William C. Barker Papers

Private, First Regiment, R.I. Light Artillery, Battery A

Letters, 1861-1864

Size: 0.75 linear feet

Catalog number: MSS 282

Processed by: Rick Stattler, November 1996

©Rhode Island Historical Society

Manuscripts Division

William C. Barker 2nd (1829-1876) served as a private in Battery A of the First Regiment of Rhode Island Light Artillery during the Civil War. He was mustered in with the formation of the battery on June 6, 1861, and mustered out at the expiration of his term on June 17, 1864. His battery served in several of the most vicious battles of the war, including Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness.

Barker was the son of William C. Barker (1797-1859) and Sarah Ann Jenks (1800-1869) of Providence. He had several siblings, including Henry Rodman Barker (1841-1901), who later served as mayor of Providence.

This collection consists exclusively of letters sent home by William C. Barker during his term of service from 1861 to 1864, plus items enclosed with letters. The one exception is a letter written by Barker from Connecticut six weeks after his term had expired. The large majority of letters were written to William's younger brother Henry R. Barker, who remained in Providence during the war, working in the insurance industry. Several of the earlier letters were written to William's sister Miss Sarah A. Barker, and two were written to their mother Mrs. Sarah A. Barker.

Barker numbered his letters in coordination with his brother and sister, probably to ensure that none had been lost in transit. This system indicates that several 1862 letters have either been retained by the family or lost over the years; the letters for 1863 and 1864 seem to be a complete set.

The content of the letters is typical of most letters home from the front. Barker gives a general description of troop movements and battles, but the larger proportion discusses difficult living conditions. He frequently asks his brother to send articles of clothing, reading material and stamps.

Barker's letters following the major battles are generally very detailed. He describes Chancellorville as the worst: "Oh Brother Henry it was awful a constant roar of cannon musketry the hardest fought battle of the rebellion." (May 5, 1863). The two letters written after the Battle of Gettysburg (July 5 and 11, 1863) are useful and informative, and include a comprehensive list of casualties in his battery. A letter to his sister dated September 26, 1862, written shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation, complains that "I did not come out here to fight for Niggars but I will do most anything to end this strife." Barker also started a petition to the Governor of R.I. in February of 1864, near the end of his enlistment, asking that the battery be allowed to return home for a recruitment drive, having lost many members after serving constantly at the front for almost three years. A copy of the petition was sent to his brother, with the request that it be forwarded to the newspapers.

These letters were donated in 1939 by Jessie L. (Barker) Gardner, daughter of Henry R. Barker. She also donated "Miscellaneous Civil War correspondence" in 1942, which may have been added to this collection.

After donation, these letters remained unprocessed for 57 years. In 1996, they were removed from their envelopes and housed individually in archival folders. The collection had undoubtedly been used by some researchers before this point, although as it was only indexed by the name Barker and was not well-organized, many researchers interested in his regiment may not have been aware of it.

This inventory lists Barker's letters in chronological order. The recipient is indicated by the right-hand columns. Letter numbers are listed for those letters that have them.