, Carricks Ford, Wildcat Ridge, Millsprings, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Perryville, Stone River, Rogersville, Swedens Cove, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Chickamauga. On the 20th of November, 1863, General Sypher was commissioned and mustered as captain of his battery, which promotion he had earned by long and faithful service, but notwithstanding his brilliant record in the field, through political influence the Governor of Ohio was induced to revoke his commission, and ordered him mustered out as captain, and promoted a junior officer over him. General Sypher resented this outrage promptly, by presenting his resignation, using the following language: "As I have always conducted myself as becomes an officer and soldier, giving no just cause for this humiliation and disgrace, I ask to be relieved from my present position at once." Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas ("Old Pap," as he was affectionately called by his troops), knowing this young officer personally, and his high character as a soldier, issued the following order, giving the cause of the resignation: HEADQYARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, Special Field Order, No. 34. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Feby. 3. 1864. The resignation of the following named officer is accepted to take effect from this date First Lieutenant J. Hale Sypher, Company "B" First Ohio Light Artillery. Cause — Dissatisfaction produced by the promotion of a junior officer over him. By command of Major-General Thomas. WM.D. WHIPPLE, A.A.G. Imbued with the same patriotic spirit which induced him to enlist as a private at the first call for troops in the beginning of the war, he went at once to Washington and tendered his services to the government. He was ordered before a board of regular army officers of which Maj. Gen. Silas Casey was president, for examination as to his qualifications. After a most rigid examination he passed with the highest merit, and was recommended as colonel of the first class. On July 9, 1864, he was commissioned and assigned to the command of the Eleventh Regiment United States Heavy Artillery (originally designated the Fourteenth Rhode Island), stationed in the Department of the Gulf. He assumed command of this regiment on the tenth day of August, 1864, and served until Oct. 2, 1865, when it was mustered out and discharged at Portsmouth Grove, Rhode Island. He commanded the United States forces at the military posts of Plaquemine and Donaldsonville, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River, and the Reserve Artillery of the department, and served on special duty as president of general court-martial. As indicative of his intelligence, ability and efficiency as an officer, it may be mentioned that he was selected and designated by the commanding general of the department, as president of a board of examination for officers in the department, to determine the qualifications and fitness of applicants for appointment and promotion, as well as the efficiency of officers already in the service who might be reported for examination. At the close of the war his regiment returned to the State for final discharge, and upon invitation was reviewed by the governor and his staff, in the presence of the citizens of Providence. Impressed with the high state of discipline and fine soldierly bearing of the officers and men, who reflected the highest honor upon the State, under whose auspices the regiment was organized and sent into the field, Gov. James Y. Smith, in a communication addressed to the Secretary of War, says: "Colonel Sypher passed General Casey's examining board and was one of the few officers recommended for appointment as colonels. He has served in all the grades during the late war, and his integrity, energy and unflinching patriotism, with his complete knowledge of tactics and army regulations, has gained for him the high position he now holds. He now proposes to leave the service which no longer requires him, his regiment now being here awaiting discharge, and I should number it among the greatest favors that you have conferred upon me, if you would give Colonel Sypher a brevet commission as brigadier-general." Agreeably to this request the President commissioned Colonel Sypher to date from March 13, 1865, as brevet brigadier-general, United States Volunteers, for "faithful and meritorious service during the war." Having retired from the military service at the close of the war, General Sypher determined to make his permanent residence in the State of Louisiana, where he located and engaged in the culture of cotton and sugar. Earnest and efficient in assisting to maintain the union of the States, and the integrity of the nation, he also considered it his duty to take an active part in establishing and maintaining civil government in his State, and organizing her industries and building up her waste places. He was one of the ablest and foremost advocates of the ratification and adoption of the new State Constitution in Louisiana, under the reconstruction acts of Congress. The people, duly appreciating General Sypher's abilities and services as a political leader, resolved to make him one of their representatives at the National Capitol. Although not desiring or seeking political preferment he reluctantly accepted the nomination of his party and was four times elected as a representative in Congress from the First Congressional District, and served in the Fortieth, Forty-first, Forty-second and Forty-third Congress. He enjoys the distinction of being the only man of his party who has ever occupied a seat in Congress from that Congressional district. In Congress he was bold and fearless in advocating adequate protection to labor and home industries, and a liberal policy of internal improvements, and generous justice and amnesty to the South. General Sypher was the author and foremost advocate of the movement in Congress to secure legislation for the improvement of the navigation of the Mississippi River. He introduced the first measure in Congress to authorize and commence that great work, which finally resulted in securing a practicable channel with deep water at the mouth of that great river. At the close of his Congressional career General Sypher retired from public life and devoted his attention to his planting interests and the practice of his profession.
In 1846 he was employed as a moulder in Providence. From 1850 to 1854 he was engaged in the construction of an iron foundry in Brazil. He subsequently returned to Providence and remained here until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion. General Viall early evinced a taste for military affairs, and, while residing in Providence, he in 1846 connected himself with the United Train of Artillery and served in the positions of adjutant and lieutenant-colonel in that organization. In the War with Mexico he enlisted first as private then promoted successively as corporal and sergeant in Co. A, Ninth Infantry, United States Volunteers, in February, 1847. This company was commanded by Capt. Joseph S. Pitman, afterwards lieutenant-colonel of the First Rhode Island Detached Militia, in the War of the Rebellion. General Viall participated in the battles of Contreras, Cherubusco, and Chepultepec. At the storming of the latter place he received a severe injury in his foot while ascending one of the storming ladders, from which injury he has never entirely recovered, although at that time it did not prevent his taking an active part in the operations which finally resulted in the capture of the Mexican capital. Soon after the close of the war he returned to Rhode Island and resumed his occupation as a moulder. At the commencement of the War for the Union he was lieutenant-colonel of the United Train of Artillery, and, with the permission of the colonel commanding (Nicholas Van Slyck), he at once opened the armory for recruits. A company was soon raised, and Colonel Van Slyck was commissioned captain, and General Viall first lieutenant. The company was designated as Co. B, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, and was enrolled April 17, 1861, and mustered June 6, 1861. Upon the formation of the Second Rhode Island Infantry for three years or the war, he resigned his commission in the First, and was appointed captain of Co. C, of the Second Rhode Island, June 1, 1861. At the Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, the Second Rhode Island bore an honorable part, losing its colonel and major. On the fall of these two brave officers General Viall being the senior captain of the regiment, immediately assumed the duties of a field officer. These duties he performed with so much bravery that he received a commission as major bearing date from the day of the battle. He participated with his regiment in the Peninsular campaign, and, while stationed at Mechanicsville, Va., he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel June 12, 1862. On the 25th of June the regiment engaged the enemy at Seven Pines, when General Viall received a flesh wound in the hip. During the retreat of the Union Army General Viall was ordered to report to General Couch at division headquarters, and directed to act in the place of General Abercrombie, on the picket line, who was ill. The plan of falling back was entrusted to him, and the detail of different brigades of division doing picket duty at the front was furnished him, with instructions to hold the line as long as possible. This duty he successfully performed, and the time thus gained enabled the troops in the rear to retire in good order. On reaching Harrison's Landing General Viall was ordered to assume command of the Tenth Massachusetts Infantry, whose colonel had been wounded. He remained in command of this regiment until it arrived at Yorktown, fulfilling the duties incumbent upon him to the satisfaction of all connected with him. His subordinate officers were so well pleased with the ability he displayed while in command of the regiment that they forwarded a request to Governor Andrew that General Viall might be appointed to the place of their old colonel, who in the meantime had been advanced to the rank of a brigadier. Had General Viall deemed it expedient to accept this position it would probably have been granted, but he had been assured by those high in authority that he would soon have the command of a Rhode Island regiment, so he declined the offer, and returned to the Second Rhode Island. General Viall was in command of the Second Rhode Island at the battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 10, 1862. For gallantry in this action General Viall received a commission as colonel of the Second, Dec. 13, 1862, Colonel Frank Wheaton having in the meantime been advanced to the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers. In consequence of the dissatisfaction and trouble arising from the appointment of the chaplain to the rank of major, General Viall resigned his commission, which took effect Jan. 25, 1863. He then returned to Rhode Island. Soon after his return General Viall was elected colonel of the Fourth Regiment Rhode Island Militia. Subsequently he was authorized by the governor to begin the formation of the Thirteenth Regiment of Rhode Island Volunteers for six months' service in the field; the command of which was offered to him. While thus engaged the draft took place, accompanied by the riots in New York and Boston. During this season of anxiety the governor placed the charge of the State property under his control. The Thirteenth Regiment performed guard duty in the city with the militia. In the meantime orders were received from Washington to discharge all six months' men and recruit for three years only The Thirteenth Regiment was therefore disbanded. When the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery was organized, in September, 1863, General Viall was assigned the duty of preparing it for the field, and was appointed major of the First Battalion Sept. 9, 1863. General Via11 devoted himself untiringly to his work, and in the course of a few months had the satisfaction of seeing the regiment raised to its full complement of men, three battalions strong. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel Jan. 15, 1864. General Viall accompanied the Third Battalion to New Orleans, La. Previous to its departure for the South he was made the recipient of an elegant sabre and equipments, a gift from the officers of the Fourth Rhode Island Detached Militia, which he had recently commanded. On the arrival of the Third Battalion at Camp Parapet, General Via11 was placed in immediate command of the District and Post. It was an important command, as the District of Carrollton covered the city of New Orleans against attack from the north, and included, as has been previously stated, the rendezvous at Greenville for troops arriving in the Department of the Gulf, and embraced an extensive and comparatively high and dry area between the river and the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, and afforded at this point the most commodious and accessible facilities for troops recuperating and reorganizing. In July, 1864, his command included Fort Banks on the opposite side of the river, and the territory thus occupied extended as far north as Donaldsonville. General Viall's services were often required on general court-martial in New Orleans, and for the most part in the capacity of president. He was also on a board of examination for officers of colored troops, from March 20 to April 12, 1865. The following extract, taken from Bartlett's Memoirs of Rhode Island Officers, will give sufficient indication of the esteem in which General Viall is held in Rhode Island: "With the mustering out of this regiment General Viall ended his military service in the great Rebellion. Up to this time he had not received a colonel's commission from the United States as colonel, although he had held a State commission of that grade. Soon after the close of the war he received a colonel's commission from Washington, together with the promotion to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet. The promotion was well deserved, for few officers had rendered the State or government more laborious service than General Viall. His personal bravery in battle was never doubted. The troops under his command were always in a state of high discipline, and, by long and faithful services, he proved himself among the worthiest of Rhode Island's sons who represented the national honor during the fierce contest of the great Rebellion." General Viall's commission as brevet brigadier-general of volunteers is dated May 25, 1866, "for faithful service during the war." He was Representative to the General Assembly from the city of Providence in 1866. He was chief of police of Providence from June, 1866, to June, 1867. He has been warden of the Rhode Island State Prison for many years, and still occupies that position. He joined Prescott Post, No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic, April 12, 1867, as one of the charter members at its organization, and was its first senior vice commander. He was chairman pro tem of the first council of administration which was organized in the Department of Rhode Island. In 1896 he was elected an aid-de-camp on the staff of the commander-in-chief. When the Second Rhode Island Veteran Association was formed he was chosen its first president, and held that office for two years. He is at the present time president of the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Veteran Association. In 1861, while stationed in the City of Washington on military duty, he became a member of Federal Lodge, A.F. and A.M. He subsequently united with St. John's Lodge of Providence, R.I., of which lodge he is still a member. JOSEPH J. COMSTOCK.
Major Comstock in his youth attended boarding schools in Massachusetts and New Jersey. He spent two years at school in Paris, France. Returning to New York in 1856, he was employed as clerk in a large wholesale dry goods and importing house. He was thus engaged at the breaking out of the Rebellion, and, imbued with the patriotic spirit of the times, promptly enlisted as a private in the famous Seventh New York Regiment, Aug. 19, 1861, and was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service. He again entered the service, and was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, Aug. 15, 1861, and was appointed adjutant of the regiment. He was relieved from duty as adjutant and reported for duty in Company C, Jan. 11, 1862. March 11, 1862, he was commissioned captain and assigned to Company M. He was borne on detached service at Fort McHenry, Md., from July 24, 1862, until August, 1862; March, 1863, on special duty as a member of a general court-martial. In the advance against Pocataligo, October, 1862, Captain Comstock, with a command of forty-five men, served boat howitzers landed from the gunboats. In 1862, he was severely injured in the line of duty, and was at one time reported as killed. He suffers to-day from the effect of those injuries. Sept. 16, 1863, he resigned to accept promotion to major in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. In the History of the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, honorable mention is made of Major Comstock upon his retirement from the Third, as follows: "Regretfully the regiment parted with Capt. J.J. Comstock. . . . His talents, culture, bravery, and devotion, won for him an enviable rank in the esteem of our regiment." He was assigned to the command of the First Battalion of the Fourteenth, and sailed with his battalion for New Orleans, Dec. 19, 1863, arriving there December 30th. Without debarking, it proceeded to Pass Cavallo, Texas, where it arrived Jan. 8, 1864, and was ordered to garrison duty in Fort Esperanza, Texas. Here it was visited by Major-General Dana, commanding the Union forces in Texas, who expressed himself as highly gratified with its appearance. In a letter to Governor Smith, he says: "I took them entirely by surprise by going over in a small boat, but they were ready. The soldier-like conduct of the sentinels, on post, and of the main guard at the gate, challenged my admiration. The 'Assembly' was sounded, and in five minutes the whole battalion, four hundred strong, was in line, and I have never found a regiment, even on a Sunday morning inspection, in more perfect condition and soldierly bearing. The drill was also most creditable. Such discipline and order reflect great credit upon the company officers, and especially on the major in command." On the 19th of May, 186.4, Major Comstock received orders to evacuate Fort Esperanza and return to New Orleans. He accordingly embarked his command on the transport steamer Clinton, and reached New Orleans May 23, 1864. The next day he reported to Lieutenant-Colonel Viall, at Fort Parapet, where the First and Third Battalions were consolidated. Colonel Viall commanded the post and Major Comstock assumed command of the two battalions. On the 3d of July, 1864, General Sherman ordered the First Battalion to Fort Jackson, below New Orleans, to do garrison duty. Major Comstock's command included Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on the Mississippi River. On the 28th of August, 1864, he was president of a general court-martial. In March, 1865, Major Comstock was transferred to the Third Battalion, stationed at Camp Parapet, and continued in that capacity until May 22, 1865. On the 25th of July, 1865, he was discharged on surgeon's certificate on account of honorable wounds received in the service. In November, 1865, Major Comstock proceeded by steamer to the East Indies, where he engaged in business. He subsequently visited China, Japan, and Manila. He afterwards returned to the United States and went into the manufacturing business in Providence, R.I. The panic of 1873 proved disastrous to him financially, and he removed to New York and engaged in the publishing business, and is at the present time publishing a medical journal in that city. Major Comstock is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Society of the War Veterans of the Seventh Regiment New York State National Guards, and the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Veteran Association, having had the honor of being its first secretary. RICHARD G. SHAW.
This is said to have been the first instance in the United States of the use of the militia to quell a riot. In 1842, during the Dorr War, he commanded the Third Ward Guards, and in the fall of that year was elected brigadier-general of the Second Brigade of State Militia, a position which he filled for many years. Major Shaw was educated in the public schools of Providence. Upon leaving school he entered a drug store, and afterwards the jewelry business, and was engaged in that business in partnership with his brother, John P. Shaw, at the outbreak of the Rebellion. Being prostrated by illness he was unable to respond to the President's first call for troops, but as soon as sufficiently recovered he offered his services to the governor, and was commissioned captain in Company D, Third Rhode Heavy Artillery, Aug 27, 1861, and participated in Gen. Thomas W. Sherman's Port Royal Expedition in South Carolina, and was engaged in the operations resulting in the capture of Morris Island, S.C. He commanded his battery in the assault and capture of the Confederate batteries on the lower end of the island. Captain Shaw commanded the thirty-pounder siege battery at the siege of Fort Wagner, S.C., and commanded the same battery in the operations against Fort Gregg and Cummings Point, S.C. He was in command of Battery Hayes (two hundred pounder guns) at the siege of Fort Sumter, S.C. After the capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg by the Union forces, he was assigned to the command of the latter battery, which, in connection with other Union batteries, was continuously engaged with the Confederate batteries in Charleston Harbor until the date of the capture of the city by Gen. William T. Sherman and his army. Major Shaw remained in command of Battery Gregg until Jan. 13, 1864, when, having received an appointment as major in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, he was ordered to Washington before an examining board, of which Gen. Silas Casey was president. The following extracts from letters to General Casey will indicate the esteem in which Major Shaw was regarded by his superior officers: FOLLY ISLAND, S.C., Nov. 10, 1863. I take pleasure in recommending to your consideration Capt. Richard G. Shaw, Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, who is now a candidate for promotion. Capt. Shaw has now been serving under me on Morris Island as commander of a battery of heavy guns since the 26th day of July last. He has been in command of a battery during all the artillery operations on Morris Island, and also took part in the operations on Folly Island, which opened the way to the descent upon Morris Island. During this time he has with his command been continually on duty at the front. I can earnestly recommend him for the position to which he has been commissioned. He has been a zealous commander, and the practical experience which he has acquired this summer will be of vast use to him in his new position, and of service to his country. (Signed,) JNO. H. TURNER, Brig. Gen. Chief of Arty. I cordially endorse the within recommendation of Capt. Shaw, and trust the promotion which he seeks may be secured to him. (Signed,) Q.A. GILMORE, Maj. General Comd'g. The following letter is also appended: HD. QRS., MORRIS ISLAND., S.C., Nov. 11, 1863. Capt. B.G. Shaw, Third R.I. Vols. Capt. I forward to you enclosed a special order from Department Hd. Qrs. granting you leave of absence that you may appear before the board for the examination of officers for colored regiments. In parting with you I desire to express my appreciation of the very able and faithful manner in which you have discharged your duties as a battery commander during the operations against Sumter and Wagner. Your expected promotion has been well merited by exertions here, and while I shall regret to lose you from my command, I congratulate you on so promptly receiving the just reward of your services. (Signed,) Very truly yours, ALFRED S. TERRY, Brig. Gen. Comd'g. Having successfully passed the board he reported to General Banks at New Orleans, and was ordered to take command of the Second Battalion Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, then stationed at English Turn, La. He assumed command March 7, 1864. The battalion soon after removed to Plaquemine, La., and Major Shaw was assigned to the command of the troops and post at that place until the arrival of the colonel of the regiment on the 10th of August, 1864. He was also in command of the post during the absence of Colonel Sypher, who was on detached service at Greenville, La. The position of post commander was one of great responsibility, and required the exercise of decision and discretion in the performance of his duties. It was one of the most important posts that was occupied by the Federal forces in Louisiana, and many of the inhabitants in the town and vicinity professed loyalty to the Union, but were in full sympathy with the Confederate cause, and availed themselves of every opportunity to give aid and comfort to the enemy. Major Shaw fulfilled the duties incumbent upon him with firmness and fidelity, and his administration of affairs was alike creditable to himself and his battalion. He was in command of the post when the Confederates attacked and surprised the pickets stationed on the road which winds its way in close proximity to Bayou Plaquemine. Three men of the Third Rhode Island Cavalry were posted as an advanced picket, while three others of the Second Battalion were stationed as an inner picket. The latter, after surrendering to the Confederates, were taken a few miles into the interior and cruelly murdered. After more than four years of continuous and faithful service in the volunteer forces of the Union, Major Shaw was mustered out with his regiment Oct. 2, 1865, and he returned with it to Rhode Island. His family were conspicuous for their loyalty and devotion to the Union. Two of the major's brothers served with distinction in the Rebellion: James Shaw, Jr., entered the service as lieutenant-colonel of the Tenth Rhode Island Infantry, and was afterwards promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. He also served as lieutenant-colonel of the Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry. He was subsequently commissioned, by the President, colonel of the Seventh United States Colored Infantry. He was appointed brevet brigadier-general for gallant and meritorious service during the war. His brother, John P. Shaw, was commissioned captain in the Second Rhode Island Infantry. He was a brave and efficient officer, and was killed at the battle of Spottsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864. Capt. A. Richmond Rawson, his brother-in-law, was one of the first to respond to the President's call for men, and, upon the expiration of his three months' service, was commissioned first lieutenant in the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, and afterwards promoted to captain in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. He died at his home in Providence, May 5, 1864, from disease contracted while serving with his regiment in South Carolina. Major Shaw entered the regular service as second lieutenant in the 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. Upon entering the regular service he was assigned to Battery M, First Artillery, stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York Harbor, and commanded that battery for several months during the absence in Europe of its permanent commander, Capt. L.L. Langdon. Was promoted to first lieutenant July 28, 1866; served at that station for six years in Batteries M and D, and was with The battalion when it was ordered with other troops to aid the United States marshal in breaking up illicit distilling in Brooklyn, and was also with his command when it was ordered to the Canadian frontier to suppress the Fenian invasion. Commanded his battery when it was ordered on detached service in New York City to protect United States Marshal Gen. Francis M. Barlow from threatened arrest for contempt of court in refusing to turn over to the State authorities a prisoner held by the United States civil authorities. Served at the Artillery School, Fort Monroe, Va., from May, 1872, to May, 1873, and graduated in the class of that year. Joined a battalion of his regiment at Key West, Florida, June, 1873, and served as quartermaster of that post and of the battalion while it was in camp at Fort Dallas, Bay Biscayne, and Indian Key, Florida, and was in command of Batteries E and I for several months while in camp at Fort Dallas. The regiment was ordered north December, 1875, and he took station at Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, Mass., where he served as quartermaster of that post for two years. While at Fort Warren he was detached from his company for a two years' tour of duty with the light battery at Fort Adams. He was ordered to the Pacific coast in 1880. His battery (I) was sent to Fort Canby, at the mouth of the Columbia River. He was promoted to captain Sept. 20, 1883. He served there and at Fort Stevens, Oregon, until 1883, when he was ordered with his battery to Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Harbor. After serving at that post for about two years he was ordered to Presidio, San Francisco. In August, 1887, at the request of the Indian agent at the Round Valley Reservation for troops to protect the Indians from the trespasses of the white settlers, he was ordered with his battery to that reservation. That his services there were appreciated by the department commander, Gen. Oliver O. Howard, is shown by the following letter dated Oct. 24, 1887: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, October 24, 1887. Captain R.G. Shaw, First Artillery, Cammaadiag Camp Wright, Cal. SIR: Your communication of the 20th inst. has been received. Your action concerning an attempt of State authorities to hinder you from fulfilling your instructions is approved. As to stock in corral, if suffered by the intruders or trespassers to remain in your possession long enough to suffer from want of food, have the same driven without the limits of the reservation, and kept there, if possible. If you are hindered by an arrest, please telegraph me and U.S. District Attorney of San Francisco at once. . . Your judicious and faithful conduct in hindering trespassers from persisting in their shameful conduct gives the department commander great satisfaction. Very respectfully, your obd't servant, [Sgd,) G.V. CHASE, 1st Lieut., Fourth Infantry. Aid. de Camp. In May, 1890, the regiment was ordered East. He took station with his battery at Fort Hamilton, New York Harbor, May 16, 1890, where he served as commander of Battery I, First Artillery, until he was placed on(missing segment....) BENONI CARPENTER.
After the war he resumed the practice of his profession in Pawtucket, R.I. He was for several years a member of the school committee of the old town of Pawtucket, and served his constituency in both branches of the General Assembly of the State. He was a member of the Rhode Island Medical Society. Dr. Carpenter was married in 1833 to Miss Adelaide Everett, of Wrentham, Mass. By a mysterious dispensation of Providence, he and his wife died within a few days of each other. His wife after a long illness died Nov. 17, 1877. Her funeral was to have taken place on the Tuesday following. On the morning of that day Dr. Carpenter appeared to be in his usual health, but shortly after breakfast he was seized with a fit of apoplexy, and despite the best of medical assistance remained in an unconscious state until the next morning (November 22d) when he died. The funeral of his wife was postponed in consequence of his sudden demise, and his six children —four sons and two daughters—who were called together for the first time in twelve years by the death of their mother, followed a few days later both of their parents to the grave at the same time, the double funeral occurring at the Congregational Church in Pawtucket, Nov. 23, 1877. JOSEPH R. DRAPER.
JOSEPH CARY WHITING, JR.
Lieutenant Whiting's father was born in Providence in 1796, his mother in Newport in 1800. Her family built ships and were of the original proprietors of Long Wharf, and another wharf long since sunk under the waters of the Bay. Lieutenant Whiting's grandfather, Nathaniel Palmer Whiting, was born near Norwich, Conn., at Voluntown. His ancestors were of the Hartford and Windsor colonies. The first expedition against Canada from New England was led from Hartford, in 1690, by a Colonel Whiting, and the family were quite prominent there and at Windsor. The family of Whitings is not a numerous one, but it furnished eleven officers of the line to the Revolutionary forces. Lieutenant Whiting's mother's family were Quakers, and suffered seriously through the occupation of Newport by the British. Her grandfather, besides his Newport ship-yards, owned about 7,000 acres of timber land, —a tract extending from Fall River to Fairhaven; and of this estate he contributed about one-half, in silver obtained therefrom, to help the Colonists. The subject of our sketch attended in his youth the Summer Street Primary, Intermediate, and Grammar Schools, and the Providence High School, of the Class of '58. He graduated with the Class of '57, and attended "Chemistry Lectures" at Brown. He was subsequently employed as a clerk in the Merchants Bank, Providence, R.I., from April, 1857, to April, 1859. He was engaged in the survey of Denver, Colorado, in the summer of 1859. He left Brush Creek, the scene of a battle of the Civil War, on the 27th of March, 1859, with an ox team train in charge of A.C. Hunt, who afterwards (under President Andrew Johnson) was Governor of the Territory of Colorado. He reached the then little settlement of Denver, June 27th. He returned to the "States" the same year, leaving Denver November 2d, and reaching Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Dec. 2, 1859. He then went out on the old Santa Fe trail to the crossing of the Arkansas, thence up the river to where Pueblo now is, and thence "over the Divide," and returned via the right bank of the Platte, a journey afoot of about fourteen hundred miles. He cast his first vote at the age of nineteen, for delegates to the first convention of the then unorganized territory of Colorado, and attended the convention. He subsequently returned to Rhode Island, and was a student at home until his entrance into the military service. He was enrolled as a private in Company E, Tenth Rhode Island Infantry, May 26, 1862, and was mustered in the same date. He was afterwards promoted to corporal, and served with his company in the Defences of Washington, D. C. He was mustered out with his regiment at the expiration of its term of service Sept. 1, 1862. He afterwards assisted in recruiting Company A, Twelfth Rhode Island Infantry, expecting to be its first lieutenant, but was unjustly deprived of his commission, and went out as sergeant, and mustered in as such Oct. 13, 1862. He participated with his regiment in the battle of Fredericksburg. He still retains the musket which, when his own became foul, he crept out from under cover to secure from among the slain. After the battle of Fredericksburg Lieutenant Whiting was promoted to first sergeant of his company, Jan. 1, 1863, and was subsequently commissioned second lieutenant, May 23, 1863, and mustered in as such to date from June 2, 1863. He participated with the Twelfth in its campaign in Kentucky and the West, where it gained by its severe and harassing marches the sobriquet of the "Trotting Twelfth." He was mustered out July 29, 1863. In the formation of the Fourteenth on the Dexter Training Ground, he rendered invaluable assistance to Colonel Viall, and served as adjutant of the regiment from the beginning to the end of its organization, rendering conspicuous and faithful service. He was appointed regimental adjutant Aug. 27, 1863, and mustered into service Sept. 14, 1863. When the Third Battalion left Dutch Island, April 3, 1864, he accompanied Colonel Viall to New Orleans. When regimental headquarters were established at Camp Parapet, just above Carrollton, Lieutenant-Colonel Viall assumed command of the post, and Lieutenant Whiting was post adjutant. When Lieutenant-Colonel Viall was in command of the District of Carrollton Lieutenant Whiting was his acting assistant adjutant-general. He served in this capacity till Aug. 22, 1864, when he was summoned by Colonel Sypher to the new regimental headquarters established at Plaquemine, La. He was a member of a military commission from Oct. 26, 1864, until Nov. 21, 1864. He afterwards accompanied Colonel Sypher on his various details for duty, viz.: to New Orleans, to Greenville, back again to Plaquemine, to Donaldsonville, and regimental orders to all the battalions were issued from these points. Lieutenant Whiting was mustered out with his regiment at Camp Parapet, La., Oct, 2, 1865. After the war he located in Louisiana in 1866, except two months, when he was North recovering from typhoid fever. After convalescing he was elected and accredited one of the two delegates to the first soldiers' and sailors' convention (Pittsburg), 1866. He was Mayor Thomas A. Doyle's secretary from March to October, 1867. From 1867 to 1871 he was in mercantile business in Chicago. From 1871 to June 1, 1876, he was engaged in the same business in St. Louis, Mo. He founded in St. Louis what is now known as The Standard Stamping Company. Retired from same April, 1881. Engaged in mining since in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana. He is a member of the California Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States; is also a "Colorado Pioneer." JOHN B. PEIRCE.
After leaving the district schools he took a course of study at the Lapham Institute, in Smithfield, R.I. He was engaged a short time in school teaching after leaving school. He, however, secured a position as bookkeeper and paymaster at Larcher's print works in Smithfield, where he remained several years. After this, he with his brother, Thomas C., engaged in the grocery business on Canal Street, in Providence, R.I. At the time of the gold excitement, in 1849, both brothers started for California, previously selling out their business. They remained only a year or two, however. Upon their return East Mr. Peirce with several others formed a company for the purpose of carrying on the business of calico printing, and established themselves at what is now known as the Greenwich Print Works. The company afterwards removed to Smithfield, and continued the business until the hard times of 1857 came on, when they were obliged to fail. He next became the agent of the Providence Iron Foundry, remaining with the firm until he entered the United States service, in 1863. In that year he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. He was immediately assigned to the position of quartermaster of the regiment, in which capacity he served throughout his term of service. At the close of the war he received a captain's commission, and remained in the service until 1866. He was stationed at New Orleans and Shreveport, La., and served as acting assistant quartermaster. He also had charge of the transportation department. Upon receiving his discharge he came to Wickford, where his family had resided during his military service. Here he engaged in the grocery business, and afterwards the grain business, until during the remaining years of his life he made the latter a specialty, establishing a steam mill and receiving his grain by the cargo. Mr. Peirce had always taken an active interest in the public affairs of the community in which he lived, and received many offices of trust. While a citizen of Providence he was elected alderman for three consecutive years from the Seventh Ward, and resigned that position only to enter upon his duties in the Civil War. In 1867, the year following his return from the war he was elected president of the town council of North Kingstown, and served in that capacity for five consecutive years. In 1868 and 1869 he represented the town in the State Senate. In 1873 he was elected town clerk, and that position he held until the day of his death, and his popularity was so pronounced that he never had an opposing candidate. Mr. Peirce had always been a staunch Democrat, and had been honored by the Democratic party on several occasions, receiving the nominations for secretary of state and lieutenant governor. In 1879 he was a delegate from Rhode Island to the Chicago Convention which nominated Tilden and Hendricks. In his public offices he had always been most faithful to his trusts, devoting a large portion of his time to the interests of town affairs. No one in the town was so well posted in the probate business, and his general information concerning the records of the town was remarkable. Every leisure moment was occupied in poring over the charred records which were saved from the fire several years ago, and in that way he had acquired a fund of information that will ever stand as a monument to his indefatigable zeal and painstaking labors. He was an active member in the fraternity of Free Masons. At the time of his coming to Wickford in 1866, Washington Lodge, No. 5, A.F. and A.M., had not had any communications for many years, having been compelled to yield to the Anti-Masonic movement years before. Through the efforts of Mr. Peirce a dispensation was received from the Grand Master, Thomas A. Doyle, that same year, and with fourteen members Washington Lodge, No. 5, was reinstituted. Mr. Peirce was the first Master, which position he held during several years. Previous to this date Mr. Peirce was a member of Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 4, of Providence. At the time of his decease he was a member of Providence Royal Arch Chapter, Providence Council, and St. John's Commandery, all of Providence. At the time of his death Mr. Peirce was at work upon a genealogy of the Peirce family. Upon this he had labored assiduously, making it a most perfect work so far as completed. His great liking for such work caused him to overtask himself, the early morning often finding him still at work, poring over all records and papers, and doubtless hastened his death, which occurred March 26, 1885. THOMAS W. FRY.
On the 17th of June of this year Gov. James Y. Smith obtained permission from the War Department to organize and enlist a company of colored soldiers for heavy artillery service. Lieutenant Fry received an appointment as captain of this company. About this time the draft riots occurred in New York City, and our State authorities were apprehensive of trouble in Rhode Island from similar causes. During this season of anxiety and unrest this company, in conjunction with the Thirteenth Rhode Island Volunteers and the militia, performed guard duty in the city and its environs. The Thirteenth Rhode Island, under the command of Col. Nelson Viall, and Captain Fry's company of colored men were encamped on the Dexter Training Ground. Shortly afterwards orders were received from Washington to disband all six months regiments then recruiting at the North, and as the Thirteenth Rhode Island was included in this order, the two companies already formed were disbanded. In the meantime authority was granted from the War Department to raise another company of colored men, and still later permission was obtained to recruit a full regiment of heavy artillery; and Colonel Viall was appointed by Governor Smith to superintend its organization and fit it for the field. The company under Captain Fry's command was designated as Company A. On the 2d of September, 1863, his company was ordered to Dutch Island, where it immediately began to labor upon the fortifications then in process of erection, as did the several companies of the regiment that followed later. A correspondent of the Providence foxrnal, who was a member of Company A, in a letter to that paper said: "We are finely situated on the northwest end of the island, commanding an extensive view on both sides. . . . Our captain has by his gentlemanly conduct and soldierly abilities won the regard and love of every man in the company." The First Battalion of the Fourteenth, comprising Companies A, B, C, and D, proceeded to New Orleans on the 19th of December, 1863, and arrived at New Orleans on the 30th. It tarried at the latter place but a few days and then proceeded to Fort Esperanza, Texas, which fort it was detailed to garrison. March 15, 1864, we find Captain Fry on detached service as acting assistant inspector-general. He remained in this position but a short time, when he returned to his command. On the 10th of April he was ordered with his company to Aransas Pass, on Mustang Island, Texas. Here was a small earthwork that guarded the approaches to Corpus Christi. In this earthwork was mounted some four or five smooth-bore pieces of artillery that showed evidence of service in the Mexican War. Here he remained with his company until May, 1864, when he was directed to rejoin his battalion and proceed to Camp Parapet, La., where the Third Battalion was stationed. June 25, 1864, he was ordered to take command of the Chicago Mercantile Battery, its officers being sick or on detached service. He remained with the battery until July 25, 1864. On the 3d of July, 1864, the First Battalion proceeded to garrison Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi. Captain Fry in a letter home thus describes the unhealthy surroundings which environed this battalion in the lowlands of Louisiana: "It is very sickly here. Since coming to this Post I have lost twenty-three men by death. I have lost twenty-eight in all. None of the officers have died as yet, but all have been sick with the fever; three of them are at present in the hospital at New Orleans." In June, 1865, while the First Battalion was stationed at Brashear City, Captain Fry with his company was selected by Lieut. Charles H. Chace (then on detached service on the staff of Brig.-Gen. Robert A. Cameron), to accompany him on an expedition to New Iberia, for the purpose of making arrangements for the surrender of Capt. Bailey Peyton Vinson and his company of scouts to the United States authorities. Captain Fry was mustered out with his regiment Oct. 2, 1865. He died April 9, 1887. HENRY SIMON.
Mr. Simon early interested himself in military affairs, and while in New York City joined the Light Guard, a celebrated military organization of that city, and thus was formed a natural taste for military life. At the outbreak of the Rebellion he manifested a patriotic desire to serve the Union cause, and when the Fourth Rhode Island Infantry was organized, on Oct. 2, 1861, he was commissioned captain of Company C of that regiment, and accompanied General Burnside in his North Carolina expedition. He shared with his regiment in the perils and discomforts of the voyage to Hatteras. The short allowance of water, inferior quality of rations, and the offensive atmosphere of closely packed quarters on shipboard, were themes of mirthful description, while the sterner realities of battles at Roanoke Island, New Berne, and the siege of Fort Macon, called out the finer qualities of a soldierly spirit. Captain Simon participated in all the varied experiences of the regiment, until Aug. 1, 1862, when he resigned and returned to Rhode Island. In the early formation of the Fourteenth he took an active interest and was appointed captain of Company B, Sept. 13, 1863. His company was attached to the First Battalion of the Fourteenth. He proceeded with it to New Orleans, and from thence to Fort Esperanza, Texas. This battalion remained here until it was ordered to Camp Parapet, La., and in July by direction of Gen. T.W. Sherman proceeded to Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on the Mississippi, which forts the battalion garrisoned for several months. We quote from Bartlett's Memoirs of Rhode Island Officers: "A sunstroke, from which he never entirely recovered, was followed by an attack of chills and fever, which, with his ordinary duties, and the anxiety induced by the sickness of more than forty of his men, paved the way for the utter prostration of his system, and ultimate death. Describing his situation at that time, he says: I would far rather be placed in the front, liable at any moment to be engaged with the enemy, than in this. It is nothing, in comparison, to fall in the field, where at least one has an honorable death.' Here, his eldest son, a youth of fifteen years, to whom he was devotedly attached, sickened of malignant typhoid and died September 6th. The loss of rest in constantly taking care of him, and the mental depression caused by the bereavement, together with anxious thought for his family, which occupied his mind to his latest hour, probably hastened the fatal termination of disease, that under brighter skies, might have been averted. Soon after the decease(section missing....) possibilities of the battle-field were ever present to his mind, and a filial trust in an all-gracious Providence disciplined him to contemplate calmly results that might prove fatal to himself. In the darkest experiences of life, a cheerful and hopeful nature looked forward with confidence to the lifting of the cloud. His purest enjoyments were in the midst of his family, to whom, in an extraordinary degree, he was tenderly devoted. To a surviving widow and nine children his loss is irreparable. With the fire department, under the volunteer system, he was honorably associated, and discharged the duties of his position with energy and fidelity. The strong hold he had upon the respect of those who knew him most intimately in private life, was equally apparent in his regiment, the officers and men of which, in token of regard, defrayed the expense of removing his remains from New Orleans to Providence, while the enlisted men of his company contributed and forwarded to his family, a purse of nearly one hundred and fifty dollars, a spontaneous and touching tribute to the worth of their commander as a man and an officer." |