United States Regiments & Batteries > Rhode Island > 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment
The 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment mustered a total of 1,282 men during the American Civil War. It lost 5 officers and 85 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 108 enlisted men to disease.
| 1862 | |
| May-September | The 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment was organized at Providence under the command of Colonel Zenas R. Bliss, a West point graduate (West Point Class of 1854) and former Captain in the 8th United States Infantry Regiment. Welcome B. Sayles was appointed Lieutenant Colonel, and Jacob Babbitt Major. The men were issued with uniforms and Enfield rifles.
Organization of the Regiment
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| September 10-12 | Moved to Washington, D.C. |
| September 13 | Camp at Capital Hill, Defences of Washington, D.C. Attached to 2nd Brigade, Casey’s Division, Military District of Washington |
| September 16 | At Arlington Heights, Va. |
| October 5 | Private J.F. Brown of Company F died at Mount Pleasant Hospital in Washington D.C. |
| October 6 | Moved to Sandy Hook, Md. Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac. The regiment drilled, while it lost its first members to disease. Private Charles B. Greene of Company A died at Frederick Cirty. |
| October 27- November 19 |
Movement to Falmouth, Virginia. Private Richard Hatfield of Company C died of disease at Alexandria. |
| November 4 | Private Benjamin Briggs of Company H was wounded at Pleasant Valley, Maryland. |
| November 15 | Warrenton, Sulphur Springs |
| November 21 | Corporal Rowland Briggs of Company F died of disease at Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. |
| November 24 | Private Joseph Kenyon of Company A died of disease at Falmouth, Virginia. |
| November 29 | Private Josephus Franklin died of disease at Fredericksburg. |
| December 3 | Private Enon Farrow of Company K died of disease at Washington. |
| December 9 | Private Ezekiel Phillips of Company F died of disease at Falmouth, Virginia. |
| December 13 |
Battle of FredericksburgThe regiment reached the field with 570 officers and enlisted men.
Colonel Bliss was promoted to Brevet Major in the Regular Army for “gallantry and meritorious service.” The regiment’s charge took it to 150 paces of the stone wall and sunken Road held by the enemy. It was the furthest advance of any regiment in the Ninth Corps. When they could go no further the men dropped to the ground and held their positions, unable to advance or retreat due to the heavy artillery and musket fire that would instantly cut down anyone who raised above the ground. After seven hours darkness fell and the survivors were able to fall back to safety. Over 220 men became casualties, with over 50 killed. CasualtiesLieutenant Colonel Welcome Sales was killed, hit in the chest by an artillery shell. Major Jacob Babbitt was mortally wounded. Adjutant Charles F. Page and Sergeant Major Joseph S. Manchester were wounded. Company ACaptain Lewis Leavens, First Lieutenant David R. Kenyon, Sergeant Michael Flaherty, Corporals William B. Neff and Horace Wells, and Privates George Brown, Patrick Burke, John B. Clark, Nathan Edwards, Henry Gardner, Joel Gorton, John Greene (who lost his foot), Charles Holdridge, Edward Larkin, Horace Slocum, Edward S. Taber, Samuel Tourjee, Richard Weeden and George Wells were wounded. Private Moses Cherry was captured and Jedediah Greene was missing in action. Company BPrivates William Cox and Harris Wright were killed. Private John Lynch was mortally wounded. Corporal George Swarts and Privates James Collins, Patrick Collins, Dennis Foley, John Lane, James McGuinn, Benjamin Miller, Holden Pierce, and William Sanford were wounded. Private James Brickley was missing and assumed dead. Company CPrivate Benjamin W. Burgess was killed. Corporal Abraham Howarth, Privates Benjamin Budlong, Richard Ratcliffe, Job Sweetland and Wagoner William A. Coman were mortally wounded. Corporal John H. Chance and Privates John Brown, Martin Converse, John Eddy, Daniel Greene, Mathew Harrah and James Radigan were wounded. Company DCorporals Elisha Thompson, Esek Darling and John Sprague were wounded. Privates John Bradbury, John Brennan, Levi Daggett, Michael Kerr and Christopher Pierce were wounded. Company EPrivates John Dempster and Patrick Kelley were killed, and Privates Charles Boyle, Thomas Mallot, and Robert Pelan were mortally wounded. Second Lieutenant George Wilbur, Corporals Boyden Decatur, Warfield Aaron, Charles Armstrong, George Bates, William Boyle, Irvin Briggs, Patrick Darling (or Dawling), William Gill, William Johnson (who lost his right arm), Patrick Murray (or Murrey), Phillip Riley (or Reiley), Paul Snow, Charles Staples, Henry Staples, and Studley (Stukeley) Weeks were wounded. Company FPrivate Benjamin Hunt was killed. First Sergeant Charles H. Kellen and Privates Albert Kenyon, Thomas Knight and N.W. Mathewson were mortally wounded. Corporal Albert Smith and Privates James Bates, Thomas Battey, George Fisher, C. Lewis Franklin, Patrick McKenna, and Frank Reed were wounded. Company GSergeant Charles Knowles and Privates Jesse Barber, Orlando Browning, Owen Gallaher, William Pollock, and Daniel Smith were killed. Privates Robert Greene and James O’Neil were mortally wounded. Captain Rowland Rodman, First Sergeant Joseph Sweat, Corporals Manuel Open and Joseph Potter, and Privates John Bolling, Thomas Borden, Henry Braman, Welcome Card. Elisha Crandall, Horace Holloway, Ambrose Jackson, John Kenyon, and William Lawton were wounded. Company HPrivates Jerry Leary, Daniel Ledden, and Zalmon Olney were killed. Captain James H. Remington was wounded and would be discharged. Sergeant Wilfred Tayor and Privates Reuben Arnold, Oliver Dowd, Warren Gavitt, Richard Gorten, Thomas Gorton, John Marks, Patrick McKenna, William Rathbone, Gardinier Sweet, and John Sweet were wounded. Private George Greene was captured and paroled. Company ISergeants Charles Mayo, Ephraim Morse, and Fuller Dingley, Corporal Israel Arnold, and Privates Thomas Adams, Alexander Barkee, Charles Greene, John Geary, Theodore Horton, David Jones, George King, Caleb Mott, James Robinson, Edward Radekin, Ezra Sherman, John Towle, Henry Winseman (Wensilman), and Clarke Whitford were wounded. Company KPrivates Henry Cole and ALbert Winsor were killed. First Sergeant George Bennett, Corporal John Austin, and Privates Ira Cornell, Nehemiah Collins, Albert Earle, George Potter, Alpheus Salisbury, George Simmons, John Simpson, John Studly, and Searles (Searle) Young were wounded. |
| December 20 | Private Gideon Mitchell of Company B was wounded. |
| December 23-26 |
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| December 30 | Private George Smith died of disease at Falmouth. Edmund Albro died of disease at the regimental hospital near Fredericksburg. |
| 1863 | |
| January 3 – 4 | Corporal Private Joseph Bitgood died of sickness in the Ninth Corps Hospital at Washington D.C. |
| January 7 |
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| January 10 | Captain Thomas H. Carr of Company I resigned. First Lieutenant David Kenyon of Company A was promoted to Captain of Company I. Corporal Joseph Marcoux of Company A died of disease at Georgetown, D.C. |
| January 12 | Captain Lewis Leavens of Company A resigned. |
| January 20-24 |
“Mud March”Private Sabine Adams died of disease at Baltimore and Private James Bacon died of disease at Falmouth. |
| January 26 | Private John Dorrance of Company C died of disease in the Ninth Corps Hospital at Windmill Point near Aquia Creek. |
| January 31 | Private Alfred Knight of Company C died of disease in hospitals near Falmouth, Virginia.. |
| February 1 | Private Thomas McCasline died at Windmill Point. |
| February 3 | Private Robart Roase died of disease at Falmouth, Virginia. |
| February 9 | Moved to Newport News. Major Thomas F. Tobey was discharged. |
| February 10 | Private William Hall died in hospital in Washington D.C. |
| February 11 | Lieutenant Colonel George E. Church was transferred and appointed Colonel of the 11th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment. |
| February 27 | Private Albert Brown of Company F died of disease at Newport News, Virginia. Captain Rowland Rodman of Company F resigned due to his wound from Fredericksurg. |
| March 1-3 |
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| March 6 | First Sergeant Joseph Sweat of Company G died of typhoid fever at Boscawen, Mew Hampshire. Sergeant James Spencer of Company H died at Newport News. |
| March 20 | Captain George Durfel of Company K resigned. |
| March 25-31 | Transferred to the Department of the Ohio in Lexington, Kentucky. Corporal Olney Whitman died of disease at Baltimore. Private James Ferry of Company B died at Hampton, Virginia. |
| April 1 | First Lieutenant Edward T. Allen was promoted to Captain of Company A. |
| April 18 | Moved to Winchester, then to Richmond, Kentucky. |
| May 1 | First Lieutenant George A. Wilbur was mustered in as Captain of Company K. Private Samuel Snow of Company G died in hospital at Lexington, Kentucky. |
| May 3 | To Paint Creek |
| May 10 | To Lancaster. Private John B. Clark of Company A died of disease at Baltimore. |
| June 4-14 |
Mississippi CampaignThree hundred men moved to Vicksburg, Miss. and transferred to the Army of the Tennessee. During the two months of the campaign the regiment would lose 47 men, although only two would die in battle. Most died of Yazoo Fever, dysentery, and typhoid. |
| June 6 | Private William Bentley died from a boiler explosion at Nicholasville, Kentucky. |
| June 9 | Private Uz Cameron of Company G fell from a steamboat and drowned. |
| June 15-July 4 |
Siege of Vicksburg |
| June 20 | Private Frank Reed of Company F died of chronic diarrhea at Milldale, Mississippi. |
| July 5-10 | Advance on Jackson, Miss. Sergeant John Hull of Company G was killed in a skirmish at Jackson.Private Christopher Pierce of Company D died in camp near Milldale and Private Josph Holbrook Died near Jackson. |
| July 10-17 |
Siege of Jackson
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| July 18 | At Milldale. Private Joseph Burdick died of disease. |
| July 21-22 | Corporal Roswell Potter died of disease at Milldale, Mississippi and Private Charles Champlin of Company G died of disease at his home at South Kingstown. |
| August 2 | Private Horace Healey of Company G died of disease near Milldale, Mississippi. |
| August 8-18 |
Moved to Nicholasville, Kentucky.
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| August 20 | Private George Bateman of Company K died of disease at the General Hospital in Covington, Kentucky. |
| August 22 | Private Perry Underwood of Company G died of disease at Cincinatti. |
| August 23 | Private Thomas Holloway of Company K died of disease at Union Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. |
| August 24 | Private Charles Gardiner died of typhoid fever at the Marine Hospital in Cincinatti. |
| August 26 | Private Samuel Brown of Company H died at Camp Denison, Ohio. |
| August 28 | Privates Randall Sysen of Company G died of disease at Cincinatti. |
| August 29 | Private Elisha May of Company G died near Nicholasville, Kentucky. |
| August 31 | Private William Harrington of Company D died of disease in the hospital at Nicholasville, Kentucky. |
| September 5 | Private William Tourgee of Company G died of disease near Nicholasville and Francis Gardner of Company I died at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. |
| September 7 | To Lexington and provost duty there attached to District of North Central Kentucky, 1st Division, 23rd Army Corps, Dept. of the Ohio. |
| September 10 | Corporal William Woon of Company H died at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. Private Olney Whipple of Company D died in hospital at Nicholasville. |
| September 14 | Corporal Timothy Bridge House died of typhoid fever, Private John Spencer of Company F died of disease in the hospital at Camp Denison, Ohio and Private Henry Braman died of disease at Camp Nelson. |
| September 22-23 | Privates Alfred Caswell of company B died in the Regimental Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. |
| October 7 | First Lieutenant George Stone was promoted to Captain of Company H. |
| November 7 | Private Thoms Crane of Company B and Richard Essex of Company E died of disease at Heckman Bridge Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. |
| 1864 | |
| January 30 | Private William Ashworth died in hospital at Lexington, Kentucky. |
| February 26 | Private Arnold Place of Company H died of disease at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. |
| April 2-23 | Moved to Virginia and attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Corps, Army Potomac. Colonel Zenas R. Bliss took command of the brigade as senior colonel, while Captain Percy Daniels of Company E commanded the regiment. The regiment mustered only 250 men.
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| May-June |
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James |
| May 3 | First Lieutenant Edwin Hunt of Company I was promoted to Captain of Company G but was not mustered until November. |
| May 5-7 |
Battle of the WildernessThe regiment was in reserve. Private James Gladding of Company I was mortally wounded. Corporal Boyden Decatur of Company E and Privates Benjamin Wells of Company G and Charles Holland were wounded. |
| May 12-18 |
Battle of Spottsylvania Court HouseCompany ACorporal Amos A. Lillibridge and Privates Benjamin Austin, Isaac Saunders and Private Lyman Whitcomb were killed. Privates George Brown, Patrick Burke, Henry Gardner and Patrick Mooney were wounded. Company BFirst Sergeant Darius Cole was killed. Sergeant John Nottage and Privates James Collins, Elisha Marchant and Holden Pierce were wounded. Private Edwin Farum of Company B was wounded in the head, and Private Peter Lamby was badly wounded in the arm, Company CPrivate Francis Putter was mortally wounded. Sergeant George Batchelder was wounded in the back, and Private John Allen was wounded. Company DPrivates Caleb Hall and Thomas Turner were wounded. Company EPrivates Augustus Joyuaux, Edward Carr, George Keith, Henry Pierce, Phillip Riley (or Reiley), Benjamin Sisson and Gilbert Sprague were wounded. Company FSecond Lieutenant Albert Bowles was wounded. Privates John Luther was badly wounded in the back, arm and hip, Nathan Bassett, James Bates and Charles Browning were wounded. Company GCorporal Manuel Open and Privates Owen McKenna and Roderick Smith were killed. First Lieutenant Frederick Weygand, Corporal Benjamin Wilson and Privates James Caswell, Michael Crowley, and Samuel Tifft were wounded. Company HCorporal Samuel E. Rice and Privates Richard Gorten and John Rice were killed. Privates Martin Cornell and Samuel Follett were mortally wounded. Privates Oliver Ayres, Walter Fitzgerald, William Faye, James Gradwell, James Harvey, and John Sweet were wounded. Company IPrivate Alexander Manchester was mortally wounded. Private Samuel Utton was wounded. Company KPrivate George Simmons was killed. Privates Abel Kenyon, Edwatd Lewis, Joseph Parker, and Chester Rounds were wounded. Private Esais (Esius) Pray’s jaw was severely fractured. |
| May 18 |
Battle of Spottsylvania Court House (Cont.)Colonel Zenas Bliss was badly injured when his horse fell on him. He was Breveted Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army for “gallantry and meritorious service.” Captain Percy Daniels of Company E took command of the regiment for the rest of the war. |
| May 21 |
Stannard’s Mill |
| May 23-26 |
North Anna RiverEvery member of the color guard was killed or wounded. Sergeantt Samuel Simpson of Company I was killed. Private C. Lewis Franklin of Company F was mortally wounded. Corporal Warfield Aaron of Company E was wounded. Private Patrick Mooney of Company A was wounded a second time in a week, and Private William Northup of Company G was wounded. |
| May 26-28 | On line of the Pamunkey |
| May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy CreekLieutenant Colonel Job Arnold was discharged. Private William Weldon of Company F was wounded. Private Isaac Nye of Company K died of disease at Alexandria, Virginia. |
| June | Captain Percy Deniels of Company E was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. |
| June 1-12 |
Cold HarborThe regiment was in reserve during the main attack. |
| June 1-3 |
Action near Bethesda Church (Cold Harbor)Company ASergeant Michael Flaherty was killed. First Corporal Oliver Phillips was mortally wounded. Sergeant William H. Barstow was wounded in the stomach. Privates John Hudson and Aldrich Kenyon were wounded. Company BPrivates Thomas Fleming, Alfred Friske and Benjamin Miller of Company B were wounded. Company CCorporal Orlando Smith and Privates Alfred Carr, John Killian and Joseph Lawton were wounded. Company DCorporal George W. Congdon was killed. Privates Martin Carragan, Frank Denicoe and Albert Whipple were wounded. Company EPrivates Hartford Alexander and Ira Grant were killed. Corporal Charles L. Potter was wounded in the leg. Private William Baker was wounded in the knee, Private Alonzo Dexter was wounded in both hips, Thomas Greene was wounded in the hip, Charles Perkins was wounded in the arm, and Stephen Rice in the thigh. Company FPrivates Palmer Perkins and William Pate were killed. Corporal John Devitt (McDevitt) and Privates John McDavitt and Potter Straight were mortally wounded. Corporal Jonathan Linton and Privates Henry Rex, Charles Rhowerts, William Russell and John Wilcox were wounded. Company HPrivate George Browning was wounded. Company IPrivate Oliver Wood was mortally wounded. Corporal Samuel McElroy, and Privates Robert Hanning and Edwin Reynolds were wounded. Private Olney Williams was captured but his fate is unknown. |
| June 6 |
Skirmish near Cold HarborPrivate James Hodson was killed. Privates Allen Pierce of Company I and James Taylor of Company K were mortally wounded. Private Charles Humes of Company D was wounded in the hand and Private Timothy Butler of Company E was captured and would be paroled at the end of the war. |
| June 7 | Private Timothy O’Brian of Company D was captured at Gaines Mill. |
| June 8 | Private John Eddy of Company G was mortally wounded. Private James Bates of Company F was wounded for the third time. Private William Corrin was wounded in the head. Private George Potter of Company K was wounded. |
| June 16 |
Grant’s First Assault on PetersburgThe regiment mustered only 125 men. Sergeant James Phelps of Company I and Private James Gavitt of Company K were wounded. |
| June 17 |
Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg (cont.)Private Eben Hollis of Company F was wounded in the side. Private Patrick Conway of Company H was wounded in the head. |
| June 18 |
Siege of Petersburg begins |
| June 18-19 |
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| June 20 | The regiment could muster only two commissioned officers. Most companies had counted ten men commanded by a Sergeant or corporal. Company H mustered one man. |
| June 21 | Private James Hoard of Company I was badly wounded, losing his arm. |
| June 22 | Private Hilliam Johnson was killed on picket. Private Richard Carpenter of Company B was wounded and Private George Sunderland was wounded in the head and shoulder in the trenches. Private Elisha Knight of Company I was wounded in the hand. |
| June 25 | Captain Theodore Winn of Company B resigned. First Lieutenant Pelec Peckham of Company E was promoted to Captain of Company B. |
| June 26 | Private Allen Bullock of Company D was badly wounded in his side in the trenches. Private John Moodbe of Company E was wounded, and Private Charles Collins of Company I was wounded in the thigh. Private Henry Harkness of Company K was badly wounded in the abdomen. |
| June 27 | Private William Northup of Company G was wounded near Petersburg and Private Joseph Smith was wounded in the abdomen. |
| June 29 |
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| June 30 | Private John Kilroy of Company I was killed. |
| July 1 | Private John Whipple of Company B was badly wounded in the wrist in the trenches. Private John Eddy of Company C was badly wounded in the leg. |
| July 4 | Private Pardon Wright of Company A was badly wounded in the head and Private Reuben Holland was wounded in the elbow in the Petersburg trenches. |
| July 8-9 | Private Charles Nye of Company K was wounded in the thigh. Private Charles Turner of Company E died of disease in Andersonville Prison. |
| July 22 | Private William Northup of Company I was badly wounded in the wrist. |
| July 30 |
Mine Explosion (Battle of the Crater)The regiment was in reserve and remained in its trenches. Colonel Zenas R. Bliss was censured by a court of inquiry for his actions commanding the brigade but remained on duty. Sergeant Franklin Gonsolve of Company B, Corporal John Rowley of Company F, Corporal Daniel Keaton of Company G, and Private Perry Wells of Company I were wounded. |
| August 1 | Captain Alfred M. Channell of Company D was dismissed the service. |
| August 9 | Private Henry A. Arnold of Company C was wounded in the shoulder and Private Albert Harrington of Company C was wunded in the leg. |
| August 18-21 |
Weldon RailroadThe regiment lost an average of one man a day in July and August. |
| September 11 | Private Joel Gordon of Company A died of disease in the military prison hospital in Camp Nelson, Kentucky. |
| September 16 | Private George Rose of Company F died of disease while on furlough at his home. |
| September 26 | Private Nathan Colvin of Company D died of disease at David’s Island, New York Harbor. |
| September 28 |
Poplar Springs ChurchPrivate Stephen Clark of Company K was killed. Corporal Andrew Whitcomb of Company E was wounded. Private James Kay of Company B died in Harewood Hospital in Washington D.C. |
| September 29 | Private Darius Hopkins died of disease at Camp Denison, Ohio. |
| September 30 |
Poplar Springs Church (Cont.)Corporal Samuel McElroy was mortally wounded near the Weldon Railroad. Private Thomas Mulvey of Company B went missing in action. Daniel MacReady of Company B and Privates James Gavitt and George Potter of company K were wounded. |
| October 1 |
Second Battle of Weldon RailroadPrivate Gilbert Durfee was mortally wounded. Privates Thomas Quinlan of Company B was wounded, John Moobe of Company E was accidentally wounded, and Private William Weldon was injured in the arm by falling of a tree.. |
| October 15 | Veterans and Recruits from the mustered out 4th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment were merged into the 7th Rhode Island. New recruits also arrived from Rhode Island and recovered men returned from sick and hospital leave, raising the regiment’s strength to 300 men. |
| October 4 | Sergeant William Hopkins of Company K died while on furlough in Providence, Rhode Island. |
| October 21 | Captain Peleo Peckham of Company B was transferred to Company A. |
| October 27-28 |
Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run |
| November 1 | Assigned to Fort Sedgwick, known as Fort Hell as it was the closest fort to Confederate lines at Petersburg. |
| 1865 | |
| March 20 | Second Lieutenant George Costello was wounded. |
| March 25 |
Fort Stedman |
| March 28-April 9 |
Appomattox Campaign |
| March 29 | Corporal John Coggesshall of Company D was wounded. |
| April 2 |
Fail of PetersburgThe regiment stormed and broke through the Confederate lines.
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| April 3-9 | Pursuit of Lee to Farmville |
| April 20-28 | Moved to Petersburg and City Point, then to Washington, D.C. |
| May 23 | Grand Review |
| June 9 | The 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment mustered out under the command of Colonel Zenas R. Bliss and Lieutenant Colonel Percy Daniels. |

Colonel Zenas R. Bliss was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Fredericksburg when he, “to encourage his regiment which never before been in action and which had been ordered to lie down to protect itself from the enemy’s fire, rose to his feet, advanced in front of the line, and himself fired several shots at the enemy at short range, being fully exposed to their fire at the time.”