Ezra Knight Parker

Born in 1832, Ezra Knight Parker is known for Civil War narratives based on his own service as a first lieutenant in the First Rhode Island Light Artillery. His writings focus on campaigns in Kentucky, East Tennessee, and Virginia, and were published as historical pamphlets rather than as conventional novels.

Among his best-known works are Campaign of Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, in Kentucky and East Tennessee and From the Rapidan to the James under Grant. The latter was issued by the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society, and library records describe it as a personal recollection of the Army of the Potomac's 1864 campaign.

What makes Parker interesting today is the directness of his voice. He wrote not as a distant historian, but as an officer remembering marches, battles, and army life from firsthand experience, which gives his work lasting value for listeners interested in Civil War memoirs and eyewitness history.