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First Battery Light Artillery. (Three Years.) FIRST BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY. (THREE YEARS.) BY EDWARD E. GREENLEAF, FIRST LIEUTENANT FIRST BATTERY. THE First Vermont Battery of Light Artillery Ship Island the battery was detached from the wis recruited mainly by the exertions of Eighth regiment, and attached as an independent George T. Hebard of Chelsea, who opened a re- command to the brigade commanded by Gen. John cruiting station at Montpelier, in December, i86r, W. Phelps. where he enlisted about one hundred men ; a recruit- Early in May, one section of the battery, in com- ing station was also opened at South Shaftsbury by mand of Capt. George W. Duncan, was detailed for George \V. Duncan, where about fifty men were en- garrison duty at Fort Pike, Louisiana, and soon after listed. the other two sections, in command of Lieut. George It formed part of the troops which were raised T. Hebard, were ordered to accompany the Seventh by the State of Vermont, as part of the New Eng- Vermont regiment to New Orleans, going by way of land Division being organized for service under the " Rigolets " and Lake Pontchartrain, to Lake- Gen. Benjamin F Butler, and was mustered into port, and from thence to Camp Parapet on the Mis- State service in January, 1862, George W. Duncan sissippi River, some six miles above New Orleans, of South Shaftsbury being elected captain, George where they were soon after joined by the section T. Hebard of Chelsea, senior first lieutenant, and from Fort Pike. While stationed at Camp Parapet, Edward Rice of Shaftsbury, junior first lieutenant. the battery was engaged in mounting heavy guns Immediately after muster into State service the bat- and in garrison duty, principally, until Gen. N. P. tery was, on January 21, 1S62, ordered into camp at Banks assumed command of the Department of the Camp Holbrook, Brattleboro, and attached to the Gulf. Very soon after- this the battery received its Eighth Vermont regiment under command of Col. equipment of 6 three inch steel rifles, and was made Stephen Thomas. It was mustered into the United ready for active service in the field. It was assigned" States service February iS, 1862, and the organiza- to the First Division, and under command of Gen. tion completed by the election of S. B. Hebard of T. W. Sherman, being stationed at Metaire Ridge Chelsea, senior second lieutenant, and Henry N. race course, between New Orleans and Lake Pont- Colburn of Rutland, as junior second lieutenant, and chartrain. On the 2 1 st of January, soon after the by the appointment of non-commissioned officers. battery had received its equipment, Capt. G. W. Leaving Brattleboro early in March, the battery Duncan resigned, and Lieut. George T. .Hebard was went with the Eighth regiment to New York, where, promoted to the command of the battery, and under with the right wing of the regiment in command of his able management, strict discipline and skillful Lieut.-Col. E. M. Brown, it embarked on the trans- instruction, it soon took high rank for drill, discipline port ship " Wallace,'' en route for Ship Island, Missis- and efficiency, winning much praise from Division sippi, arriving at that place April 5, 1862. While at and Department Commanders, and although it had 625 (79) 626 FIRST BATTKRY LIGHT ARTILLERY. been equipped for active service less than three Hill, at which place the battery arrived April 9. At months, at the organization of the Port Hudson cam- noon of that day, by order of Gen. Richard Arnold, paign, it was given a prominent position and took an chief of artillery, Department of the Gulf, Captain active part in the several skirmishes that preceded Hebard, with the right and left sections of the bat- the unsuccessful assault made by Gen. W. T. Sher- tery, under command of Lieutenants Rice and Green- man in May, as well as during the assault, leading leaf, took position on the right of the Third Brigade, in the artillery firing during the night previous, and First Division, Nineteenth Army Corps, near the also during the actual assault, only retiring from the Natchitoches road, Lieutenant Gould with the cen- action after having expended all the ammunition ex- tre section being posted farther to the left. cept six rounds of canister per gun. After this un- At 3 p. m. fire was opened by the left section, successful assault the battery was stationed during under Lieutenant Greenleaf, on the enemy's artillery, the remainder of the siege at " Battery No. 4," a and soon silenced it. At about 4 p. m. the enemy small earthwork on the left of the centre, and within endeavored to drive the right and left sections from right range of the enemy's works. Several attempts this position, by opening on it with musketry, fol- were made by the enemy's artillery and sharpshoot- lowed by a charge, and such was its danger of cap- ers to drive the bittery from its position, but by the ture that General Banks, who was near, ordered the accuracy of their fire, the battery gunners soon dis- guns to be spiked, and the men to retreat, but Cap- mounted or disabled every gun within range, and guns with canister inspired their opponents with a wholesome respect tain Hebard's order "Spike your too," being obeyed, several volleys of for " The Gray Horse Battery.'' and —quick, After the surrender of Port Hudson, the battery canister broke the advancing line, and ended the was stationed at various points along the Missis- action. At Cane River Crossing, the left section, sippi River, but principally at Baton Rouge. It par- under Captain Hebard, was the first artillery to ford ticipated in the unsuccessful Sabine Pass expedition, the river, after having successfully engaged and starting from Baton Rouge on the transport steamer driven off the enemy's artillery which commanded " Exact." It took no part in the engagement at the the ford. mouth of the Sabine River, except to be in readiness At Yellow Bayou, Bayou de Glaise, and at the to land, to take part in the assault upon the earth- crossing of the Atchafalaya river the battery took a that the landing at the mouth of works commanded prominent part, also at above Alexandria, where the the river, as soon as the gunboats, "Clifton" and gunboats under Admiral Porter were detained at the "Arizona" had driven back a large "Cotton Clad" rapids by low water, the battery was continuously at the mouth of the river ; but as the gunboats were on duty as guard during the building of the dam de- repulsed and disabled, the landing was not attempted, vised by Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey, to deepen the and the expedition returned to New Orleans. Dur- water in the channel and enable the gunboats to pass ing the winter and spring of 1864, the battery was down the river. stationed at Brashear City, Louisiana, on the east At Yellow Bayou, May 18, 1864, two sections of shore of Berwick Bay, doing garrison duty, and serv- the battery under command of Lieutenants ing on detached duty on steamers for the Quarter- Rice and Greenleaf were detailed to serve masters' department, until the Red River campaign with General Mow- was organized. In this campaign the batter}' took an er's command of the Sixteenth Army Corps, and active part, being engaged in nearly every skirmish, formed part of the rear guard of the expedition, dur- and in every engagement of any note, except the ing the remainder of the campaign, until after cross- battle of Mansfield, April 8, 1864, in which it did ing the Atchafalaya river at Simmesport. The left not participate by reason of having led the column section of the battery, under command of Lieuten- the day previous. It had gone to the rear of the ant Greenleaf being the last troops to cross the division and given place to the "Chicago Mercantile river, the bridge which had been made by interlac- Battery," which led the column, and when the ing the bows of river steamers pointing alternately battle were brought to tidings *of the the rear, the up and down stream, being broken up by withdraw- impassible crowded and well-nigh roads rendered it ing a steamer as soon as the battery had passed over impossible for the battery to get but a few miles, it. After crossing, the battery returned to the orig- when it was met by Captain Neal, First Delaware inal command and was highly commended by Gen- Battery, with orders from Capt. H. W. Closson, eral Mower for the efficient service rendered. artillery for the First Division, chief of Nineteenth This closed the active service of the battery, Corps, to join General Cameron's Division, Army which, early in June, 1864, was stationed at Morgan- Corps, and proceed Thirteenth Army to Pleasant zia Bend, Louisiana, being transferred, early in July FIRST BATTERY LIGHT ARTILLERY. 627 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and stationed at Fort signed to service with troops from other States and Williams, at which place, preparatory to being sent to duties that for a time kept it from active service, to Vermont to be mustered out, its equipment was always upheld the honor of the Green Mountain turned over to the Thirteenth Wisconsin Battery, State, and when at last placed in the field, by its and on July 22, 1864, the men of the battery, whose drill and discipline, as well as by the prompt and term of service had expired, were, under command of efficient service it always rendered whenever called Lieutenant Greenleaf, - ordered to proceed via Cairo upon, it won the commendation of all with whom it and Chicago to Brattleboro, Vermont, to be mus- had the honor to serve, and while its Guidons bear tered out, by reason of expiration of term of service, the honor-marks of but few battles as compared with and they were accordingly mustered out August 10, the many of other Vermont organizations, it is not 1864.
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