Book excerpt: Formed in 1801 to protect sea captains against attack from the British navy and Barbary Pirates, the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery remains one of the most famed regiments in the U.S. Army. It distinguished itself during the War of 1812, the Dorr Rebellion, and in nearly every major engagement of the Civil War. After assuming the identity of the 103d Field Artillery Regiment of the Rhode Island National Guard, the unit battled amid the carnage of the Western Front in World War I, fought the enemy in the mosquito- infested South Pacific islands during World War II, and weathered the scorching deserts of Iraq in the twenty-first century. Based on extensive primary research and interviews with veterans of the corps, this narrative offers an insider's look at the illustrious regiment in its first full history.