The Hart Brothers of Ashe County

A while back, I wrote about the Robinett brothers of Alexander County (37th NCT), and the members of the Key family, two brothers and a cousin (18th NCT), all killed at the battle of Hanover Court House on May 27, 1862. I recently came across this tragedy in my current research.

On July 20, 1862, Riley, Joseph, and Andrew Hart enlisted in Company L, 58th North Carolina Troops. They were all from Ashe County. Riley G. Hart was born on November 13, 1831, and when he enlisted, he was the father of five children. Joseph Hart was next, born August 3, 1840 or 1842. Andrew Hart was the youngest, born March 4, 1843 or 1847. They were all the sons of John Hart and Nancy Floyd Hart.

Given the date that they enlisted, July 20, 1862, the Hart brothers were probably all conscripts. Almost all of Companies L and M of the 58th NCT were conscripts, which would explain their massive amounts of desertions. All were mustered in at the rank of private.

On May 26, 1863, all three brothers deserted from camp near Clinton, Tennessee. They headed northeast, but did not make it far before being "captured by the enemy" in Hawkins County. The brothers were sent to Lexington, Kentucky first, then transferred to Camp Chase, Ohio, where they arrived on June 29. From there, they were transferred to Fort Delaware, where they arrived on July 14, 1863.

Both Joseph and Riley died on August 26, 1863, while imprisoned at Fort Delaware. Riley died of "rubeola." Joseph’s cause of death was not reported. Andrew fared little better. He lived (just how much living you did while in a prison camp is debatable) until September 2, 1863, when he died of "typhoid fever." The brothers are buried in the Finn’s Point National Cemetery in Salem, New Jersey