David K. Rice

He was treasurer of a Houston volunteer fire company before the war and enlisted as Private in Company C, First Texas Infantry on 27 May 1861. He was elected 3rd Lieutenant in January 1862 and promoted to First Lieutenant on 7 May and to Captain on 16 May 1862.

He commanded his Company in action at Sharpsburg on 17 September 1862.

He was on recruiting duty in Texas in February through April 1863 and led his Company in action at Gettysburg in July. He was acting Major of the regiment from 1 September 1863, and took command at Chickamauga.

He was in command of the First Regiment at the battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863, and had quite a strange experience there on the first day's fight. He was captured and taken before General Rosecrans. Of course he refused to give any information, but the general kept him with him and for two hours he was literally under the fire of both armies. I say "under," for that's what he was. His own brigade was on one hill and the Federals were on an opposite hill, while Rosecrans and his staff were in the narrow and deep valley, so that all the fighting went on over their heads. Late that night an opportunity presented itself and Captain Rice made his escape, but was unable to get back to his command for several weeks.

The senior Captain of that regiment [1st Texas], Capt. D.K. Rice, was arrested last December [1863] upon several grievous charges and next senior officer, the present commander, is a most efficient and particular officer, and if there is any way in which Capt. Rice's case could be speedily settled it would work some good to the service.

Service information from Simpson.1 The Chickamauga story is quoted from S.O. Young's True Stories of Old Houston and Houstonians (1913), online from the University of North Texas Libraries. IG Peyton's quote above from the records of the Confederate Adjutant & Inspector General's Department at the US National Archives (film M935); the charges may have related to being absent from his command in September 1863. The Official Records (ORs, Series I, Vol. 31, pt. 1) notes that Captain Rice was a witness in the court martial of Brigadier General J.B. Robertson in December 1863 - January 1864. His command at Sharpsburg from F.B. Chilton's Unveiling and Dedication of Monument to Hood's Texas Brigade (1910).