New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-10-14
Capt. Tompkips's Battery mt Aniictnm-The
Oldest Volunteer RntferY in the Service.

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Correspondence of The N. Y. Tribune
| BOLIVAR Hours Va. Oct. TO- 1862
nave Just returned, having paid short visit to
the oldest volunteer battery in the service Battery
A, LIST Rhode Island Artillery, Capt. Tompkins. Ii
has been in no less than nine engagements, beside
iBnmerable skiimishes It has been attached TO the
corps Of Gen. Sumner since the war broke out. As
no account has yet been published of the part it took
in tho battle Of Antietam, gladly furnish you the
following facts:
| About o'clock in the morning, Capt. Tompkins
was ordered to take his battery into action He
gained splendid position On q knoll of rolling
ground by making IA circuit Of some burning ruins
which had been fred by the enemys Shells not more
than f0ur hundred yards from the Rebel lines. The
movement was seen by the enemy, and regiment
was ordered 10 advance and take Tire battery. The
Rebels formed in splendid order, and came mp in
column Of division They approached within sixty
| paces of the ba terry before it opened upon them.
Nearly one hun ired rounds fired. The carnage
was iightiul. Shell and shrapnell were poured INTO
them hike hail. and unable TO stand the fearful show
er, they turned aud rerreated IN double-qucs. Inc
front column almost TO n man were lying upon 'he
ground dead or doiDg, while IN many places whcre
The shells had penetrated their ranks, they lay IN
heaps.
A Rebel who was in the advance rushed between
the guns commanding the others to follow, wien an
infantry soldier ran forward aDd CLUBBING bs mus
ket Drained him where he stood. The only support,
il such il might be called, was about one hundred
stragglers who lay III hollow directly behind the
battery firing be weeH the guns at the enemy.
$ rgt Read ls.fierward killed. was sighting piece,
when "A bsll from one of the straggleTs' muskeis
,assed over his shoulder and f1ttened agaius, the
brcech of the gun. Another. Sergt. Child, while
working a gun, was shot in the bead in the same
manner when. probably thinking that it Wac high
tine TO put stop TO such work, the officers OF the
battery ew their sabres and compelled the strag
gers TO take up their position between tue guns.
Ihe enemy now advanced in force, and engaged
the division of Gen. French little TO the left. The
battery opened upon them again with she'll and
shrapnel keeping up an ncessant fire for more than
two hours and firing over $40 rounds, moving The
enemy do WI in large numbers, and making huge
gaI in their ranks. In rut just at the edge OF
corn-fed lin which they were hidden, and from
" ich they attempted to advanced their dead lay IN
larlse numbers, two hundred and forty ODD teng
afterwards counted within space Of fifty yards
square.
The battery was now Withdrawn, as the ammuni-
ton was expended, eleven hundred rounds having
been fired in the short space Of three hours. One
Ia ri Of the command engaged were killed and
wounded.
The names of the commissioned officers in the bat
terry are: Captain j. A. Tompkins, First Lieutenant
jeffrey Hard Second Lieutenant c. +. Mason.
Captain Tompk.us aud lis command were highly
complimebted the following day by Gen. Sumner.
As tue following lst Of the killed and wounded
bss not been published, l append II. Their names
Are us follows: