George C. Sumner

George C. Sumner was a veteran of Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, and later became known for preserving the story of that unit in print. His best-known work, Battery D, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, in the Civil War, 1861-1865, was published in Providence in 1897 and drew on his own service as well as the memories and records of his comrades.

The project began after the Battery D Association appointed him historian in 1891 and asked him to write the battery's history. In the book's prefatory material, Sumner is described as having taken the task seriously and worked to recover facts and dates even though many of the unit's papers had been lost during the war.

Some later catalog and reprint descriptions suggest that he died before the full work was completed, with others helping bring it to publication. Even with the surviving details being sparse, Sumner stands out as an important firsthand voice for Rhode Island's Civil War history.