The following is taken from New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912.

Col. Peter A. Porter received, July 7, 1862, authority to recruit a regiment in the counties of Genesee, Niagara and Orleans. This regiment was, August 28, 1862, designated the 129th Regiment of Infantry. It was organized at Lockport, and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years, August 22, 1862. It was converted into a regiment of artillery, and December 19, 1862, designated the 8th Regiment of Artillery. Two additional companies were organized at Lockport in December, 1863, and January, 1864, and mustered in the United States service for one and three years.

Three companies were recruited in the county of Genesee, three in the county of Orleans, and four in Niagara county; Company L at Bennington, Bergen, Lewiston, Pavilion, LeRoy, Oakfield, Bethany, Pembroke, Alabama, Darien, Alexandria, Batavia, Rochester, Middleburg and Stafford; and M at Warsaw, China, Rochester, Sheldon, Lima, Lockport, Avon, Java and Wethersfield.

The regiment (ten companies) left the State August 23, 1862, and served as heavy artillery and infantry at Baltimore, Md., and vicinity from August 27, 1862; at Harper's Ferry, W. Va., from July 10, 1863; at Baltimore, Md,, and vicinity from August 3, 1863, in the Middle Department, 8th Corps. Companies L and M joined in February, 1864, and the regiment served in Tyler's Division, 2d Corps, from May 17, 1864; in the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, 2d Corps, from May 29, 1864; and in the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 2d Corps, from June 26, 1864.

June 5, 1865, Companies A to K were, under the command of Lieut-Col. Joseph W. Holmes, mustered out and honorably discharged at Munson's Hill, Va.; the men not discharged with their respective companies were transferred, those of Companies G, H, I and K to the 4th N. Y. Volunteer Artillery, and those of Companies A, B, C, D, E and F, and also Companies L and M, to the 10th N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, of which the men of Companies A, D and F formed Company K; those of B, C and E Company I; Company L became Company H and M Company G.

During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 11 officers, 199 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 9 officers, 145 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 4 officers, 302 enlisted men; total, 24 officers, 646 enlisted men; aggregate, 670; of whom I officer and 113 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

The following is taken from The Union army: a history of military affairs in the loyal states, 1861-65 -- records of the regiments in the Union army -- cyclopedia of battles -- memoirs of commanders and soldiers, Volume II: New York, Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio. Madison, WI: Federal Pub. Co., 1908.

Eighth Artillery (Heavy).—Cols.. Peter A. Porter, Willard W. Bates, James M. Willett, Joel B. Baker; Lieut. -Cols., Willard W. Bates. James M. Willett, Lawrence Kipp, Joel B. Baker, Joseph W. Holmes; Majs., James M. Willett, Joel B. Baker, S. Dexter Ludden, Edwin L. Blake, Joseph W. Holmes. James Low, Jr., Erastus M. Spaulding, Henry M. Starr. This regiment was recruited by Col. Porter in the summer of 1862, in the counties of Genesee, Niagara and Orleans. It was organized at Lockport as the 129th infantry and was there mustered into the U. S. service Aug 22, 1862, for three years. It was changed to heavy artillery in December, and two additional companies were organized at Lockport in Dec, 1863, and Jan., 1864, and mustered in for one and three years, respectively. These companies, designated L and M, joined the regiment in Feb., 1864. Few regiments in the service achieved a higher reputation for hard fighting and efficiency than this splendid organization. Says Col. Fox, who includes it among the three hundred fighting regiments: "The regiment performed garrison duty until May, 1864, when it was sent with the other heavy artillery commands to the front to reinforce Gen. Grant. It was in action for the first time at Spottsylvania. Va., where it lost 8 killed, 21 wounded and 4 missing. At Cold Harbor the 8th lost 80 killed, 339 wounded and 86 missing; total, 505—it having twelve large companies engaged there. In that battle Col. Porter led the regiment in its grand charge upon the enemy's works and fell dead in the extreme advance. Eight officers were killed in that action. In the assault on Petersburg the regiment made another gallant attack on the Confederate lines, in which Col. Bates and Maj. Blake fell mortally wounded. In the actions around Petersburg in June, 1864, the regiment lost 42 killed, 261 wounded and 5 missing, a total of 308. Though known as an artillery regiment, the men carried rifles and were drilled as infantry. When they took the field, their full ranks—twelve companies of 150 men each—made them a very efficient organization, but their heavy losses in action soon reduced their long lines, until but few were left to witness the last fight at Appomattox. During all its service in the field, in 1864-65, the regiment was attached to the 2nd division (Gibbon's) of the 2nd corps." In addition to the severe losses enumerated above, the regiment lost 6 killed, 28 wounded and 210 missing at Reams' station; 5 killed, 32 wounded and 11 missing at Boydton plank road, not to mention the constant losses sustained in the trenches before Petersburg. During its term of service it lost 19 officers and 342 men killed and mortally wounded; 4 officers and 298 men died of disease, accidents, in prison, etc., a total of 663. Including the mortally wounded, it had 37 officers and 707 men wounded. It also sustained an unusually heavy loss in prison, having I officer and 113 men die in the hands of the enemy. In killed and mortally wounded, the 8th suffered the most severely of any of the New York heavy artillery regiments, and ranks second in the whole list of such regiments in killed and mortally wounded. Its percentage of killed, 14.0, is only exceeded by that of one other New York organization, the 126th infantry, with a percentage of 14.7. The total enrollment of the 8th was 2,575. On June 5, 1865, Cos. A to K were mustered out at Munson's hill, Va., under the command of Lieut.-Col. Holmes, and those not mustered out were transferred to the 4th N. Y. artillery and loth N. Y. infantry (q. v.).Eighth Artillery (Heavy).—Cols.. Peter A. Porter, Willard W. Bates, James M. Willett, Joel B. Baker; Lieut. -Cols., Willard W. Bates. James M. Willett, Lawrence Kipp, Joel B. Baker, Joseph W. Holmes; Majs., James M. Willett, Joel B. Baker, S. Dexter Ludden, Edwin L. Blake, Joseph W. Holmes. James Low, Jr., Erastus M. Spaulding, Henry M. Starr. This regiment was recruited by Col. Porter in the summer of 1862, in the counties of Genesee, Niagara and Orleans. It was organized at Lockport as the 129th infantry and was there mustered into the U. S. service Aug 22, 1862, for three years. It was changed to heavy artillery in December, and two additional companies were organized at Lockport in Dec, 1863, and Jan., 1864, and mustered in for one and three years, respectively. These companies, designated L and M, joined the regiment in Feb., 1864. Few regiments in the service achieved a higher reputation for hard fighting and efficiency than this splendid organization. Says Col. Fox, who includes it among the three hundred fighting regiments: "The regiment performed garrison duty until May, 1864, when it was sent with the other heavy artillery commands to the front to reinforce Gen. Grant. It was in action for the first time at Spottsylvania. Va., where it lost 8 killed, 21 wounded and 4 missing. At Cold Harbor the 8th lost 80 killed, 339 wounded and 86 missing; total, 505—it having twelve large companies engaged there. In that battle Col. Porter led the regiment in its grand charge upon the enemy's works and fell dead in the extreme advance. Eight officers were killed in that action. In the assault on Petersburg the regiment made another gallant attack on the Confederate lines, in which Col. Bates and Maj. Blake fell mortally wounded. In the actions around Petersburg in June, 1864, the regiment lost 42 killed, 261 wounded and 5 missing, a total of 308. Though known as an artillery regiment, the men carried rifles and were drilled as infantry. When they took the field, their full ranks—twelve companies of 150 men each—made them a very efficient organization, but their heavy losses in action soon reduced their long lines, until but few were left to witness the last fight at Appomattox. During all its service in the field, in 1864-65, the regiment was attached to the 2nd division (Gibbon's) of the 2nd corps." In addition to the severe losses enumerated above, the regiment lost 6 killed, 28 wounded and 210 missing at Reams' station; 5 killed, 32 wounded and 11 missing at Boydton plank road, not to mention the constant losses sustained in the trenches before Petersburg. During its term of service it lost 19 officers and 342 men killed and mortally wounded; 4 officers and 298 men died of disease, accidents, in prison, etc., a total of 663. Including the mortally wounded, it had 37 officers and 707 men wounded. It also sustained an unusually heavy loss in prison, having I officer and 113 men die in the hands of the enemy. In killed and mortally wounded, the 8th suffered the most severely of any of the New York heavy artillery regiments, and ranks second in the whole list of such regiments in killed and mortally wounded. Its percentage of killed, 14.0, is only exceeded by that of one other New York organization, the 126th infantry, with a percentage of 14.7. The total enrollment of the 8th was 2,575. On June 5, 1865, Cos. A to K were mustered out at Munson's hill, Va., under the command of Lieut.-Col. Holmes, and those not mustered out were transferred to the 4th N. Y. artillery and loth N. Y. infantry (q. v.).