Rex and I extend our thanks to Maggie for her assistance in providing us with this great material. Beers' book was reprinted several years ago by Heart of the Lakes Publishing Company. If you're interested in a reprint of the original 1878 book contact Mr. Walt Steesy at HLP at (607)532-4997, fax him at (607) 532-4686 or email him at HLP books@aol.com for further information.

More specific information about this regiment comes from "The History of Montgomery County" by Washington Frothingham, published in 1892 in Syracuse, NY by D. Mason & Co, Publishers and Printers.

"The Montgomery county contribution to the First regiment of Artillery was embraced in Company K, otherwise known as the "Fort Plain Battery", which, as its name indicates, was chiefly recruited at Fort Plain, but some of its men were from the town of Stockbridge, Jasper, Elmira and Canandaigua. Battery K was mustered into service for three years at Albany on November 20, 1861. On the 15th of December its surplus men were transferred to other batteries of the regiment."

"The Fort Plain Battery served at Washington and in the same military district until May 27, 1862, and then (at Harper's Ferry), joined the Second brigade, Siegel's division, being a branch of the great Army of the Potomac, where it remained until June 26, 1862. It was with the Twelfth corps from that time until May 12, 1863, and was then transferred to the Reserve artillery, and remained in that connection until March, 1864. The additional service of the battery was with the Twenty-second corps in the defense of Washington. On the 20th day of June, 1865, at Elmira, being then commanded by Captain Stocking, Battery K was honorably discharged and mustered out."

"The service of the First was light artillery and by batteries in the Army of the Potomac, also in the Army of the Virginia, of the Cumberland, and of Georgia, and was of such a detached character that the official record of battles of the local battery cannot be separated from those of other batteries of the regiment, for which reason we are unable to furnish them to our readers."

Note: In the listing below I have added a new column for information which differs from that in Beers' 1878 book.

Other men also served but they or their families weren't in residence at the time the 1892 county history was compiled. Please send in your ancestor who doesn't appear on the above listings to the site coordinator.

1/29/01 "My ancestor, Charles J. Hammersmith served in Battery K 1st New York Light Artillery from March 1862 until June 1865. He moved from Minden shortly after the war. The main battle that they participated in was Gettysburg. They were just to the Union right of the "angle" during Pickett's charge." O.T. Hammersmith

10/21/00 "Just to let you know for your web site, my ancestor was 1st Lieutenant George Prudden Hart of the 1st New York Light Artillery, Battery A. He lived in Lockport, NY and was a senior at Hamilton College when the war broke out. He was mustered in on Sept. 12, 1861." Sally Davis

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