Hexamer was ill and missed the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church, both fought by VI Corps. The battery was commanded by Lt Augustine N. Parsons. Battery A covered the Union force’s crossing of the Rappahannock River on May 3, 1863. The guns accompanied the federal advance toward Salem Church and supported an attack on the brigade of Brig. Gen. Cadmus Wilcox near the church. When VI Corps was forced onto the defensive, Parsons’ guns supported the infantry line until their ammunition ran low. The battery also supported the federal retreat across the river on May 4.