FIRST LIEUT. EZRA K. PARKER(Picture taken June, 1908)
PERSONAL NARRATIVES
OF EVENTS IN THE
War of the Rebellion,
BEING PAPERS READ BEFORE THE
RHODE ISLAND SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Seventh Series No. 6.
PROVIDENCE:
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY.
1913.
SNOW & FARNHAM CO., PRINTERS.
Campaign of Battery D, First Rhode
Island Light Artillery, in Kentucky
and East Tennessee.
BY
EZRA K. PARKER,
[Late First Lieutenant Battery E, First Rhode Island
Light Artillery.]
PROVIDENCE:
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY.
1913.
CAMPAIGN OF BATTERY D, FIRST RHODE ISLAND
LIGHT ARTILLERY, IN KENTUCKY
AND EAST TENNESSEE.
[Pg 5]In March, 1863, Gen. A. E. Burnside, having been relieved at his ownrequest of the command of the Army of the Potomac, was soon afterwardsassigned to the Department of the Ohio. Upon his special request, theNinth Army Corps was also detailed for service in this department, andat once preparations were made for the transportation of the corps fromVirginia to Kentucky. Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery,Capt. William W. Buckley, was at that time attached to the Ninth Corpsand was sent with its corps to the west. This battery had been at thebeginning of its service attached to the first division of the Army ofthe Potomac, and when the army was divided into army corps, this batterywas included in the first corps commanded by General McDowell. Its firstactive service was in the short and successful campaign to[Pg 6]Fredericksburg, in April and May, 1862. Then it went through thecampaign of the Army of Virginia, under Gen. John Pope, losing heavilyat the battle of the second Manassas, then again under GeneralMcClellan, in his successful campaign of South Mountain and Antietam.Meantime, General McDowell had been succeeded by General Hooker in thecommand of the First Army Corps. It was in the Fredericksburg campaignunder Burnside, and was by his order transferred from the First to theNinth Army Corps. After a not unpleasant march, both by rail andsteamboat, the battery reached Lexington, Ky., on March 30th, 1863, andwent into camp on the Fair grounds. Here it remained but a week, andthen the line of march was taken up for camp Dick Robinson. On the 26th,the battery began its march from camp Dick Robinson to Somerset, nearthe Cumberland river, completing it on the 7th of May, 1863, and thereit remained until the 7th of June. It was now expected that within a fewdays the march for East Tennessee would commence. Although we, membersof the battery, well knew that the campaign would be arduous and full of[Pg 7]dangers, still we were all anxious to advance. In consequence of ordersto General Burnside to send a part of his command to Vicksburg to assistGeneral Grant, and in consequence of the raid of Gen. John Morgan, itwas not until the 21st of