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Civil War Soldiers - Parke
| Parke, John G., major-general, U.S.
Army, was born in Chester county, Pa., Sept. 22, 1827. He entered the
University of Pennsylvania, but left at the end of his sophomore year
and became a cadet at the United States military academy, where he was
graduated second in his class, in 1849, and assigned to duty with the
topographical engineers. He was employed previous to the Civil war on
various important topographical surveys as chief astronomer and
surveyor, and was commissioned captain of topographical engineers,
Sept. 9, 1861. He was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers on
Nov. 23 and accompanied Gen. Burnside on the expedition to North
Carolina, where he was engaged at Roanoke island, New Berne, and Fort
Macon. For his services at Fort Macon he was brevetted
lieutenant-colonel in the regular army and promoted major-general of
volunteers, to date from July 18, 1862. He was engaged in the movement
to Newport News, Fredericksburg, and Washington, D. C., in 1862, and
was chief of staff to Gen. Burnside in the Maryland campaign, where he
was engaged at South mountain and Antietam and in the pursuit of the
enemy to Warrenton. When Burnside became commander of the Army of the
Potomac Gen. Parke continued as his chief of staff and engaged in the
battle of Fredericksburg. He participated in the movement of the 9th
army corps into Kentucky, commanded it on the march to Vicksburg,
where he arrived before the surrender ; and in the reoccupation of
Jackson, Miss., he commanded the left wing of Gen. Sherman's army and
won the brevet of colonel for his services there. He subsequently
commanded the 9th army corps in the Department of the Ohio during the
East Tennessee campaign, being engaged in the action at Blue springs,
Oct. 10, 1863; the defence of Knoxville, Nov. 17-Dec. 4, and in the
operations against Longstreet in Jan. and Feb., 1864. When Gen.
Burnside resumed command of the corps he accompanied him as commander
of a division in the march to Virginia and acted as his chief of staff
during the Wilderness and Spottsylvania campaigns. He was on sick
leave July-Aug., 1864, and on his return to duty, the 9th corps having
been made a part of the Army of the Potomac, he resumed command of it
and led in during the Richmond campaign, engaging in the siege of
Petersburg, the combat at Peebles' farm, at Hatcher's run, and the
assault on Fort Stedman, being also present at the surrender of Lee's
army at Appomattox. On March 13, 1865, he was brevetted
brigadier-general and major-general in the regular establishment for
gallant and meritorious services at Knoxville and Fort Stedman. His
last service in the volunteer army was as commander of the southern
district of New York, and on Jan. 15, 1866, he was honorably mustered
out of the volunteer service. He had been made major of engineers,
June 14, 1864, and he was promoted lieutenant- colonel, March 4, 1879,
and colonel, March 17, 1884. Gen. Parke was commandant at the United
States military academy from 1887 to 1889 and was retired at his own
request July 2, 1889. He was the author of numerous technical reports.
He died in Washington, D. C., Dec. 15, 1900.
Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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