Battery D First Rhode Island Light Artillery in the Civil War

In Short

This regimental history chronicles the frontline experiences of Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, from its organization in 1861 through its grueling campaigns to the close of the Civil War in 1865. Written by a veteran member, it documents grueling marches, bitter winter encampments, and fierce engagements at Rappahannock Station, Knoxville, and Cedar Creek. The work has endured because it preserves the granular, day-to-day reality of ordinary citizen-soldiers who maintained discipline and camaraderie amidst extraordinary deprivation, offering an authentic window into the mechanical and human cost of artillery warfare.

The Story

The narrative opens with the formation of the battery in 1861, capturing the initial mobilization of men who leave civilian life to serve in the Union artillery. Prompted by an official resolution years later, veteran George C. Sumner pieces together the unit's timeline despite the catastrophic loss of all official records and battery papers during the chaotic battle of Cedar Creek. Relying on surviving diaries, Adjutant General reports, and personal recollections, the account follows the battery as it moves into the field, participating in reconnaissance toward the Rapidan River and enduring the punishing marches and retrograde movements around Rappahannock Station and Bull Run.

The campaign shifts southward and westward, detailing rigorous movements through changing weather, from fierce blizzards near Fortress Monroe to difficult railroad transits toward the Ohio River. The narrative details the arduous campaign in East Tennessee, where the soldiers scale mountain passes reminiscent of alpine crossings and construct elaborate winter log huts near Knoxville, complete with ingenious clay-plastered chimneys to survive freezing temperatures.

Life in the trenches and forts comes alive, particularly during the fierce Confederate assault on Fort Sanders, where the battery and its infantry supports repel overwhelming numbers using double-shotted guns and rolling fuses into the muddy ditches. Following these harrowing experiences, a significant portion of the men choose to re-enlist, earning a hard-fought veteran furlough that carries them briefly back home to Rhode Island before returning directly to the front lines.

The later phases of the conflict plunge the battery into relentless combat during the Shenandoah Valley campaigns under General Sheridan. The narrative recounts sudden surprises, such as the morning rout at Cedar Creek where the camp and equipment are temporarily lost, followed by the dramatic afternoon counterattack that recaptures lost ground, artillery pieces, and supply wagons. Through victories and reverses, the account tracks individual service records, promotions, desertions, wounds, and hospital stays, meticulously documenting who fell sick, who was detached, and who survived.

The arc concludes with the final mustering out of the remaining soldiers in mid-1865. The book transitions from a collective chronicle of grand military maneuvers down to an exhaustive roster of names, tracking the ultimate fates of every private, corporal, sergeant, and officer who passed through the battery's ranks. It leaves the reader with a profound sense of an entire community's journey through war, mapped out step-by-step from the first muster to the final discharge papers.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The narrative opens with the establishment of the battery and its early mobilization toward the Rappahannock River lines. Soldiers encounter initial skirmishes, build defensive positions, and execute difficult night marches illuminated by burning railway stations and twisted iron tracks.

Winter hardships The middle sections detail grueling movements through deep snow blizzards toward Fortress Monroe and cross-country rail transits aboard open flat cars. Soldiers supplement meager rations through successful local foraging trips and construct elaborate winter log cabins complete with clay-plastered chimneys in East Tennessee.

The defense of Knoxville The focus centers on the engineering and desperate defense of Fort Sanders against heavy Confederate assaults. Gunners deploy double-shotted artillery and rolling fuses to repel enemy troops scrambling desperately up icy, twenty-foot ditches under intense fire.

Furlough and return Following months of severe deprivation where men leave bloody footprints in the frozen snow, two-thirds of the battery re-enlists for veteran service. They enjoy a brief thirty-day furlough at home in Rhode Island before eagerly marching back to active duty.

The Shenandoah struggle Later chapters follow the battery into the intense engagements of the Shenandoah Valley, including the surprise enemy attack at Cedar Creek. Despite losing equipment and camp caches in the morning rout, the men participate in the decisive afternoon counteroffensive that recaptures the lost fieldpieces.

The final roster The book concludes with an exhaustive catalog of individual service records, hospital transfers, and officer rosters compiled from surviving state documents. This closing documentation preserves the precise historical standing and ultimate fate of every single soldier who served in the battery.

The People

The book highlights several central figures whose actions and endurance shape the battery's daily operational reality. Captain J. Albert Monroe initially commands the unit, establishing rigorous drill standards before earning promotion to major. Captain William W. Buckley later takes command, leading the men through harsh winters and overseeing the construction of winter quarters before eventually turning over the post to Captain Elmer L. Corthell. Among the enlisted men and junior officers, Lieutenant Charles C. Gray stands out for his steady management of gun sections under heavy fire, frequently returning disabled pieces to action or rejoining the fight after detached duty. Regular soldiers like Clark Walker and Corporal Knight maintain the vital diaries that anchor the historical record. Animal companions also emerge as distinct personalities, such as the horse Hercules, who serves as a gentle, reliable mount on long night marches, and "Old Curley," driven by Anson Mathewson, whose intelligence wins the deep affection of the drivers. These individuals struggle against physical exhaustion, bitter cold, inadequate rations, and overwhelming enemy forces, ultimately emerging as seasoned veterans whose collective discipline preserves the battery through every trial until they return home or muster out.

In Its Own Voice

Reflecting on the unexpected audacity of an artillery maneuver during a retreat, the author notes the sheer astonishment it caused:

It was a bold movement, and evidently one the enemy had not anticipated, and so quickly had it been executed, he did not have time to realize it until the guns were beyond his reach.

Describing the grim aftermath of a struggle along the Hagerstown Pike, the text captures the stark devastation:

As we reached that part where the cornfield was upon our left and the Dunker Church upon our right, the sight became sickening, even to men who had become inured to such scenes, for there lay within the reach of our vision hundreds, yea, thousands of dead...

Detailing the labor required to survive the winter, the author highlights the construction of quarters:

An immense amount of labor was expended upon these huts, the desire of each detachment to equal if not excel the others, resulting in the production of some very excellent cabins.

What It's Really About

Beneath its detailed tactical chronology, the book explores the profound resilience of ordinary citizen-soldiers subjected to the mechanical brutality of modern warfare. It examines how institutional memory is fractured and reconstructed, highlighting the immense difficulty of preserving regimental history when official records and papers are captured or lost in combat. Furthermore, the text addresses the deep emotional bonds formed between men and their equipment or animals, illustrating how shared suffering and affection for draft horses sustained morale during harrowing campaigns. Ultimately, it reflects on the quiet, unglamorous endurance required to sustain an army, balancing grand political objectives against the immediate, bodily realities of freezing cold, scarce rations, and constant danger.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate authentic, ground-level historical accounts without romanticized embellishment will find deep value in this work. It offers a rare, granular look at the Civil War as experienced by artillerymen rather than generals, capturing the physical misery of blizzards, muddy ditches, and starvation diets alongside moments of sharp tactical brilliance. Reading it feels like sitting down with a weary veteran who refuses to sugarcoat the realities of service, noting both acts of stunning heroism and the mundane friction of military life. Modern readers should be prepared for the stark, unvarnished dryness of administrative rosters and the period-specific language, which together demand patience. Yet these very elements create an immersive, unmediated connection to the past. What stays with you long after finishing is the human texture of the experience—the soldiers carving log huts from straight pine trees, sharing hardtack around campfires, and grieving or celebrating comrades whose ultimate fates are soberly recorded in the final pages.