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1st Rhode Island Artillery ALS

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Autograph Letter Signed by Lyman Nicholas, Battery D, 1st Rhode Island Artillery, 3 pages, octavo, Camp near Munson Hill, Virginia, [1861], pertaining to an enormous review by Lincoln and McClellan, in the winter of 1861, in part: "...We have the name of being the best drilled battery in the volunteer service which is considerable as there are quite a number of Volunteer Batteries here....We had a splendid review today by the President and General McClellan and a host of other military officers in which there was 80,000 troops including 3,000 cavalry and 11 batteries. There must have been at least 4,700 horses on the field. I could see at one time 30,000 troops moving with their bayonets glistening in the sun and horses prancing around the field in all directions. It was the largest review that ever took place in this country. We were first on the field and last to leave it which is a true soldier's motto "First in and Last out" we went into the field about 9 am and left about 4 pm we were rather tired standing around ...When the President cam on the field there was 186 guns fired in honor of him, he looked finely on his horse riding around reviewing the troops he looked as though he was well pleased with us..." On great color Rhode Island letterhead, by Magnus. Good.

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