If you have hung out on the blog for any time, you have probably figured out that I have a strange passion for cemeteries. I’m one of those folks who believe they every soldier, whether Confederate or Union, deserves to have his grave marked in some fashion. This past Saturday, I had the honor of the traveling to Ashe County to participate in the dedication of a stone to Pvt. Hamilton Bare of the 37th North Carolina Troops. Bare’s grave was marked only with a field rock until a 90+ year old descendant informed fellow historian Tar Heel Clint Johnson just who was buried there. Johnson took the lead, and procured a VA stone for Bare.
Hamilton Bare was conscripted into service on August 15, 1862. He was just 18 years old. He served throughout the war, save for a period between May and September 1863 when he was absent without leave. Bare was captured on April 2, 1865, and spent three months as a prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Maryland.
Saturday’s service included a biography on Hamilton Bare, made by one of his many present descendants. I gave a talk on the history of the 37th NCT, and then reenactors from the 26th North Carolina Troops and the 37th North Carolina Troops fired three volleys over the grave. Just one more of North Carolina’s 125,000 Confederate graves is now marked.
Many thanks to Clint Johnson for making this happen, and for his invitation to speak.
Hamilton Bare had a brother in the 37th North Carolina Troops, Farrow Bare. His final resting place is still unknown, and might be at the same cemetery that Hamilton is interred in. If you have any information, please drop me a line.
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