Rhode Island’s Civil War Dead

Rhode Island sent 23,236 men to fight in the Civil War. They served in eight infantry regiments, three heavy artillery regiments, three regiments and one battalion of cavalry, a company of hospital guards and 10 batteries of light artillery. Hundreds more served in the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Rhode Islanders participated in nearly every major battle of the war, firing the first volleys at Bull Run, and some of the last at Appomattox.
How many died in the Civil War is a question that has long eluded historians. Drawing on a 20-year study of regimental histories, pension files, letters, diaries, and visits to every cemetery in the state, award-winning Civil War historian Robert Grandchamp documents 2,217 Rhode Islanders who died as a direct result of military service. Each regiment is identified, followed by the name, rank and place of residence for each soldier, the details of their deaths and, where known, their final resting places.

The author of 15 books on American military history, Robert Grandchamp lives in Jericho, Vermont, where he works as an analyst with the government.

Robert Grandchamp
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 239
Bibliographic Info: 69 photos, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7871-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3683-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
1. How Many? 1
2. Methodology 15
3. Generals and Staff 18
4. First Rhode Island Detached Militia 20
5. Second Rhode Island Volunteers 23
6. Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery 40
7. Fourth Rhode Island Volunteers 51
8. Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery 64
9. Seventh Rhode Island Volunteers 74
10. Ninth Rhode Island Volunteers 98
11. Tenth Rhode Island Volunteers 99
12. Eleventh Rhode Island Volunteers 100
13. Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers 102
14. Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery 108
15. Hospital Guards 135
16. First Rhode Island Cavalry 136
17. Second Rhode Island Cavalry 147
18. Third Rhode Island Cavalry 150
19. Seventh Squadron of Cavalry 161
20. Battery A, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 162
21. Battery B, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 165
22. Battery C, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 169
23. Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 171
24. Battery E, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 173
25. Battery F, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 176
26. Battery G, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 179
27. Battery H, First Rhode Island Light Artillery 183
28. Tenth Rhode Island Battery 185
29. United States Army 186
30. United States Navy 193
31. Regiments of Other States 200
Appendix: Total Deaths by Regiment 205
Chapter Notes 207
Annotated Bibliography 209
Index 215