On May 17, the guns of the center section were turned in, making the Third a four-gun unit. They were reassigned to the forth division. All the corps artilleries were made four-gun batteries, with the reserve division of artillery broken up and placed in the different corps.
General Grant's army found Lee on the south side of North Anna River on May 23. General Hancock marched his corps to Taylor's Bridge. There the rebels had a strong fort to defend it. General Warren had marched to Jerico Ford. It was four miles from the bridge to the ford. General Warren sent his vedettes more than a mile in the direction of Hanover Courthouse and, not finding the enemy, had recalled them to the river. By that time, five o'clock, General Hancock had opened the ball at the bridge. General Warren's Napoleon smoothbore gun-batteries were sent across the pontoon first, the Third Battery being one of them.
After going into park, horses were unhitched to graze, the regiments had their guns stacked and men were making coffee, and things were going easy. Suddenly the enemy opened fiercely on the corps. The river formed nearly an ox-bow a half-mile to the right of the Union forces and the rebel intent was to drive the Union forces up into that bend and capture it. Rather than move, as the rebels had hoped, within five minutes, Warren presented a bold front with the batteries opening up from where they were parked and the long range, rifled cannon across the river firing over the Union position into the rebel lines. After an hour-long cannonade, Warren's infantry charged the rebel position and drove the enemy back. General Hancock had succeeded in capturing the bridge and fort and by nine o'clock, all was quiet. The rebels had been sorely disappointed, as they arranged to square accounts with Hancock by capturing Warren. So ended the Battle of North Anna.
The battery, with the army, went on the march once more with skirmishing, sometimes heavy, taking place on the way. On May 29, they found themselves at Tolopotomy Creek, where they set up for the next conflict. On the 30th, the battery was held in reserve until late afternoon when they were engaged. There was heavy fighting all day long. The battery remained in that position the next day when there was heavy fighting to the right. By half past five, the Third was heavily engaged. The rebel forces were in position directly in front of the battery. Fighting remained heavy until seven, when the enemy fell back.
May 31 found the enemy back in their original position. Heavy fighting ensued and the rebels were once again forced back. On June 1, the rebels attacked, determined to gain their lost ground. They were not to be successful and the Union line was advanced about a half-mile during the day. The rebels were fighting fiercely for every inch they were loosing but by eight at night, both of their flanks had been turned. At four the next morning, the Third advanced three-quarters of a mile to within six hundred yards of the enemy. There they threw up earthworks and prepared for battle. They opened with canister and the Fifth Corps was relieved in the afternoon by the Ninth. The battle resumed at five A.M. on the 3rd and at seven the Third went back to the position that it had held on the previous day. Canister was used in the all-day fight and the day ended with seventeen pieces of rebel artillery being captured by the Union. They were in of the Battle of Bathesda Church.
June 4, the battery remained in position and, though the fighting was not as fierce as the previous days, heavy fighting continued. The next day, the Third was pulled out of position and went into park. The six days' engagement, known as the Battle of Cold Harbor, had ended. The Third remained in camp until the 11th, when they were off again, this time heading to Petersburg.
The Third arrived at Petersburg on June 17 and was immediately sent to the front. They opened fire upon the enemy on the 18th for the Siege of Petersburg. The Third stayed in this position until July 10. On that date, they were moved forward to within four hundred and fifty yards of the rebel fort. A strong fortification was built by the Union forces, which was called "Battery Twenty-seven," on the south side, and close to the Norfolk Railroad. The battery stayed there fifty-seven days in the siege of Petersburg. They finally hauled out of position on August 30. They remained in camp on September 1, 2, and 3. The Third was mustered out of the service on September 4 and started on their trek home.
On September 5, they broke up their last camp in the service and went to Washington, and from there home.
The following account of the battery's reception in Boston is copied from the "Boston Journal" of Saturday Evening, September 10, 1864:- "About quarter before one o'clock the Boston Light Artillery, Capt. Cummings, accompanied by Gilmore's Band, took up the Third Battery, Capt. Martin, and escorted them through many of the principal streets. While the column was passing the Common, a salute was fired by a detachment of the Boston Light Artillery, under command of Sergt. Dudley Mair. In Arlington, Beacon, Pearl and other streets, flags were numerously displayed, and at frequent intervals cheers and hearty applause were given the veterans. About half-past two o'clock the corps arrived at the Cooper-street Armory, where they partook of a bountiful collation furnished by the city. Among prominent persons present were his Honor Mayor Lincoln, Alderman Norcross, J. P. Healy, Esq., city solicitor, Capt. Sleeper, of the Tenth Massachusetts Battery, Jonathan Pierce, Esq., and others.
The inner man having been satisfied, his Honor the Mayor said he esteemed it a great privilege to welcome the gallant members of the battery back to the city of Boston. It gave him pleasure to state that they had won honor and credit in every work in which they had engaged, and had performed their duty in struggling to put down the rebellion. For all they had done, and all they attempted to do, he heartily thanked them in behalf of the city, and welcomed their return to the endearments of the social circle, and the comforts of home.
Capt. Dexter H. Follett was next introduced by Capt. Martin, as a substitute for the governor, and was received with cheers. He regretted that his Excellency the Governor found it impossible to be present, and that a better representative had not been detailed for this occasion; but in behalf of the governor of the State, he would bid the Third Battery welcome home after three years' hard service in the field. Capt. Follett briefly referred to the organization of the battery, and some of the circumstances connected with it, and also to the pride he felt in having had the honor of organizing a battery second to none in the service. He paid a high compliment to Capt. Augustus P. Martin, to whom he was much indebted for success in his efforts. He closed by again welcoming them in behalf of his Excellency to the endearments of warm hearts who were anxiously waiting to receive them.
Capt. Martin spoke as follows:- 'In behalf of the Third Battery, which I have the honor to command, and especially to represent upon this occasion, I thank you most heartily for this generous and splendid reception. Words cannot express the pride and pleasure I have felt to-day, while passing through the streets to this familiar old hall, at the enthusiastic greetings of the citizens of Boston, and your complimentary remarks and congratulations here.
The Third Battery was organized in September, 1861, under Capt. Dexter H. Follett, and in one month from the date of its organization we were on our way to Washington, fully armed and equipped. Shortly after our arrival we were assigned to Porter's division of the Army of the Potomac, and from that time until the day on which we were relieved, and ordered to report here to be mustered out of service, we shared all its victories and defeats, its hardships and its pleasures. We ask no better record or higher praise than to have it said, that on many bloody fields, and in the terrible battles in which it has been our fortune to participate, that we have sustained the honor of Massachusetts, fulfilled our obligations to our country, and maintained our position in that noble and glorious old Army of the Potomac.
I can truly say, that in my whole experience of three years I have never called on this command in vain; they have always been equal to any and every emergency, and have always been prompt and earnest in the discharge of every duty, whether in camp, on the march, or in deadly conflict of the field of battle.
There is not a man whom you are honoring here to-day who is unworthy of your hospitality and respect.
There are those absent who are equally entitled to share the honor of this occasion, and though absent, they should not be forgotten. Some of them have re-enlisted [NOTE: Those who re-enlisted were transferred to the Massachusetts Fifth Battery.] for a new term of three years, some are prostrated from wounds and disease contracted in the service, while others have given up their lives heroically in defense of their country's flag. We never can forget their manly forms, as they have fallen one after another without a murmur or complaint.
These noble men went forth at the call of their country, with a self-sacrificing patriotism and unsurpassed alacrity, leaving the enjoyments of society, friends, the endearment of family love and home, with all its comforts, to engage in the stern realities of war, inspired by a patriotic desire to rescue the imperiled Union and maintain the supremacy of our government. After an absence of three long and eventful years, years fraught with greater consequences to this government and the welfare of mankind than have ever before been experienced, we have returned home with the hope that we have performed our duty with credit to our State and Nation, and we trust have merited the approbation of our fellow-citizens.'
Remarks were also made by Dr. J. P. Ordway, surgeon of the Light Artillery, and by Jonathan Pierce, Esq., after which, at the order of Capt. Martin, three rousing cheers were given for the Army of the Potomac, three for the glorious old Fifth Army Corps, three for the old Bay State, six for Capt. Follett, three for the Boston Light Artillery, Capt. Cummings, and three for Col. Howe, of the New England Rooms in New York. The company were then furloughed until Friday next, at eleven o'clock A.M., when they will meet on Boston Common and be mustered out of service. As the crowd were leaving the armory some one proposed three cheers for George B. McClellan, and the proposition was well responded to."