Still not a lot of time for blogging, reading or writing - one week to go on the Mitchell County project, and then I am off to Gettysburg.

I did spend some enjoyable time last evening working on the final text for the Blalock Civil War Trail marker here in Avery County, and on a flag that has recently come to light attributed to Brig. Gen. Lawrence Branch.

Lots of fun, but alas, I need to go and write a caption about S. G. Brinkley, who, in the late 1800s, had the world’s longest beard.

Trips, 200 post, and the flag of the 18th NCT

Folks - I’m off to speak at the Rufus Barringer Civil War Round Table this evening. Be back tomorrow. I’m also in the crunch time to get this Mitchell County pictorial history finished. I need to be done by July 1, which is when I leave for Gettysburg. So, post will be a little sparse until I get back from the Burg. Also, if you emailed me lately, I will get to it as soon as I can.
By the way, this is post #200!

This came across my desk yesterday and I though you might enjoy.

NEWS RELEASE

Press Contacts: For Immediate Release
Susan Friday Lamb, 919-807-7943
Tom Belton, 919-807-7952

Museum Acquires Flag Associated With Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s Death

The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh announces the acquisition of a Confederate battle flag associated with a major turning point of the Civil War — the death of Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The flag was carried by the 18th Regiment North Carolina Troops, which was responsible for the accidental shooting of the Confederate general at Chancellorsville , Va. , on May 2, 1863. Severely injured by gunfire, Jackson died a week later of pneumonia.

That fateful May 2 evening, the 18th North Carolina was in a line of battle ready to attack retreating Union troops. Jackson and his staff rode out in front of the Confederate line on reconnaissance. When they returned unannounced, firing broke out along the Southern battle line. In the confusion, soldiers from the 18th North Carolina fired into the dark woods at what they believed was Federal cavalry, mortally wounding Jackson .

The following day, the 18th North Carolina ’s battle flag was captured by Federal soldiers when the regiment’s color-bearer, Cpl. Owen J. Eakins of New Hanover County , was killed during the Battle of Chancellorsville.

The existence of the flag was unknown to the N.C. Museum of History until 1992, when the museum received a letter from its owner. The postwar history of the flag is unclear, but it likely had several owners before it was acquired by Dr. Tom Walsh in the early 1970s. In 1993 the New Jersey college professor loaned the historic banner to the N.C. Museum of History, where it was conserved and appeared in a previous exhibit. Recently, Walsh offered to donate a partial value of the flag to the museum, and the museum purchased the remaining value this May. It is currently on view in A Call to Arms: North Carolina Military History Gallery.

"We are deeply grateful to Dr. Walsh for his generous contribution and for making the purchase of the flag much more affordable to the museum," emphasized Ken Howard, director of the Division of State History Museums. "The flag is now a permanent part of our collection, which ensures that future generations will see it."

In addition to its battle significance, the 18th North Carolina flag has two unusual features. In late 1862, the five regiments in the North Carolina Branch-Lane Brigade received new battle flags. Unlike other flags issued to North Carolina regiments, these flags not only had white battle honors, instead of the usual blue or black, but the honors were painted on both sides of the flag.

"The acquisition of this important Civil War artifact is one of the greatest highlights of my 30-year career with the museum," states Tom Belton, curator of military history.

The flag acquisition is in anticipation of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Celebration, which will take place from 2011 to 2015. The celebration, sponsored by the Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, will commemorate the war’s 150th anniversary and feature events and activities.

Visit the N.C. Museum of History to see this newly acquired artifact linked to a brilliant military strategist, whose death some scholars say turned the tide of the Civil War. Thanks to the generosity of the flag’s previous owner, this important historic banner will remain in good hands.
Said Walsh, "I’m glad the flag is back in North Carolina , where it belongs."

For more information about the museum, call 919-807-7900 or visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.

# # #
The N.C. Museum of History’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The department’s Web site is www.ncculture.com.

I found these Tar Heel soldiers buried in the Marietta Cemetery during my recent trip to Georgia. These Tar Heels died at the old soldiers home in Marietta.

weekend

Yet again, I've had a busy weekend. I spent Friday morning working at the Avery County History Museum. Friday afternoon I interviewed a 93-year-old man and worked some on my Mitchell County project. Saturday, I loaded up the truck and went to Plumtree, here in Avery County, for the annual Avery County Heritage Festival. We sent up a camp and did a little Civil War interpretive work. I also sold a slew of books and picked up some new information on the 58th NCT. Sunday morning, I got up early and headed over to the reenactment in Jonesville, Virginia. I sold a few more books, participated in the reenactment, and most importantly, might have discovered the final resting place of a dozen plus members of the 58th NCT who died while stationed at Cumberland Gap in September and October 1862. I am going to a wedding in Cumberland Gap in August, so I'll report more on this when I return.

It was an extremely hot weekend. Saturday was in the upper 80s. On Sunday, when I made it back to my car, the temp was 99. I came home acouple of pounds lighter!

Books

Today, I read that the North Carolina Historical Publications Office is getting ready to release the next volume of the North Carolina Troop book series (Volume 16). This volume is to contain a roster of Thomas’s Legion. While not yet listed on the web page, you can check out the other volumes here.

I’ve also seen that McFarland is releasing a history of the 25th North Carolina Troops, written by Carroll C. Jones. I’m not sure why there is a picture depicting the 26th North Carolina on the front of a book about the 25th North Carolina. Check it out here.

From the publisher:
This historical account covers the 25th Regiment North Carolina Infantry Troops during the Civil War. Farmers and their sons left the mountains to enlist with the regiment organized in Asheville in August 1861 to defend their home territory. The book chronicles the unit’s defensive tactics in the Carolina coastal regions and battlefield actions at Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Plymouth and Petersburg, in addition to casualty and desertion records. More than 125 photos, illustrations, and maps are featured, as well as a complete regimental roster.

I am also very much looking forward to Paul Escott’s North Carolinians in the Era of Civil War and Reconstruction, soon to be released by UNC Press.


I’ve also seen a new book by Arcadia entitled Greensboro’s Confederate Soldiers, by Carol Moore

Just a few thoughts! Do you think we will ever run out of material to write about?

On the road again...

Folks - I’ll be in Morganton this evening, speaking and signing books at 7:00 pm at the community center.

NC at Missionary Ridge

Earlier, I wrote that I would post the details of my trip. I'll just post bits and pieces from time to time.

One of the last places we visited was up on Missionary Ridge. While I have been to Chickamauga and Point Lookout several times, I had never ventured up on Missionary Ridge. The Ranger working in the small cubicle (he was very glad that the visitor center at Point Park was re-opening that weekend) showed me where the 58th and 60th NCT's position was and where their marker should be. The photo copy of the marker descriptionstates that the marker for Reynold's brigade was, on "02/10/64 - In storage at Utility area, moved for new highway." and beside that inpencil "I24" So, when they were building Interstate 24 in the 1960s, the marker for Reynold's brigade had been moved. The Ranger gave me a wide swath of area to cover in my search.

So off we went. The route is not well marked, and after about half an hour, we were able to find the "Sherman Reservation" and able to start on the north end of the ridge. We worked our way south, looking for the marker. There are plenty of markers for different Confederate and Union brigades along Crest Road. All most all of these are set in the front yards of some rather nice homes. A few of the markers have been set into brick retaining walls. I do recall seeing a lady working in her flowers, while on her front lawn, just feet from her front door, was a pair of cannons.

We had driven for a while, crossing over I-24, and arrived at the Bragg Reservation. This was the headquarters for General Bragg duringthe battle. I knew from my research that portions of Reynold's command retreated to the area of Bragg's headquarters as they fell back up the ridge to their assigned position. So, I knew that I was close. I got outof the car, and made my way around the little park, exploring each marker.

After about 15 minutes, I came to the realization that the marker was not at the Bragg Reservation. I walked to the northern end of the park and there was I-24. I returned to the car and started to retrace theroute. I had seen the marker for Finley's brigade earlier, and I knew that Reynolds was near the Floridians. As we headed north again, we rounded a curve, and there was the marker for Reynold's brigade. Coming from the other direction, we had been too busy watching for on-coming cars and had missed the marker. If you are ever looking forthe marker, when you come to a stop sign, you need to turn right to continue on Crest Road. The marker sits to your right as you turn.

So, the 58th and 60th NCT's position on the top of Missionary Ridge no longer exists. It was hauled away in the 1960s when they were constructing the interstate.

In my next post, we will discuss the marker and what is wrong with it.

Crowdsurfing

When I was in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to track down a few sources that the publications committee used in producing the entry on 58th North Carolina in volume 14 of the troop books. I had a chance to meet some fine folks that afternoon as I bounced from department to department. At one point, one of the historians connected with the troop book project asked me what was going to be different about my book on the 58th NCT, in comparison with what was in the troop books. I had to think for a couple of moments, but the answer is simple: I have available to me quite a few more resources than the folks in Raleigh. That’s not to say that the folks in Raleigh don’t have great resources. They do. And I have made repeated trips to our state’s capital to exploit those resources.

So how is my book on the 58th NCT going to differ from the account that is in the troop book? The answer is simple: crowdsurfing.

Until today, when I was going through my blog list, I did not know that the term "crowdsurfing" referred to anything other than the stunt sometimes performed at concerts, especially the kind I attended when I was younger. I found a link on Paul Taylor’s blog, With Sword and Pen, to an article that recently appeared in the Boston Globe.

I’ve been crowdsurfing, in the literary sense for quite some time. I did it with my book on the 37th NCT, aa well as with the 58th NCT. How did I crowdsurf and what impact did it have? There were 2,000 men plus who served in both the 37th NCT and the 58th NCT. I created an alphabetical list, and then posted each name in an online genealogical database, like www.genforum.com. Yes, it takes a considerable amount of time to get all those names posted. The reward, however, is well worth the time invested. Unpublished or seldom seen letters, diaries, photographs, and post-war reminisces have been sent to me. Almost all of these items are rather unknown, and had I relied simply upon the materials at archives and libraries, the books would have been incomplete.

I’ll give you an example from my work on the 37th NCT. There was a story that came to me regarding one member of the 37th NCT telling Stonewall Jackson "I wouldn't go in there now. Its too dark, and your men may take you for the enemy and shoot you." Great story! However, what member of Lane’s brigade would not have wanted to repeat those words to Jackson? The speaker was Thomas Lowery of Company D. After doing some further research, I discovered that Lowery was acting second sergeant of Company D, and that Company D occupied the position of second company during the Chancellorsville battle. The second company is the furthest company to the left of the regiment, and Lowery, being second sergeant, would have ben post on the left of the company. The 37th NCT’s left rested on the Orange Plank Road. If Jackson rode out along the Orange Plank Road that evening, then no one was in a better position to tell Jackson not to ride out there in between the lines than Lowery.

Crowdsurfing - check it out. If you are writing a regimental history, it is a tool that is indispensable.

Memorial Day

In honor of Memorial Day, here is a photograph of the grave of David Cook, buried in the National Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. This might have been the same David Cook who served as a private in Company B, 37th North Carolina Troops.

Confederate Cemetery in Dalton

One of the places that I visited on my recent trip through north Georgia was the cemetery in Dalton. I had been once before, maybe 15 years ago. In the past, a historical marker informed us that there were 421 unknown and four known Confederates buried in the Confederate section of Dalton. I was pleasantly surprised to find a new monument with the names of those 421 men. From the 58th North Carolina, we have these:


David Bright, Co. F
Sgt. Maj. James Inglish, F&S
George Keener, Co. G
Jacob D. Shook, Co. D
Washington Stevens, Co. F


The monument had Sgt. Maj. Inglis’s name twice, once as James Inglish, and the second time as James English, neither of which are correct. Oh well, at least I now know where he is buried.


This is just one more small piece of the puzzle.

Back Home

Well, I am back at home from a very long week. I had every intention of blogging while I was gone, but I never once pulled ye olde laptop from my bag.

Here is a recap: I was in Raleigh on Friday and Saturday, doing research and attending the flag program. I came back Saturday afternoon and spent Saturday evening at home. Sunday morning, we re-packed the car and headed to Central, South Carolina, for a re-enactment, where we met my mom and dad. Saturday afternoon, we headed to Red Top Mountain State Park, where we set up "camp" in my parents’ motor coach. Monday morning was spent at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, home of the famous engine, The General . Monday afternoon we tramped the battlefields of Kenasaw and Kolb’s Farm, (and the cemetery in Marietta) working on the book on the 58th NCT. Tuesday, we covered Reseca and Dalton. Wednesday, I was back in Dalton, then a quick trip to Chickamauga. We spent more time at Lookout Mountain and on Missionary Ridge - we thought we would never find the iron tablet for Reynolds’s brigade at Chickamauga.

I’ll post more when I get pictures downloaded and my notes out of the car. Things are a bit fuzzy right now.

Flags of the 26th NCT and 37th NCT

As a writer, I have several special events that hold an important place in my life, like the publication of my first article, the publication of my first book, winning the Willie Parker Peace Book Award (twice), and speaking at the CWPT’s annual conference last year. Today, I added another one to that last.

For the past couple of weeks, I have mentioned a special program that I was attending at the North Carolina Museum of History. It is 10:30 pm, Saturday evening; I just returned. Today, I had the opportunity to present/unveil the battle flag of the 37th North Carolina Troops. The flag of the 37th NCT, along with the Gettysburg flag of the 26th NCT, and the coat, belt, and sword of Maj. Gen. Bryan Grimes, has been loaned to the NCMOH by the Museum of the Confederacy.

Yesterday, my family drove to Raleigh. I spent the afternoon tracking down some letters by a member of the 58th NCT. I also had a chance to chat for a few minutes with Tom Belton, Curator at the NCMOH. We then spent Friday evening with Col. Skip Smith, of the 26th NCT, and his family. On Saturday morning, I arrived at the museum a little after 10:00 am. I set up some of my books on the table and began talking to folks as they arrived. Around 12:30 pm, the program began, with music being provided by both the 26th NCT’s brass band, and fife and drum corps (field music). We then made our way into the auditorium. I spoke close to the beginning of the program, and, along with Mr. Belton, unveiled the flag of the 37th NCT. Several others spoke, and we displayed the coat, belt, and sword of Bryan Grimes, and the blood-stained flag of the 26th NCT.

It has been a glorious day. Thanks to the 26th NCT for allowing me to participate in this remarkable experience. After I catch my breath a bit, I may post more about the day .

The photo at top is the flag of the 37th NCT. The one at the bottom is of the 26th NCT’s.

Off to Raleigh

Well folks, I am off to Raleigh for the flag presentation on Saturday. I’ll be at the North Carolina Museum of History most of the morning on Saturday. The program begins at 1:00 pm. If you get a chance, please stop by and say hi. I’ll have complete details and photos when I get back.

Program in Monroe

Folks - I had this request come to me a couple of days ago:

We are honoring Weary Clyburn in Monroe NC on 7/18 and need help getting the word out to reenactors. We need cannon crews, musicians, period dress.
Thanks www.jamesmillerscv.org

If you can help, please contact Michael Chapman at commander@jamesmillerSCV.org

Alas, I'll be in Raleigh.

Upcomming events

Confederate Memorial Day in North Carolina was this past Saturday (May 10). I was able to visit or participate in services in Yancey, Haywood, and Mitchell Counties. The latter was a candlelight service, honoring the 10 Confederate Veterans in the old Bakersville Cemetery. If you have never had a chance to visit or participate in a candlelight service at a cemetery, let me encourage you to do so. It is a powerful experience.

Not all services are held on May 10. I also had the privilege of speaking at the Confederate Memorial Day program in Stanley County on May 8, and I believe that there will be a service at Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte on May 18.

I don't have as much going on this week as I did last week, but it will be busy nevertheless. Tonight, I'll be speaking and signing books in Lincolnton. On Friday, I'll be traveling to Raleigh for an event on Saturday. On Saturday, I will be at the Museum of History there in Raleigh. The event: The flags of the 26th NCT and 37th NCT have been returned to North Carolina. I'll be speaking that afternoon, and helping unveil the 37th NCT's battleflag. It is an incredible honor, and I look forward to participating in the event. I will be around the museum most of the day, so, if you get a chance, stop by and say hi!

Pvt Will Ellis - 2nd NC Junior Reserves

Maplewood Cemetery, Wilson, NC

Pvt. William Hinson - 18th NCT

Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery

Virginia

Pvt. Needham Price - 27th NCT

New Bern

Henry McKinney - Co. A, 49th NCT

Pvt. Henry McKinney, Company A, 49th NCT, Yellow Mountain Cemetery, Avery County.

Capt. Robert Cochrane - 5th NCC

With Confederate Memorial Day in North Carolina this Saturday, and since I’ll be on the road more this week than I’ll be at home, I though I would post some photos of different Confederate graves across the state.

This photo was taken in Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County.