Ramblings.

Someone wrote me a couple of days ago and asked what I thought of the idea of Abe Lincoln being born in North Carolina. I for one would really like to see the DNA testing - just to settle the matter. The idea of a Tar Heel birth for Lincoln has received some recent media attention. Check here for an article at IndyStar.com However, the idea is not new. I recall, back when I was doing some research for the 37th NCT book, that there was something about Lincoln in a local history book, maybe a history of Rutherford County, published maybe back in 1930s. Sorry that I can not be more specific about where I saw the information. I thought it interesting at the time, but I made no notes.

Drew at Civil War Books and Authors has a review of The Civil War Ends: Greensboro, April 1865. Check it out. I’ll be on my way to Wilson on Friday, and I plan to stop and get a copy of the book.

Yesterday, I finished submitting the information and illustrations for the Civil War Trail markers in Avery County. I think we hit upon three: the Blalocks at Grandfather Mountain; the Banner House in Banner Elk; and, the Cranberry Iron mines in Cranberry. I could never get in touch with the right folks who owned the property for a marker about Col. Palmer (58th NCT), whose house was burnt during Kirk’s 1864 raid.

Lastly, next week, I’ll be in Burlington on Tuesday night, and Albermarle on Thursday night, speaking and signing books. On Saturday, May 10, our local SCV Camp with be holding a service on the grounds of the Yancey County Court House at 9:00 am in the morning, and then a candlelight memorial service in the old Bakersville Cemetery in Mitchell County that evening.

old books

I have come to the conclusion that writing a regimental history is one of the hardest things to do. I’ve written one regimental history (37th NCT), and I’m working on a second (58th NCT). When one writes about a battle (which I’ve also done), one is able to be the master of that battle. A person can collect every scrap of information, can visit the battlefield, can tramp over every inch of ground. One is able (usually) to visualize what took place. When one writes about a regiment, one needs to be able to master not only that regiment, but all of the battles in which it fought. For the 37th NCT, that was over 30 plus engagements. No wonder it took six years of just writing! Yes, I visited all but one of those battlefields. (I did not visit Ox Hill. I have yet to visit Ox Hill). Have I visited every battlefield the 58th fought on? Not yet, but I’m working on it.
Maybe that is why we have so few modern (say, since 1961) regimental histories. To do a good job requires a great deal of time and effort.

Curiosity got the better of me this morning. What was the first attempt at writing about a regiment from North Carolina after the war?

It appears that Charles L. Jones wrote Historical Sketch: the following Historical Sketch of his company, regiment, and brigade, in 1874. This is a history of Company G, 55th North Carolina Troops. Jones was an officer in that company.

I have never seen a copy of Jones’s work. According to WorldCat, the book is 55 pages long, and originally appeared in an issue of D. H. Hill’s Our Living and Our Dead. While there may be a copy in an issue of Our Living and Our Dead, there are only three independent copies in other institutions: two in California and one in Missouri.

Jones’s book was followed in 1876 with W. H. Hall’s Historical Sketches of the Pee Dee Guards (Co. D, 23rd N. C. Regiment), and in 1883 with John A. Sloan’s Reminiscences of the Guilford Grays, Co. B, 27th N. C. Regiment.

The last two I have, albeit the re-releases done in 1989 and 1978.

Charlotte during the war

I thought I would spend a little more time dealing with Charlotte’s war-time history.
Historiography: To my knowledge, there has only been one work written since the end of the war. This was a work entitled: On the Home Front: Charlotte During the Civil War.. It was published in 1982 by the Mint Museum and only contains 20 pages. There have been other works that mention the war years, including John B. Alexander’s two works: The History of Mecklenburg County: From 1740 to 1900 (1902), and, Reminiscences of the Past Sixty Years (1908).

Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County, contributed numerous men to the Confederate cause. Of our first regiment that went off to war, two of the companies, the "Hornet Nest Rifles" (B) and the "Charlotte Grays" (C) hailed from the County. Col. D. H. Hill lived in Charlotte, as did Lt. Col. Charles C. Lee, Lt. John H. Wyatt (Assistant Commissary of Subsistence) and T. B. Boyd, hospital steward.

Other companies from Mecklenburg include:
Co. A, 6th NCT
Co. D, 7th NCT
Co. A, 11th NCT
Co. E, 11th NCT
Co. H, 11th NCT
Co. B, 13th NCT
Co. K, 30th NCT
Co. G, 34th NCT
Co. H, 35th NCT
Co. C, 36th NCT
Co. I, 36th NCT
Co. C, 37th NCT
Co. I, 37th NCT
Co. K, 42nd NCT
Co. B, 43rd NCT
Co. F, 49th NCT
Co. B, 53rd NCT
Co. K, 56th NCT

What about in Charlotte proper?

The old US Mint building, now known as the Mint Museum, served both as a headquarters building and a hospital. There was also a Wayside hospital (near Morehead street) in Charlotte. Most of the Confederate dead in the Confederate section of Oakwood Cemetery were buried beside this hospital. Charles C. Lee, mentioned above, is buried in this cemetery (killed while leading the 37th NCT in battle), as is Rufus Barringer, and Thomas Drayton.

Also in Charlotte was a manufacturing facility for the Confederate Navy. Charlotte was also the home of Julia Jackson, wife of Stonewall Jackson. During the last days of the war, Jefferson Davis held his last cabinet meeting in Charlotte, and was in Charlotte when he heard of the death of Lincoln.

More to come...

Observations on the 1929 National UCV Reunion

North Carolina only held the National Reunion for the United Confederate Veterans once: in 1929. This is a mystery to me. Other states held the national reunion multiple times. Tennessee held it at least ten times; Virginia, six; Alabama, six; Texas, five; Georgia, five; and Louisiana, four. Even Florida held it twice: once in Jacksonville in 1914, and in Tampa in 1927. Colorado held it once, in 1939, as did Washington, DC, in 1917.

So why only once in North Carolina? With more men provided, more men killed, than any other state, what were the politics behind the reunion site committee? Most of the time, the cities in the running tried to put together the best possible package to attract the reunion to their city. While the reunions were a strain on the cities, they did provide large amounts of revenue.
Notice how the mayor was there, the governor was there, and others not connected to the UCV came out to welcome the old soldiers and their guests.

Also, what happened to the marker?

Off to Durham this afternoon. I’m speaking this evening at the Bennett Place at 6:30 pm.

1929 Charlotte Reunion pt. 2

After the parade, many participated in a "Memorial Hour", where the members of UCV, SCV, and CSMA gathered to pay "tribute... to departed comrades and members of the three organizations" Associate Justice Herriot Clarkson gave an address. General Goodwyn "gave a brief tribute to his departed comrades, and a silent prayer was held for Henry L. Wyatt, of North Carolina, first soldier killed in the war..." others also offered up small tributes.

Other events highlighted the program. There were receptions, teas, garden parties, dances, and veteran ball. One observer wrote: "many [veterans who] seemed too feeble to walk any distance could shake a wicked foot when the music called for action." A special concern was held in Independence Park, "where a score of bands, under the direction of Capt. Taylor Branson, leader of the Marine Band, gave a joint concert, concluding with "Dixie: and the "Star-Spangled Banner..." A play depicting the rise and fall of the Confederacy was witnessed by "many thousands."

Two comrades passed on while at the reunion. One was "General" Cortez A. Kitchen, Commander of the Missouri Division, UCV. The other was Maj. John Hancock of Austin, Texas.
Finally, just after the reunion, a "reunion Marker" was dedicated.

"An interesting occasion following the reunion was the dedication, on Friday afternoon, of a memorial marker at the new Auditorium which commemorates the holding of the thirty-ninth annual reunion in Charlotte. The marker as the gift of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and Rev. Albert Sidney Johnston, SCV, presided over the exercises. The veil was drawn by Thomas Jonathan Jackson Preston, great grandson of Stonewall Jackson, and little Nancy Palmer Stitt, granddaughter of Capt. William Morrison Stitt. The official roster and records of the reunion were placed in the memorial. Dr. Own Moore gave the dedicatory address, and the exercises were closed with taps."

The 1929 UCV Reunion in Charlotte. pt. 1

This week’s past encounter with a gentleman who witnessed the 1929 national United Confederate Veterans reunion has prompted me dig a little deeper into the reunion itself. I went by the library today and copied several pages from Volume 37 of Confederate Veteran Magazine.

There was an estimated attendance of 3,500 veterans at the reunion, with 20,000 more guests. The event started on Tuesday evening, June 4. The "Marine Band" [Corps?] played that evening, along with the "reunion chorus, made up of local men and women..." The veterans were welcomed by Mayor George E. Wilson, and Gov. O. Max Gardner. Gardner praised "this remnant of the bravest army of the America continent and the most patriotic citizens that ever dared venture their lives and all for principles they held dear." Mississippi senator Pat Harrison also welcomed the veterans and gave a talk on Jefferson Davis.

Business began on Wednesday morning. Former Arkansas governor Charles H. Reid gave a short address, along with former mayor F. M. Reid, current Mayor Wilson, C. O. Kuester, of the Chamber of Commerce, Gen. W. A. Smith, commander of the North Carolina Division, Mrs. A. McD. Wilson, president of the Confederate Memorial Association, Mrs. W. C. N. Merchant, president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Edmond R. Wiles, commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A series of resolutions were passed that afternoon, including an effort to purchase Stratford, the boyhood home of Robert E. Lee.

On Thursday afternoon, new officers were elected. The commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, Richard A. Sneed, was elected commander-in-chief. The group then voted to hold their next reunion in Biloxi, Mississippi.

On June 7, the parade took place. The unnamed correspondent wrote:
"Passing through solid walls of humanity, perhaps the largest crowd ever assembled on the streets of Charlotte, the Confederate parade, climax of the thirty-ninth annual reunion of Confederate veterans, moved to the sound of enthusiastic cheers and wild applause on the morning of June 7, a line of march said to cover five miles, taking some two hours in passing a given point. Three wars were represented in the veteran soldiery taking part - the War between the States, the Spanish-American, and the World War - while the soldiers of the present were represented by the National Guard of North Carolina and other military units from schools and colleges - all making a grand array. The Boy Scouts were in line in great force, and made a great impression. There were miles of cars, loaded with veterans of the gray and their fair official ladies, a colorful note with flags and other decorations. In the lead was the Marine Band sounding patriotic airs, and many others were interspersed throughout the line, whose martial strains were heard above the cheers of the multitude of onlookers. There were Sons of Veterans, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Memorial Women, and members of local patriotic associations, all adding a note to the wonderful pageant moving through the streets of Charlotte, the like of which may never be seen again.

"After leading the parade, the new and retiring Commanders in Chief, the governor of North Carolina, and other notables of the reunion, with their wives and official ladies, stood at attention in the reviewing stand as this pageant moved past, a wonderful spectacle, ‘showing,’ as Governor Gardner expressed it, ‘to us of the present generation the glory and greatness of the Old South in the veterans and the splendid future of the new in the Boy Scouts."
"Of the veterans of the gray line, the Charlotte Observer said: ‘They did not feel the weight of the years nor the heat of the day; all their hearts were in the wave of emotion that swept over them and connected the memories of the past with the glorious reality of the day. The parade was more than a line of march; it was a pageant of the South, containing visible expressions of the best that the country has to offer. The bravest of the manhood of the South and the fairest of Southern womanhood were there, glamorous with the emotion that can come only from a deep feeling of patriotism and love."

Last night’s talk went really well. There was a gentleman in the audience who remembered the 1929 United Confederate Veterans reunion in Charlotte. He recalled seeing the boy scouts getting the old veterans on and off te street cars. That was really neat.

Not much time to post right now. I’ve played catch up all day. Now, I’ve got to get my stuff ready for the school program tomorrow morning. It’s been a while since I’ve done school programs. I need to be at Mitchell High School at 7:30 am - that’s a drag.

New Biography on George Stoneman

Ben Fordney writes in his preface for his new book:
"There is no lack of Civil War biographies on our nation’s bookshelves celebrating those ‘larger than life’ actors of the great stage of the nation’s most traumatic, yet cathartic, event. Perhaps historical accounts of the most famous Civil War heroes have reached the saturation point. Lee, Grant, and Jackson, for example, have been examined so thoroughly than one wonders if any more can be written to enlarge the places in history of these great commanders.
"Historians are now moving down to the second echelon of Civil War figures..."


Fordney has presented to us the first biography on one of these "second echelon" figures: George Stoneman. Stoneman, of all figures during the Civil War, had a far-reaching influence. He was in Texas at the start of the war, and escaped when Twiggs surrendered the Federals in the state to Southern authorities. On May 24, 1861, Stoneman led a cavalry detachment across the Potomac River, capturing a bridge that led into Alexandria, Virginia, and later the town itself. He then joined the staff of McClellan, who was in command of the Department of Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. He then followed McClellan to Washington, and was promoted brigadier general of Volunteers on August 13, 1861, and the following day, Chief of Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. Stoneman went on to fight on the Peninsula, including a flight in Professor Lowe’s balloon. In September 1862, he was placed in command of the First Division, III Corps, an infantry assignment, with some cavalry elements. Stoneman chased Stuart that September, but failed to capture the Confederate cavalry.


Stoneman was promoted to Major General of Volunteers at the end of November 1862, and commanded the entire III Corps. His Corps fought bravely at Fredericksburg, but they were not really under his command, his three divisions being used to support other Federal Corps. Finally, in February 1863, the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac was reorganized into a solid unit, and Stoneman was placed in command. He led a raid during the battle of Chancellorsville that was later criticized as being ineffectual. In May 1863, Stoneman went on a leave of absence (sickness) and in July 1863, was named Chief of the Cavalry Bureau. His stint in Washington ended in April 1864 when he took command of the cavalry in the Department of the Ohio. He later served in Georgia, and led a raid on Macon in late July 1864, resulting in Stoneman’s capture at Sunshine Church. Released in late 1864, Stoneman was placed second in command of Department of Ohio. Stoneman led a successful raid into southwestern Virginia in December 1864, destroying the lead mines in Wythville, and the Salt works in Saltville.


In March 1865, Stoneman led another raid, this one into western North Carolina. The Raid, the only large-scale military action in the western part of the state during the war, resulted in numerous skirmishes with the home guard and state forces. Stoneman captured numerous local men, destroyed state and government property, but failed to release the Federal prisoners at Salisbury. They had already been moved prior to the raid.


Fordney’s book covers much more than Stoneman’s activities during the war. The author looks at Stoneman’s early life in New York, his admission to West Point, his service with the Mormon battalion, and in Texas. After the war, Stoneman continued serving in the army, being named commander of the Department of Tennessee during reconstruction. Stoneman then served in Virginia, and later in Arizona and California. He retired from the army in 1871. Stoneman served as governor of California, and died in New York in April 1894.


Fordney’s biography of Stoneman is well written, with the usual notes in a clear prose. I do wish there had been more maps detailing the movement of Stoneman’s men during their battles, like Fredericksburg. There are plenty of photographs of Stoneman and his cohorts. I did notice that Fordney writes on page 48: "As Stoneman recuperated from the Peninsula campaign, he courted Mary Oliver Hardisty... The two were married... on November 22, 1861..." Well, if they were married on November 22, 1861, Stoneman was not recovering from the Peninsula campaign, the latter having been fought May through July 1862.


It is not easy writing a biography on a person whose personal letters and papers have not survived. Stoneman’s papers were lost twice: once in a train accident, and the second time in a house fire in California. Fordney has a done a masterful job weaving together from a variety of sources the life of Stoneman. It is unlikely that a better biography could be written.


Ben Fuller Fordney. George Stoneman : A Biography of a Union General. McFarland & Company, 2008. $49.95
ISBN 978-0-7864-3225-7

Events, happenings, and 58th NCT update.

As I posted yesterday, I finished the draft of chapter 9 last week.The Atlanta campaign comes next and I'm reading about Resaca right now.

But, I am kind of at a standstill. There is a new collection at ASU, the Bernhardt-Harper papers. This collection has been microfilmed and appears to have letters that Major Harper of the 58th NCT wrote home and which are not in the Harper collection at Chapel Hill. However, the collection is not yet open to the public and the archivist does not expect it to be opened until this fall. So, I'm in a quandary.

On other fronts, I've started an article on the February 1864 battle of Dalton. We'll see where that goes. I've also started working on a new Arcadia book, this one about Mitchell County, North Carolina. I'm the author of three of their Images of America series. There were a lot of men in the 58th NCT from Mitchell County. Maybe I can get some more resources.

Next week, Im speaking in Charlotte on Tuesday night, and Marion on Thursday night. I'm also lined up to do a school program at Mitchell County High School Thursday morning.

Two new programs have come along recently. One is in Raleigh on May17. I'll post more on this as we get closer. The second is at the Sons of Confederate Veterans National Meeting, which is in North Carolina this year in July. The title of my program is "First, Foremost, and Last: The North Carolina Soldier in Battle." This should be a lot of fun.

Well, I guess that is about all for now. Time to go and drag out the lawn mower for the first time this year.

Dalton executions, pt. 4

A few days ago, I finished the draft of Chapter 9 for the 58th NCT book. This chapter concludes with the Dalton executions the first of May 1864. While I understand the necessity of executing men for desertion, I find the singling out of the 58th North Carolina deplorable. Fourteenmen from the same regiment, a few from the same community. I think those numbers are tragic. In my research, I came across the following statement by a chaplain of the 3rd Tennessee:

Today I witnessed a sight, sad indeed. I saw fourteen men shot for desertion. I visited with them twice yesterday and attended them to the place of execution. Most of them met death manfully. Some, poor fellows,were unprepared. I saw them wash and dress themselves for the grave. It was a solumn [sic] scene, they were tied to the state, there was the coffin, there the open grave ready to receive them...

I am closing the Dalton entries for the present, unless something more interesting comes along. I had thought about turning this into an article, something along the lines of Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of Tennessee executions. That's only a working title. We'll see where it goes.

Dalton executions, part 3.

Well, I am in a dilemma. I’ll lay out my facts. According to an article, dated May 5, 1864, found in the Daily Constitutionalist, there were twenty-one men from the Army of Tennessee scheduled for execution.

Fact # 2: In a book, entitled Battles and Sketches of the Army of Tennessee, there is a description, a good detailed description, of the execution of "fifteen deserters from the army – two from Stewart’s division, eighth from Stevenson’s and five from other commands..." The author goes on, describing how "a detail from the provost guard marched to General Stewart’s headquarters, stacked their arms and left." These were the executioners. Staff officers loaded the stacked weapons, some with live rounds, some with blanks. When the detail returned, they did not know who had loaded weapons and who did not.

Fact # 3: Writing in his 1996 thesis on desertion and the 60th NCT, James Taylor states that the "executions were carried out by Lieutenant Robert C. Clayton of Company K, 60th North Carolina."

There are a couple of other sources, but none mention who was doing the execution. Was Lt. Clayton the provost officer for the day, and was it his company that did the firing? I do have in my notes that the 58th NCT, and probably the 60th NCT, served as provost guards in Dalton from January 22 to February 22, when they left to fight in the battle around Dalton. One member of the 58th NCT writes later that after the battle, they returned to their previous position. But, I’ve got no mention that they returned to provost after that.

So what do you think, based upon the above?

Dalton executions, part 2.

I’ve been able to identify thirteen men from the 58th North Carolina who were court martialed and ordered to be executed for desertion on May 4, 1864. Those thirteen were as follows: Jacob Austin (Co. E); Alford Ball (Co. G); William R. Byers (Co. G); Reuben Dellinger (Co. A); Asa Dover (Co. F); Joseph Gibbs (Co. C); Jesse Hase (Co. A); Wright Hutchings (Co. F); George McFall (Co. K); Gordon Morrow (Co. H); Michael Ward (Co. D); Hiram Youngblood (Co. F); E. H. Younts (Co. H).

Of the thirteen, George Morrow was pardoned the day before the execution. William Byers’s fate is not exactly known, only that he died prior to September 1, 1864. The same is true for Dellinger and Hase. It is not clear that they were executed. Family history states that Dellinger died during the war.

The 58th NCT came from the counties of Ashe, Watauga, Mitchell, Yancey, Caldwell, and McDowell, with smaller groups of men from Wilkes, Yadkin, and Iredell Counties. Of the nine who were executed, one (Austin) appears to be from Union County; two were from Rutherford County (Hutchings and Youngblood, along with Byers); and one was from York County, South Carolina (Dover). Younts’s record simply states that he enlisted in Athens, Georgia. Hase’s record states that he enlisted in Hamilton or Greene County, Tennessee.

About half of the condemned men had joined the regiment recently. Austin - December 25, 1863; Byers - October 25, 1863; Dover - August 20, 1863; Hase - October 20, 186[3]; Hutchings - October 6, 1863; Youngblood - August 14, 1863; and, Younts - December 16, 1863. Morrow, who hailed from Caldwell County, had been in the service since May 15, 1862, joining Company I, 26th NCT, then joining Vance’s Legion on May 23, 1862.

Each of them had deserted just once, save Ball, who was a sergeant, and Ward, a private. They both deserted twice. Gibbs was the youngest - 19 or 20. Hutchings was the oldest - 44 or 45. Dellinger joined what would become the 58th North carolina Troops in late 1861. He transferred to the 5th Battalion, North Carolina in June 1862, went awol, then rejoined the 58th NCT. He deserted from the 58th NCT on August 20, 1863.

As of today, I only know that Ward, Hase, Gibbs, and maybe Byers had children.

There were probably two others executed that day. Christopher Ledford (Company C) and James M Randal (Company A), 60th North Carolina Troops.

Watauga County program tomorrow

Folks - I’ll be doing a program (and signing books) on Watauga County and the Civil War tomorrow at the Watauga County Public Library in Boone (NC). Program starts at 5:15 pm and is free.

North Carolina Civil War Trail Markers - Caldwell County

Today, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking at the dedication of two North Carolina Civil War Trail Marker dedications in Caldwell County. It was great to see some old friends and to meet some new friends.

The first dedication took place at 2:00 pm at St. James Episcopal Church in Lenoir. On April 14, through April 16, 600-900 North Carolinians were imprisoned in St. James and on the church’s grounds. These men had been rounded up during Stoneman’s Raid through western North Carolina. St. James Episcopal Church is one of just a few war-time structures in Lenoir.

Following the program, which due to the weather was held indoors, and the unveiling, with the three volleys by reenactors (members of the 22nd, 28th, and 38th regiments), we moved north on US 321 to the Patterson community. A portion of Stoneman’s command, two brigades under Brig. Gen. Gillem, came through this portion of Caldwell County about two weeks earlier, and destroyed a textile factory. The sad part of its destruction was that the factory supplied as much material, like blankets, to Unionists in east Tennessee as it did Confederate soldiers in North Carolina. Regardless, it, along with several other buildings, was burned to the ground.
Following this dedication service, we were fed dinner by the Ruritans.

Hats off to Becky Phillips of Fort Defiance, who emceed today’s programs, and John Hawkins, of the Caldwell Historical Museum, who headed up the program. If you get a chance, stop by and visit these two great places. One of the new markers is just a couple of blocks from the museum and the other, on the way to Fort Defiance.

58th NCT and Dalton executions, pt. 1

I finished writing about the battle of Dalton on Monday. The 58th NCT was in the front lines, but was not heavily involved. They only skirmished with the enemy and were under a heavy artillery bombardment for a time on February 25. The next part, the last part of this chapter, is the execution of almost a dozen members of the 58th NCT for desertion in May 1864. This is not something that I am looking forward to writing about. Yes, there were executions for desertions in the 37th NCT regiment, but not so many at one time.

Here is an extract from my history of the 37th North Carolina Troops regarding the execution of deserters. This kind of gives you an idea of what took place.

The Thirty-seventh would witness the execution of two members of their brigade, Allen Abosher and Esom Fugit of the Thirty-third. Both of these soldiers had been pardoned before for desertion and had been ordered to report back to their regiment, but had taken the opportunity to desert again. They were captured on August 27, and ordered to be executed on September 19. The entire Light Division would witness the procedure. The division was drawn up into a "hollow square," a formation that contained troops on three sides, with the last side open. The two condemned men, with their hands tied, along with their guards, passed in front of each regiment, to the slow beat of a drum. Abosher and Fugit then were tied to separate stakes, a few feet apart, and were blindfolded. At the command to fire, 24 men detailed as executioners fired their rifle-muskets from a distance of fifteen feet, killing both deserters instantly. Each regiment then passed in review of the bullet-riddled bodies before they were buried, impressing on the minds of the soldiers of the Light Division what the consequences of desertion were. Chaplain Kennedy of the Twenty-eighth called the gruesome occasion "a very revolting site."

An unofficial gathering of officers and men of the brigade was held at the camp of the Thirty-seventh the day following the executions. Several men offered "temperate and patriotic" speeches to boost the morale of the men and to counter the sway of the anti-war movement back in their home regions. But, the desertions and the executions continued. Seven more men were executed the next week, four for desertion and three, from the Thirty-seventh, for misbehavior in the presence of the enemy while the brigade was in line of battle at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The three from the Thirty-seventh were Private James S. Greer (Company B), who had deserted first during the battle of Fredericksburg, and then again on March 21, 1863; Private Green W. Ford (Company H), who deserted some time after February 1863; and Private Sampson Collins, who deserted sometime around the battle of Gettysburg. Private Greer had also sought to persuade two of his nephews "over which he had unbounded influence" to desert from the Thirty-seventh. All the men were tried by a courts-martial, convicted, and ordered to be executed. Private Greer, in his testimony before the court, stated that Holden's newspaper had provided the motivation for his crime, and that of the others. All seven men were executed on October 6.

I’d ruther be on the Grandfather Mountain

The 58th North Carolina was stationed in Dalton, Georgia, as provost guards from late January to late February 1864. Over the weekend, I was doing some research, reading parts of Rebel Watchdog by Kenneth Radley, on the role of the provost guard during the war.

I came across this four line poem on page 72:

I’d ruther be on the Grandfather Mountain
A-taking the snow and rain
Than to be in Castle Thunder
A-wearin’ the ball and chain

Radley cites Thomas’s biography of Richmond, Virginia, as his source. I also have this book and looked it up. Thomas writes that the quote came from a book by Arthur Palmer Hudson, titled Folklore Keeps the Past Alive, page 27. I do not have a copy of this book, so I’m going to Ill it. I’ll let you know what I turn up.

Anyone else ever heard of these lines from an as-of-yet unknown bard?

First battle of Dalton, GA

Writing in 1971, Connelly, in his history of the Army of Tennessee, has this to say about the first battle of Dalton:

By February 21, the head of Hardee’s column began to arrive in Montgomery, but soon a change in plans of grave importance occurred. On the night of February 22, Johnston received intelligence reports of a projected advance against Dalton. With half of his infantry gone with Hardee, Johnston pleaded for their return. The next day, while General George Thomas’ corps skirmished west of Dalton with Johnston, the government countermanded Hardee’s orders. By the next day, the affair had ended. Thomas withdrew to Ringgold. (294)

That’s it. And no other source that I’ve consulted yet has any more detailed information. (If you know of a source that goes into good details of the event, please drop me a line.)

So, I’ve spent the past few days poring over the Official Records and a couple of maps in an effort to understand this battle. It took some doing, but I’ve figured out the battle occurred on both sides of Rocky Face Ridge. There is a map in the Atlas, but it only shows the action on the west side of the Ridge. Once I figured that out, events fell into line.

Official Reports for the Federals are numerous. However, there are no reports for the 85th and 86th Illinois, under the command of Col. Daniel McCook, the two Federal regiments in which I am most interested. I did find online a history of the 85th Illinois by Aten. There is also a book on the 86th, but it does not appear to be online.

So, here is a summary of events. A reconnaissance of the Confederates forces in North Georgia is called. The IV and XIV Corps are selected. Part of the First Division, IV Corps, under Brig. Gen. Charles Craft, heads down the east side of Rocky Face Ridge, toward Dalton. There, just south of Buzzard’s Roost Gap, they encounter the brigade of Henry D. Clayton. Clayton claims that he stops the Federal advance. The next day, February 25, Clayon’s brigade is replaced by Brig. Gen. Alfred Cumming’s brigade, and the battle of the east side of the gap is renewed, with Pettus’s brigade being fed into the battle from their reserve position. Then, on February 26, Granberry’s Texas brigade drives the Federals out of Dug Gap.

On the west side of the mountains, the fight was between the Federals of the First and Third Brigades, Second Division (Jefferson C. Davis’s) of the IV Corps, and the Confederate brigades of Stovall, Moore, Gibson, Reynolds, and Clayton. Action on February 23 amounted to little more than skirmishing between Stovall and Brig. Gen. James D. Morgan (10th Mich. and 60th Illinois). February 24 was the story: skirmishing. On February 25, the two regiments under Morgan attack Stovall and Stovall pushed then back. Stovall and Moore’s brigades are on the right, with Gibson in reserve. On the Confederate left, Reynolds’s brigade begins skirmishing with the 85th and 86th Illinois. Clayton feeds his regiments into Reynolds’s line, extending Reynold’s left. The Federals retreat, and by February 27, are back over on their side of Tunnel Hill.

So what has this got to do with the Old North State? The 58th and 60th North Carolina Troops are in Reynolds’s brigade. Reynolds, on the evening of February 25, reported his losses in these two regiments, as "24 wounded, 3 mortally." One of those was the 58th’s sergeant major, James Inglis, a native of Scotland who resided as a carpenter in Caldwell County prior to the war.

Elizabeth City and the Civil War

Large armies never marched where I live. And the largest military action of the war was when Stoneman’s Raiders came through, their advance guard fighting a skirmish with a company of local home guard in Boone. Most of the "military" action pitted either the home guard against small bands of Unionist-leaning irregulars, or, were family/community related. Chris Meekins’s new book, Elizabeth City, North Carolina and the Civil War: A History of Battle and Occupation, highlights the war that a local population on the other side of the Old North State experienced.

People often characterize western North Carolina as being pro-Union. And, certain parts of it were. But it is not just western North Carolina. When the governor called for a convention in February 1861 to consider taking North Carolina out of the Union, only 579 votes separated the two sides (46,672 in favor, 47,269 against). Paquotank County, where Elizabeth City is set, cast 585 votes. Seventy-three percent of those votes (426) were for not calling a convention and for keeping the state, more specifically, Elizabeth City and Paquotank County, in the Union.

Meekins walks his readers through local history. His introduction gives us a glimpse of the northeastern section of North Carolina prior to the war. From this introduction, we learn of the importance of the canal system that connected the area with the port at Norfolk. Just as western North Carolina was more connected to South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, due to the lay of the land, the northeastern part of the state was more connected to Virginia than other parts of North Carolina.

Through the next 134 pages, readers look at the war, both in terms of military action and in violence against civilians. The war in and around Elizabeth City was a constant struggle between the two opposing sides. The Federals would arrive one day, only to leave shortly thereafter. Confederates, usually irregulars, would move in after the Federals left. When the Federals were present, they would usually demand loyalty oaths from the civilian population. But once the Federals left, those who took the Oath would be subjected to retribution by pro-Confederates.

One thing that caught my attention was in the last chapter. A raid was conducted by the Federals in late July 1864. The next few paragraphs list a long line of loyal citizens who lost livestock, foodstuffs, and other articles to these "protectors of the Union." As was the case in western North Carolina, those who lived in the northeastern section never knew who the enemy was.

I do wish that Meekins would have taken the story a little further. Yes, formal hostilities end, but what happened when those who supported the Confederacy came home? Were there reprisals for the Unionist activities during the war? While Elizabeth City was burned early in the war, what survived? Is there anything today for visitors to see? How about the Confederate monument that was dedicated on May 10, 1911? Why does a county so pro-Union have a Confederate monument? It would also have been nice to have a map of Elizabeth City. The period map of the region at the beginning of the book is good, but what about something just showing the city?

Overall, I really enjoyed Elizabeth City, North Carolina and the Civil War: A History of Battle and Occupation. The period illustrations from sources such as Harper’s Weekly add a nice touch. The book is endnoted, but there is no bibliography, nor is there an index. I’ve worked with the History Press myself, and I know that they do not want indexes. I wish that they would change that policy. For those interested in the war and northeast North Carolina, Meekins’s book is a must have.

Endangered battlefields

The Civil War Preservation Trust’s annual report on the most endangered Civil War sites has just been released. Antietam and the proposed cell phone tower tops the list. What is surprising is the number of "non-large" battlefields that made the top ten, like Natural Bridge, Florida.

There were no North Carolina sites in the top ten. There was one Tar Heel site in the "15 Additional Sites at Risk." That site is the battle of Yadkin River Ridge.

Fought on April 12, 1865, this skirmish six miles east of Salisbury, pitted a makeshift Confederate force against elements of Stoneman’s command. The fight was more of an artillery duel, with Federal loses estimated at 16 killed, with Confederate losses at one or two killed, and a few wounded. The Federals decided that the Confederates were too strongly entrenched and retreated back to Salisbury. You can read more about the battle at Yadkin River Brigade here.

The Civil War Preservation Trust wrote that

In August a developer seeking to build a racetrack near the site of the last Confederate victory in the Carolinas began excavations and grading activities without county permits, repeatedly ignoring stop work orders from government officials. Although a court eventually issued a restraining order against the developer, they still predict a summer 2008 opening.

Not a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust? Please join. It is a great organization!