from 1861-1865.
In April 1861 most of the second
Rhode Island Detached Militia was organized before President Lincoln asked for men on a three year contract of service. That
was the birth of the 2nd Rhode Island Detached Militia. On
the 7th of May 1861
the order came from Governor Sprague to get the Regiment ready for service. The regiment trained on Dexter Field in Providence
until June 19th 1861 when they were called for duty to Washington D.C.
They marched from Dexter Field to Fox Point. At the Dock they boarded the Steamer, the State of Maine.
They arrived in Washington on the
22nd of June 1861. The Second Rhode Island Named their
camp Camp Clark after the honorable Bishop Thomas M. Clark of Rhode Island. There they stayed until
the Federal Army was assembled on July 16th 1861 for the Manassas campaign. (Later to be known as the Battle
of Bull Run.) This was one of many memorable moments for the 2nd Rhode Island Detached Militia. They
were the first Company in line of the Second Brigade, Second Division (Hunter’s Division). In addition to holding the
honor of leading the brigade, they also held their ground on the Battle Field against Troops of Alabama, Georgia
and South Carolina. The south had artillery, the fighting was hot, but the 2nd Rhode Island
pushed the enemy off their position. However, the Federal Army lost the Battle and the 2nd Rhode Island
lost Colonel Slocum as well as Major Ballou. Lieutenant-Colonel Wheaton took Command and held his position showing that Rhode Island
was here for the duration of the war. On July
25th 1861 the 1st Rhode Island Detached
Militia’s three month contract was up and they were going home. Before they left, the 1st and 2nd
Rhode Island traded Weapons. The 1st were using the Model 1855 Springfield Muskets and the 2nd were using old
smoothbore flintlock muskets converted to percussion. The 1st Rhode Island told the boys of the 2nd that they “were
going to need these”. 2nd Rhode Island also took over the 1st Rhode Island’s Camp (Camp Sprague),
but only for a short time. They moved to Camp Bright -wood. The next Major Campaign for the boys of the 2nd Rhode Island
was the Peninsula. There they were in the Siege for Yorktown, Battle of Williamsburg, as well as many other Battles. They fought in the Battle of Fair Oaks (seven Pines),
Malvern Hill. They could even see the spires of Richmond by June of '62 before they were pushed back. But the finest hour for the Men of
the 2nd Rhode Island and Co. B. was at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The first men over the pontoon
Bridge were Companies B., I., and K. They ran
over the bridge at the Trail Arms, rushed up the hill and established as Skirmishers. The rest of the Company came after
them. By night fall on the 11th 1861, the rest of the Brigade crossed and gave three cheers for the 2nd
Rhode Island. When the Battle was over and the whole left Division left the field, it was the second Rhode Island
who was called on again. Even though they weren’t the last full company of men to cross over the bridge, (that honor
goes to the Brave men of the 10th Mass), the men were part of the bridge guard, thus making them the first ones in and the last ones out.
In 1863 there was no rest for
the boys of the 2nd Rhode Island. In January they found themselves in the Mud March. In May of 63 they were
back in Fredericksburg again, on Maryes heights as well as Salem heights. By this time the war
was not going well for the Federal Army. But in July of 63 the turning
point of the war occurred at the battle of Gettysburg. The men of the 2nd Rhode Island were in camp near the town of Manchester,
Maryland when the order came "to fall in." They fell in at approximately 9:00 p.m.,. and marched 34 miles
that night to get to the Battle of Gettysburg, of which they had been hearing rumors of all day. The men where so tired that when they arrived on the field they fell to the ground.
But they did not rest for long. The command came up for the men to form ranks and to move forward. The men could
hardly walk but when the cheers came from the tired men who had been fighting all day (three Cheers for the men for the 6th
Corps) well, the men of the 2nd Rhode Island (who were one of the regiments of the 6th Corps) found
the strength to go the double quick and to “fall in” on the left of the main line next to the 5th Corps.
When the 5th went into the Battle, the 2nd Rhode
Island as a regiment of the 6th Corps took their
place in reserve. That night the men slept on their arms. The next day they were still in reserve, but were sent
from the left of the battle line to the center and back. While doing this, they had to dodge shot and shell. Casualty
losses during these maneuvers for the 2nd Rhode Island amounted to 5 men wounded
and 1 killed from Co. B. On the 4th 0f July, the 2nd Rhode Island
were sent in to support the Berdan Sharp shooters. On the 5th of July the 6th Corps were sent
to pursue the retreating Confederate Army, with the 1st and 3rd Corps in support. That night the
Confederates crossed the Potomac River. The next day around noon, the 6th Corps came to Williamsport to find
that the Confederates crossed to safety in Virginia and the battle was all over. This may have been the turning
point for the war, but the north and the men of the 2nd Rhode Island still had two more years of battle before
the war ended. In 1863, the next big campaign for the men was the mine run Campaign.
In 1864 the men of the 2nd
Rhode Island found them selves in some heavy fighting. On the 5th day of the battle of the wilderness,
after 10 hours of fighting, the men did not care about the shot and shell no more than a snow ball fight. They were
so tired at this point, some of the men said that “it was death or Richmond for, we won’t run!” The 2nd Rhode Island at this battle made the commitment that they were here to stay for the
duration of the war. They still had many battles
to fight: Spotsylvania in May; Cold Harbor in June; the repulse of Earlys attack on Washington D.C. in July; the Shenandoah Valley
Campaign from August thru December. At the siege of Petersburg, the men of the 2nd
Rhode Island realized that they may see the end of the war soon.
The siege of Petersburg went
from December 1864 til April 1865. In 1865 they fought in the Battles
of Hatchers Run, Fort Fisher and Appomattox.
Once the news spread through
the ranks that the war was over, the men of the 2nd Rhode Island could hardly believe that the war was over and that they
may be going home. They had just survived 4 years of the hardest living
anybody should see. However, this was not the end for the men of the 2nd Rhode Island. Orders came
to report to Washington D.C. by way of Richmond. On June 2nd the 2nd Rhode Island arrived at the Town
of Halls Hill, Virginia. The town was opposite Washington, where the men of the 2nd Rhode Island made camp. Only certain companies of the regiment were going home early, for example, Co. E., due to
early contracts. At one point the 2nd Rhode Island thought that they were going to be in service for
another year as a regular Army unit as occupation soldiers, but as time passed the word finally came on 13th of
July, that the men of the 2nd Rhode Island were finally going home. They mustered out of
Service and came into Providence at midnight July 18th 1865. The men were sent to the Veterans Reserve Corps
barracks on the Cove lands to sleep for the night. The next day the men were formed up and told to stay in uniform and
look in the papers to see when they were to be officially discharged. July 28th 1865,
was the last day for the men of the 2nd Rhode
Island. They picked up their pay and their discharge
papers, shook hands all around, for they were not sure if they would ever see any of their friends again.
The men of the 2nd
Rhode Island fought in 70 different battles and campaigns. Through all that, the Regiment lost 196 men. 111
enlisted men, and 9 officers died or were mortally wounded.
74 enlisted men were lost by
disease. This Regiment shows up as one of the top 100 in Fox’s fighting Regiments in the Civil War.
The 2nd Rhode Island
and Co. B. were in the war from the First Battle of Bull Run to the surrender at Appomattox. The Rhode Island State
Seals Motto is” HOPE.” I feel that this conviction was what had seen the men of Co. B. and the second
Rhode Island though the War.
Sources
All
for the Union
The
Civil War diary and letters of Elisha Hunt Rhodes
By
Robert Hunt Rhodes
The
2nd Rhode Island History
By
Augustus Wood bury
Department
of Rhode Island
Sons
of the Union Veterans of the Civil War
Commodore
Joel Abbot, Camp No.21
Web
Page
