Battery B joined the Division of Pennsylvania Reserves on the 14th of August, 1861, at Tenallytown, and was assigned to the First Brigade General Reynolds commanding. Lieutenant Cadwalader was on picket with his section at Great Falls, in September, when the rebels fired on the troops guarding that point. The first death in the battery, that of private James M. M'Clurg, occurred on the 29th of September. Until the 11th of October, it was armed with four six-pounder James guns, when two of these were exchanged for four ten-pounder Parrots. That night it crossed the Potomac and joined the division at Camp Pierpont. On the 14th of October, private Frederick B. Leifet was killed, and private Alfred Phillips Severely wounded, by the accidental discharge of the musket of a member of Company E, Third Reserves, while on dress parade. On the 19th, the battery accompanied the first Brigade on reconnaissance beyond Dranesville. The First Brigade was lying at Difficult Creek when the battle of Dranesville, December 20th, commenced, and was immediately ordered to General Ord's assistance, but did not arrive until after the enemy had been repulsed.
On the 25th of December, General M'Cellan, in compliance with the request of General Banks for a "good battery," directed General M'Call to send Battery B. This was protested against by Generals s M'Call and Reynolds and caused much dissatisfaction throughout the division. The battery was on duty at Seneca Falls and Edwards' Ferry until January 9th, 1862, when, at General M'Call's request, it was ordered to return to the division. After the return of the army to Alexandria, it was placed in the First Army Corps, General M'Dowell commanding. When the First Brigade crossed the Rappahannock, at Fredericksburg, May 26th, Battery B accompanied it. After its return, twenty men were detached from the infantry of the Reserves to fill the company to the number required for a six-gun battery.
At the battle of Gettysburg, Battery B was in position, on the first of July, near the Seminary, but was driven back through the town. On the 2d a shot from a rebel twenty-pounder gun, immediately in front, exploded under one of the guns, killing privates Peter G.Hoagland and James H.M'Clleary and wounding Corporal Joseph Reed, and privates Jesse Temple and Daniel W. Taylor. On the 3d, it took the place of one of the Reserve Artillery Batteries, where it did good service. The next day it was ordered to Emmittsburg, where it was in position twenty-four hours. It then accompanied the army to the Rappahannock, where it remained on picket until the 10th of September. On the 11th and 12th of October, it covered the re-crossing of the army at Kelly's Ford, and then marched to Centreville, and from thence, by way of Haymarket, Thoroughfare Gap and Kelly's Ford, back to Brandy Station. On the 27th of November, it crossed the Rapidan at Culpepper Mine Ford, and the next morning was in position on the left of the pike, in full view of the enemy's entrenched line beyond Mine Bun, and compelled a rebel battery in advance of his works to withdraw, At eight' clock on the morning of the 30th, all the batteries along the line opened to attract the attention of the enemy from General Warren, who was to attack his right-wing.
On the 15th of March, eighteen men, the number in excess of the maximum allowed a six-gun battery, were transferred to Battery I, a new battery then forming at Washington. When the enemy captured Forts Stedman and Haskell, the left section kept up a sharp fire on the forts in front. On the 28th,the caisson camp was moved up near the front line. About midnight of the1st of April, all the batteries received orders to open fire. After daylight the next morning, the firing was renewed, the gunners doing good execution. At the request of General Tidball, Captain M'Clelland, with Lieutenant Rice, took two detachments and worked the guns in one of the enemy's batteries which had been captured. About six hundred rounds, left by the rebels, were fired, besides a large number brought from the other line by the infantry. During the afternoon, the rebels made an attempt to re-capture the forts they had lost. The infantry disappeared, leaving Lieutenant Rice and his handful of men; but nothing daunted, they worked their guns with telling effect. Many of the men had never been under fire before, yet they all behaved well. Lieutenant Gardner, a very brave officer, was in command of the battery during the absence of Captain M'Clellan. Sergeant Isaac J. Grubb and Corporal Andrew J. Gilkey were killed in the rebel fort, and subsequently, when one of the sections in Fort Davis was ordered forward to Fort Wright, Corporal John W. Summers was mortally wounded. The next day the battery was ordered to City Point. On the 3d of May, it left for Washington, passing through Richmond. On the 3d of June, in obedience to orders, Captain M'Clelland turned the battery in at Washington and proceeded to Harrisburg, where it was mustered out on the 9th.
Three hundred and thirty-four men were connected with the battery. The number of rounds of ammunition, of all kinds, expended during its four years of service, was over eleven thousand two hundred, (11,200.)
