WHAT WE DO

We are pleased to invite you to become a member of the Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery, Unit Association.   Membership is open to anyone interested in the Civil War.   We offer 3 types of memberships in Battery A. A Charter Membership, for R.I. Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, inc. Governing Body members who are also members in good standing of SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No.7/ASUVCW Elisha Dyer Auxiliary No.2/R.I. MOLLUS.   Charter Members of the Battery A Unit Association and Governing Body Members of the museum pay no dues to the museum or to Battery A as long as they maintain their membership in Camp 7, Auxiliary 2 or R.I. MOLLUS.   Associate Battery A membership is open to anyone wanting just to belong to Battery A, THROUGH OUR MUSEUM and participate in Battery A activities.   Contact the Battery A, Unit Association Adjutant for details and our low dues rates concerning this membership category.   Inactive Battery A Members are not required to purchase uniforms.   All Associate Membership dues expire on December 31st of each year.   Participation in all Battery A Unit Association sponsored events and projects is strictly volunteer.   Charter Members are required to pay their annual SUVCW, R.I. MOLLUS or ASUVCW dues to keep their Charter Membership Battery A Unit Association staus active.   Battery Unit Association Associate members maintain membership in the unit through the Battery A Unit Association.   Many members also participate in Elisha Dyer Camp No.7, Battery A, Center Section, Camp Guard.   Go to the SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No. 7, Battery A, Center Section, Camp Guard Home Page for more details.   Battery A Members are encouraged to acquire a uniform and the accoutrements of a Civil War period light or field artilleryman.   All Battery A ceremonies are conducted according to GAR ritual and traditions.   Many Battery A members are also interested in a variety of Civil War reenacting.   Active uniformed members are also asked to periodically drill and train to understand correct Civil War period field artillery marching exercises, NPS black powder safety rules when firing Civil War Period cannons, learn about reenactment event schedules, learn Civil War military and GAR ceremonial procedures, participate in our, "Visitor From The Past" school visitations and living history-educational curriculum scenarios and/or volunteer and learn Civil War uniform/civilian dress museum docent procedures to assist the proposed R.I. GAR Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center when it opens to the public.

The Battery A Guide-on banner hand painted on silk by Gregg Mierka rendered from photo of the original photo owned by Robert Hunt Rhodes descendant of Elisha Hunt Rhodes original member Battery A Unit Assoc.

Guidon held by Corporal Robert Renehan and Private Allen Bennett the Battery A Guide-on is fixed to the original Battery A pole marked with its Civil War & WWI Battle Honors inscribed on 2 silver sleeves. Our Guide-on is currently with the Red Legs of Alpha Battery in Iraq.

All Battery A Unit Association Members are counselled on how and where to purchase Civil War Artillery Uniforms, Civil War Period Materials and Civil War Period Civilian Clothes.   Click to our Orders Page for more details.   Battery A donates its personnel to assist Camp 7, Auxiliary 2, R.I. MOLLUS and assists the Camp7 "Center Section, Camp Guard" ceremonies if needed.   The Battery A Unit Association conducts Living History and Education/Uniformed Events.   Battery A, Unit Association membership is open to all men and women over the age of 14 interested in the Civil War.   Family memberships through our museum is also encouraged.   Battery A is not an entity of the SUVCW, the SUVCW/SVR, SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No.7, ASUVCW Elisha Dyer Auxiliary No.2, R.I. MOLLUS or the R.I. National Guard, but supports all their goals and principles.   The Battery A Unit Association is a Rhode Island based 501c3 non-proffit organization under the Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, inc.   The Battery A, Unit Association is NOT a part of any hereditary organization.   Battery A also works with and supports the First R.I. Light Infantry, R.I.D.M./1st R.I. Volunteer Infantry; and the R.I. Civil War Re-enactors Association Entity, 2nd R.I. Volunteer Infantry, Company D, at some Civil War events.   All Battery A Unit Association members who want to reenact and handle black powder material under the name Battery A at events will be assesed a fee each year for insurance.   If you want to reenact at Civil War events, we can help.   You can contact the Battery Commander or Unit Association Adjutant for further details on membership in Battery A at RIBatteryA@verizon.net.   We encourage all Unit Association Members to also become a member of SUVCW Camp 7, ASUVCW Auxiliary No.2 and R.I. MOLLUS; or, you can just become a separate member of the R.I. Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Civil War Museum/Battery A Unit Association.   Contact the Battery Adjutant for more details about our museum and Battery A.   The Battery A Unit Association and its brother organization, the 1st R.I. Volunteer Infantry Unit Association are both subsidiaries of The Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum, Inc. WHO WE ARE Battery A, is incorporated in the State of R.I. under the R.I. Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, inc., a 501c3 organization formed to perpetuate and educate people about R.I. Civil War History.   Through the museum, Battery A has a three phase mission:       1. Battery A, Unit Association is a Rhode Island based Living History/Reenacment organization.   The Battery A Unit Association is a nonprofit subsidiary entiy of the R.I. Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, inc. and not part of the SUVCW, MOLLUS, the ASUVCW or any other hereditary organization.   However, Battery A supports R.I. SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No.7, because Camp 7 was originally formed by the Civil War Veterans of R.I. Dept. Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Arnold Post No.4 and their SUVCW sons.   Camp 7 is the SUVCW successor and descendant Camp started by several men of R.I. GAR Post 4 in 1909.   Post 4 was named after Capt. William A. Arnold who commanded Battery A throughout most of the Civil War.       2. The Battery is the volunteer educational resource incorporated in the State of R.I. under the R.I. GAR Civil War Museum that conducts the renown school Visitation/Living History or "Visitors of the Past" education outreach Programs throughout Rhode Island and parts of southeastern New England.   E-mail the Unit Adjutant at RIBatteryA@earthlink.net to get our brochure that details all our education programs for children and adults.   "Visitors of the Past", is the trademarked name of the museum outreach school visitation, education program.       3. In the State of Rhode Island, Battery A today is the historical representative of the original Battery A during the Civil War and its post Civil War Unit Association.   It carries on the original Rhode Island Light Artillery Battery A Unit Association Charter and it is charged with the responsibility of perpetuating the memory and service of the origional Battery A, veterans who fought to preserve the Nation in the Civil War.   It also honors the history and trditions of the R.I. Army National Guard, 103rd Field Artillery, which carries on active service for Battery A today. A BRIEF HISTORY OF BATTERY A Battery A,1st Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery First organized by Captain J. Albert Monroe, first commanded by William H. Reynolds, started the great artillery tradition of the "Red Legs ~ The Field Artillery" and today's 103rd Field Artillery, Alpha Battery, of the Rhode Island Army National Guard at the beginning of the Amierican Civil War in 1861. DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE ? WANT TO JOIN THE RI GAR CIVIL WAR MUSEUM & Battery A ? CLICK For More Information about Battery A, Unit Assoc. Contact: Gregg A. Mierka, Battery Adjutant Battery A, 1st Regt. R.I. Light Artillery, c/o The Sprague Manson-Museum, Cranston, Rhode Island. Battery A also proudly carries on the tradition welcoming the Adjutant General/Commanding General of the R.I. National Guard as an Honorary member. WANT TO KNOW HOW THEY TRAINED IN THE CIVIL WAR ? Field Artillery Organization and Drill Our page adapted from the 1864 U.S. Army Field Artillery Manual, for Civil War Period cannon drill & instruction by the numbers. Plus we are working on posting more information important for members wanting to re-enact Battery A and the 1st RI Volunteer Infantry. ©All Rights Reserved, 2007 You are visitor number: Return to the Battery A, 1st Regiment R.I. Light Artillery "Main" Home Page Return to the First Light Infantry R.I.M./First R.I. Volunteer Infantry All Companies, Home Page Return to the Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic GAR Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, inc. Home Page Return to the R.I. SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No.7, Home Page Directory Return to the R.I. ASUVCW Elisha Dyer Auxiliary No.2, Home Page Return to the R.I. State Commandery Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States R.I. MOLLUS, Home Page The tune you'd be alistenen ta ayr a sweet lidle diddy a fine picken strummed ba, Ed Sweeney called: "Ole Joe Clark", from his CD, "American Sampler", North Star Records, Providence, Rhode Island, ©1988, all rights reserved.   We also wish to thank the General Nathanael Greene Homestead Musem, Education Center for helping us to promote this wonderful lisenced Civil War Period music, as well as Keith G. Harrison, Past National SUVCW Commander-in-Chief and current MOLLUS Webmaster, as well as all the artists/musicians for the use of their music on all the pages in our site. A special thanks also to Keith Laurent for arranging and playing Jay Ungar's Ashokan Farewell ©1983 by Swinging Door Music-BMI Used by permission.   All rights reserved. Thanks also to Robert Hunt Rhodes for allowing us to use some of his material about his ancestor, Elisha Hunt Rhodes and to Ken Burns for featuring E.H. Rhodes and our State's Civil War History in his PBS series on The Civil War.   And a special thanks to Edwin Bearrs, Brian Pohanka, Jeff Shaara and Ron Maxwell for their support for Rhode Island Civil War History and raising the American conscience about the triumphs and tragidies of the Great War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1865. Thank you for stopping by the Battery A Unit Association Home Page.   Please let us know if we can help you again. "All For The Union" & The Old Fellows In Blue ! {Return To The Top of This Page} BACK TO THE RIGARCW MUSEUM ENTRY PAGE Thank you for visiting our page at Tripod. Please support our troops in Iraq. Please come back and visit again! 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