The Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Artillery served as a member of Hazard’s Brigade in the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac. The battery was organized in Providence, Rhode Island and mustered in for a three year enlistment on June 6, 1861 under the command of Captain William H. Reynolds. Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery ceased to exist on September 30, 1864 when its members were transferred to Battery B, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. The battery lost a total of 18 men during service; 1 officer and 12 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 5 enlisted men died of disease. The unit was commanded by Captain William A. Albert (September 4, 1830 - March 24, 1908), a bookkeeper from Providence, R.I. Under his command, the Sharpshooters had 139 men (and 6 3-inch ordnance rifles) engaged at Gettysburg and among them 3 were killed, 28 were wounded and 1 went missing.
The Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Artillery Monument is located on the left or west side of 
Hancock Avenue (RD310) if traveling north along the road, north of the Angle. The monument is flanked on both sides by two 3-inch ordnance rifles for a total of four at this site; all rifles are pointing to the west. From north to south these Phoenix Iron Co. produced rifles are registered as nos. 489, 533, 270 & 734. The Fitzhugh's Brigade Tablet is directly across the road. The 1st Company, Andrews Massachusetts Sharpshooters Monument (MN218-A) is 40 feet to the right (if facing west) or north. The 14th Connecticut Infantry Monument (MN217-F) is 102 feet north of this position and the gigantic Major General Meade Equestrian Statue (MN690) is northeast across the road, 222 feet away. The monument is 397 feet north of the High Water Mark Monument (MN230) and Copse of Trees and 701 feet due south of the Abraham Brian Barn (020). The monument faces due east, so on would have to face west, in the direction where the final Rebel attack originated on July 3, 1863. This area is an absolute beehive of activity as this site represents the best of what Gettysburg has to offer, both historically and monumentally. 
Parking is plentiful and is available road-side at intermittently enlarged shoulder cut-outs, usually marked with white striping. Be sure to keep vehicles off the grass or you will be ticketed by park police. I visited this monument on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at approximately 5:22 P.M. I was at an elevation of 617 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.
The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative and the SIRIS site offers the following description: Tapered monument stands on a rough-hewn base. Polished imaged on the front is a wheel with crossed rammers and an anchor with the Rhode Island motto, “Hope.” The finial is an elongated trefoil, the corps insignia. Monument is a two-part stepped granite shaft with a trefoil design on the cap and set on a 4.6 foot square base. The shaft has incised inscriptions on the north and south sides and a polished granite crest on the east face framed by an incised inscription. The monument indicates the position held by Arnold’s Battery A on the morning of July 2, 1863. On July 3, the battery expended every round of solid shot except canister, and as Longstreet’s assault bore in on their position the artillerymen also exhausted their supply of canister. The battery was withdrawn to avoid capture.
The monument was dedicated on October 12, 1886 by the State of Rhode Island. The is entirely of granite. Although the specific type of granite is not mentioned, I'd wager it was Westerly granite (more on that in a sec). The monument has the following dimensions: The sculpture is approximately 48 x 34 x 34 inches and the base is approximately 12 x 54 inches². The monument was fabricated by the Smith Granite Company out of Westerly, Rhode Island. I suspect Westerly granite was used for the monument because the monument was manufactured by the Smith Granite Company. Smith Granite Company In 1845 Orlando Smith discovered a granite outcrop on the property owned by Joshua Babcock in Westerly, Rhode Island, and a year later purchased the site from him. He established a granite quarry shortly there after and by the 1850s was cutting granite monuments. In 1887 the Smith Granite Company was incorporated, with family members holding all the stock.. There are inscriptions incised on the front left and right sides which read:
(Front):Arnold's Battery
July 2, & 3, 1863
(Left):Battery A
1st R.I. L.A.
Artillery Brigade
2nd Corps
(Right):4 Killed
24 Wounded
The Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Artillery Monument is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The monument is identified as structure number MN219-D.
From the Nomination Form:
1 of 4 monuments to RI. Indicates 1st position Battery A, 1st RI morning Jul 2,1863. Jul 3, 1863, exhausted ammo, retired from field to avoid capture. 3 cannon associated w/Mn. Located W side Hancock Ave, N of Angle.
Short Physical Description:
MN & 4 Cannon. Mn: base 4'-6" sq, 2 part stepped shaft, cap w/trefoil design at apex. Shaft w/incised inscriptions N-S elevations, polished granite crest E elevation framed by incised inscrip. 4 Cannon mounted 2 S, 2 N, 1 by Andrews Sharpshooters.
Long Physical Description:
Monument that has four flanking wrought iron rifled cannons. Monument is a two-part stepped granite shaft with a trefoil design on the cap and set on a 4.6 foot square base. The shaft has incised inscriptions on the north and south sides and a polished granite crest on the east face framed by an incised inscription. Two cannons are to the north and two cannons to the south mounted on cast iron carriages. Located on the west side of Hancock Avenue north of the Angle.
Cannon are wrought-iron rifled cannon, mounted on cast-iron carriages.
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
SIRIS
3.
Stone Sentinels
4.
Virtual Gettysburg
5.
Draw the Sword
6.
Historical Marker Database
7.
Wikipedia
8.
Find a Grave