Battery D First Rhode Island Light Artillery in the Civil War

by George C. Sumner

He fell into the scheme, and we gathered about a dozen of his command and struck out for the battery, but they had limbered up, and were quite a piece from where we expected to find them. We were riding at a sharp trot, passing through quite a number of rebel infantry, who paid not the least attention to us. I soon made out the battery, which was bearing off to the right.

I rode to the head of the battery and ordered them to halt. The officer in command told me that he had orders to go to the rear as quick as possible. I explained to him who I was, and ordered him to countermarch. As soon as the battery was halted three or four of the mounted men rode up to see what the matter was, and heard the conversation. I heard the click of two or three revolvers, and wished I was at home, as my friend the sergeant and his men had stopped to take some of the rebel infantry into camp, leaving me entirely alone.

I rode directly in front of the commanding officer of the battery, holding my Colt's navy revolver very close to him, and told him it was no use making a fuss, as our cavalry was some distance in our front, and it was impossible for him to get away.

He finally gave the order to countermarch, and we were nearing the pike when some of our cavalry came up, and they demanded our surrender. I explained to them how things stood, and that they could have all the pieces but one, but I wanted one at least. The officer in command allowed I had no business out there anyway, and he would take charge of the guns. We had quite an argument, but I had to let him have his own way.

I now came to the conclusion that I didn't want any guns, so I rode up the pike, where I soon got into their infantry, which was scattered over the lots on each side of the pike. On the pike were three lines of vehicles going at a slow trot, the lines being composed of pieces of artillery, wagons, ambulances, and caissons, all mixed in together.

I rode alongside the pike until I came to a place where there was a down grade, and I then took a whip from one of the drivers and his "jerk-line" and swinging his lead mules over against the next team to him, I put the whip to them, and it was fun to see those mules try to climb over that team. In a few seconds there was a mix-up, mules, horses, wagons and drivers, being piled up, completely blocking the road.

I went back down the pike asking different drivers what they had in their wagons. I soon struck one that said he had three boxes of Yankee hard-tack, a wall tent, blankets, and the mess-kit of the surgeon of the Fourth Georgia. I asked him to pull out out into the lot, but he allowed that he would lose his place in line if he did; but as the line was halted, I persuaded him to do as I suggested, telling him I would answer all questions if anyone asked them.

I remained there some fifteen or twenty minutes, meanwhile there were hundreds of men going along, but no organization to them. One small squad of four or five came by and they had two flags. I started to capture the flags, but saw a squad of mounted men coming, and waited for them to pass. One of them asked what I had the team there for, and I told him that the captain was wounded, and I was waiting to put him in the wagon, as I could not find an ambulance. He advised me to hurry up, as the Yankees were right near.

I followed up the flags for a minute or two, but finally weakened, and gave it up. When our cavalry came up I was again ordered to surrender, and I had quite a task to keep my wagon, but I soon led it down the pike, and at about nine o'clock I arrived at our camp. The driver of the team I had, as soon as he found I wasn't going to harm him, told me he was glad to get away from the rebel service."