The Lights of the Great Armada: Fort Fisher

KURE BEACH - As part of the state's observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources' Fort Fisher State Historic Site will host "The Lights of the Great Armada: The 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher" on Jan. 21-22, 2012.


This two-day event will highlight the war's largest amphibious assault with a Navy and Marine living history program that includes small arms and artillery demonstrations, a period torpedo exhibit, as well as special presentations focusing on the Union and Confederate sailors and marines who fought at Fort Fisher in January 1865.

Among the guest speakers will be Dr. Robert M. Browning Jr., Chief Historian for the U.S. Coast Guard. The author of several books and dozens of articles on the Civil War, Browning will present "None can be more vigilant than we are...the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War." Also presenting will be Dr. Mark Wilde-Ramsing, Deputy State Archaeologist with the N.C. Office of State Archaeology, who will discuss the blockade runner Modern Greece, and Larry Bopp and Steve Bockmiller of the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company and Ship's Company.

Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. The program is free both days; donations are appreciated.

All Fort Fisher programming is made possible by support from the Friends of Fort Fisher, a nonprofit group, and 2012 sustaining members Mike McCarley and James M. Taylor.

As this year draws to a close, I must stand back and say, what a year! It's been a privilege to get out and visit so many places and talk to so many of you. As a way to wrap up the year, I thought I would look back at a couple of highlights.

     This year, I've had the chance to do 55 lectures and/or book signings. These have been in almost every corner of the state, from Fort Fisher, to Charlotte, and Old Salem, to Asheville and Waynesville. I started this year at the North Carolina Museum of History, speaking at a program that centered around the flag fragments belonging to the 58th North Carolina Troops. April was the Allatoona was the 29th and 39th NCT's Monument dedication, and in May, I was back at the Museum of History, speaking at a Civil War Sesquicentennial. Also in May, I was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, signing books at book the Reliance Saloon (Beer and a Book) and at the American History Store. The Fort Fisher event in July was great (love to hear that 32-pounder sound off). The event in October at Old Salem was really great. I spent the first half of the year speaking and signing North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg, and the last few months speaking and signing North Carolina in the Civil War.

Next year is looking even better - if that is at all possible. I'll start off speaking in Wilkes County on January 7 (at the library, I think). In February I'll be in Greenville, Tennessee, and the Caldwell County Public Library. I'm already scheduled to speak at the Civil War Round Tables in Burlington and Durham this year, and in Hanover Court House on May 27. I'm sure I'll be back in Gettysburg at least once, maybe twice.

One series of special events that I am really looking forward to is a series of book signings with friend and New York Times best-seller Sharyn McCrumb. Earlier this year, Sharyn asked me to write a forward to a re-release of her novel, Ghost Riders. This tome follows the war-time lives of Keith and Malinda Blalock. I'm really looking forward to this event.

So, it's been a great year. I've enjoyed all of the places and events and people. Next year, with the release of Civil War Charlotte, is going to be even better.

“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Photo Exhibit on Display at N.C. Maritime Museum and Wilkes County Library

RALEIGH – Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the Wilkes County Public Library in North Wilkesboro will host the free display from Jan. 2-29, 2012, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

  “The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Crow, Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

 The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources will display 24 images from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org) on simultaneous eastern and western routes. Between April 2011 and May 2013, 50 libraries will showcase “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” offering visuals that present gallant women, African American triumph and the perseverance of Confederate soldiers. A notebook accompanies the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

 One of the images portrays a poignant letter from Colonel Isaac E. Avery that embodies the courage and passion of the Confederate forces. Born Dec. 20, 1828, in Burke County, North Carolina, Avery served in the 6^th NC Troops and led the attack on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, Pa., in July 1863. As his final act, Avery wrote a message to Major Samuel McDowell Tate reading, “Major. Tell my father I died with my Face to the enemy. I. E. Avery,” and he marked it with his blood.

For information on the exhibit in Beaufort call the museum at (252) 728-7317; in Wilkes County call the library at (336) 838-2818. For information on the statewide tour visit call Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

Brothers versus brothers.

We are all familiar with the idea of the War being a War in which brothers fought against brothers. But how often do we actually come across those stories? In my research for Civil War Charlotte, I've actually found on such tale. Ok, I kind of knew this story before, but not all of the details. So, here are the details.
     In 1838, Dr. John H. Gibbons became chief assayer at the new United State Mint in, or near, Charlotte, North Carolina. The first gold rush was rapidly expanding the town. Previously, the Gibbons family had lived in Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia to be exact. There were ten Gibbons children.
     One of those sons was John Gibbon (no, I don't know why he does not have the s). John was eleven when the family moved, and went on to spend about five years in the Queen City. John graduated from West Point in 1847, and served in the Mexican War and the Seminole War, and taught artillery tactics at West Point.  When the Civil War started, John became chief of artillery for Irvin McDowell. In 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and assigned command of a brigade of Wisconsin Men. Later, this brigade was known as the Iron Brigade. John later commanded the 2nd Division, II Corps, and at Gettysburg, commanded the Corps during part of the battle. It was on his front that the Picket-Pettigrew-Trimble charge landed on July 3. He was also wounded the second time. Gibbon would later command the XVIII Corps, and then the XXIV Corps. Following the War, he served out West, battling the Sioux , Cheyenne, and Nez Perce. He later commanded the Army of the Pacific Northwest, before retiring in 1891. He died in Baltimore, Maryland,  and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
     An older brother was Lardner Gibbon. Lardner was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy and was sent by the US government to explore the Amazon River. On July 2, 1861, he was appointed a captain in the Confederate States Artillery. He is listed as ordinance officer and commander of corps artillery in the 2nd Military District of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.  He later resigned on August 5, 1863. Just what his role was after his resignation is unclear. An interesting aside is that both John and Lardner served as best men in the wedding of Daniel Harvey Hill. Lardner died on January 1, 1910.
     Yet another older brother to John was Robert Gibbon. He was born in 1822 and graduated from the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia.  He returned to Charlotte where he was living when the War commenced. Robert was appointed surgeon of the 28th North Carolina Troops on or about September 25, 1861, and served in this capacity until appointed senior surgeon of James H. Lane's brigade on January 29, 1864. Once the War ended, Robert returned to Charlotte and practiced surgery in the Queen City. Two of his sons founded Presbyterian Hospital. Robert died on May 14, 1898.
     The last brother was Nicholas Gibbon. He was born in 1837 and was attending lectures at the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia when the war commenced. He returned to Charlotte and enrolled in the North Carolina Military Institute, under the command of family friend D. H. Hill.  Nicholas served as a private in the 1st North Carolina Volunteers. Once that regiment mustered out of service, Nicholas was appointed Assistant Commissary of Substance in the 28th North Carolina Troops (under the command of James H. Lane, another North Carolina Military institute professor). Nicholas served in this capacity until resigning on September 17, 1863. He then served on Cadmus Wilcox's staff and in other positions until returning to North Carolina to look for deserters. Nicholas married into the Alexander family and farmed in Mecklenburg County after the War. He died on October 17, 1917.
     There you have it, brothers fighting brothers. By the way, two of the Gibbon sisters also married Confederate soldiers, and somehow, they are all related to James J. Pettigrew.

Stonewall Jackson's Death - Union Soldier Tells How That Great Leader Was Shot.

Folks  - I dug this out of the Charlotte Observer (11.06.1910). Since I wrote the book on the 37th NCT, the regiment that fired on Jackson and his party first, driving them to the other side of the Orange Plank Road and into the guns of the 18th NCT, I've been interested in the story of Jackson's mortal wounding at Chancellorsville. Or course, we know that Jackson was under fire twice. However, Hay's story just confirms that there was much confusion going on that evening. After reading this story, what do you think?

Springfield Republican

John Hays, a Northern soldier, who belonged to the third division of the Second Army corps in the civil war, visited the battlefield of Chancellorsville recently and after looking over the lay of the land closely, has since come to the conclusion that he was directly responsible for the shooting of "Stonewall" Jackson on May 2, 1863, which resulted in his death a few days later. The cavalry to which Hays belonged was ordered to report to General Berry during the battle, but Berry could not be located, and Hays was sent out as a scout to find him.

   He found General Couch, and asked him where the brigade should go, and received the reply, "Damn it, go where the fighting is!" So Hays started back, but could not find his brigade. It was dusk, and while riding down a lonely road he noticed a little group of mounted men. Thinking they were Union soldiers, he had started toward them when a volley of musketry ripped out from all sides of him. His horse never having received a baptism of fire, wheeled and bolted down the road.

   Hays turned as he went and saw a commotion among the horsemen, and came to the conclusion that the volley had taken effect on them instead of killing him. A few days later he heard that General Jackson had been fatally shot by his own men at this place. Upon his recent visit to the field he relocated the old landmarks, and a Confederate officer, who was with Jackson, bore out his theory.

Holiday Open House at Fort Fisher

KURE BEACH - Tap into the Christmas spirit and share holiday cheer as Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach sponsors its Holiday Open House on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Enjoy seasonal refreshments, decorations, and entertainment throughout the day, including the elementary school chorus from Leland Christian Academy at 11 a.m., followed at 12 noon by songs and stories of Civil War blockade running by noted historical entertainer John Golden (aka Captain Roberts) and actor/interpreter and storyteller Joyce Grear (aka Harriet "Moses" Tubman), telling stories of the African-American experience and Christmas cultural traditions in the Cape Fear region.

The Murray Middle School Jazz Band will cap off the festivities at 1:30 pm. with selections from their holiday repertoire.

For the history lover on your shopping list, special discounts will be offered on all Fort Fisher Museum Shop merchandise. Be sure to try the new Battery Buchanan coffee, especially blended for the Friends of Fort Fisher.

This free event is hosted by the Friends of Fort Fisher and Fort Fisher Chapter No. 2325, United Daughters of the Confederacy. For information, contact Paul Laird at 910-612-7067 or plaird@friendsoffortfisher.com.

The Confederate Dead

In my research today, I came across this little piece:

The Confederate Dead - The Confederate dead are being removed from the Chickamauga battle field and reinterred in the Confederate cemetery at Marietta, GA. The Journal says that about two hundred bodies arrived there during the past week. (Daily Carolina Times June 19, 1869).

The process of disinterring and then reinterring the earthly remains of soldiers has always held some fascination for me. I've always tried to include these details in the books and articles that I've written. This coincides with the second most-asked question: where is my ancestor buried? Of course, you probably know the most-asked question: do you have a photograph of my ancestor? Of the two regimental histories that I've written, I only have about 10 percent of the men captured in a photograph, and few of the ten percent are in uniform.

So, what does this have to do with NC and the War? There were several North Carolina regiments that fought at Chickamauga.  In the 58th regiment alone there were 57 killed or mortally wounded. A few were disinterred and returned home, like Lt. Col. Edmund Kirby (Richmond, VA) and Pvt. John Eben Childs (Columbia, South Carolina). The vast majority of them lie either still on the field, or at the Marietta Confederate Cemetery in Georgia.

Book signings for December

Folks, right now, I have three events on the calendar. More my follow.

Saturday, December 3, 2012, I'll be speaking at the historic Ft. Defiance just north of Lenoir in Caldwell County at 1:00 pm. Everyone is welcomed to stop by and enjoy the festivities!

On Tuesday, December 6, I'll be speaking at the Concord History Museum in Concord at 7:00 pm.

On Thursday, December 8, I'll be speaking to the Stonewall Jackson Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp in Charlotte, NC. They meet at Riverview Fish Camp at 6:00 pm.

Another one of those "pesky" black Confederates.

 I came across this newspaper piece while researching Civil War Charlotte, and I thought I would share. Make sure you see my comments below.

Old Negro in Destitute Circumstances.

   William Winters, a mulatto about 70 years old and helpless, lies at his home on Poplar street, between Trade and Fourth streets, in destitute circumstances. Winter has had a rather interesting career. He was born a free negro and during the war was a soldier in the Confederate forces. He left home as the valet and cook for Col. Charles Fisher, of the Sixth North Carolina Regiment, who was killed in the first battle of Manassas. Winters was with Col. Fisher when he was shot and assisted in getting him off the field. He remained with the Confederate army during the war and afterwards cooked in Charlotte hotels and cafes until about 10 years ago when he became too feeble to work. He has always been a good negro and has had many friends among the white people, especially among the old veterans. (Charlotte Observer 01.04.1906)

Now I know that this type of story is not popular among certain groups of historians. Regardless of the predisposed assumption that there no blacks in the Confederate army, they did exist, as evidenced by the story above. Of course, I have frequently mentioned the Cousins/Cozzens brothers of Watauga County, who served in the 37th NCT. Franklin Cozzens a free mulatto, voluntarily enlisted in the Confederate army and was killed at Second Manassas in August 1862. Unlike Franklin and William Henry Cozzens,  William Winters does not appear to have a compiled service record. Many would argue that since he spent the war working as a cook, he was not a legitimate soldier. That's an old (obsolete?) argument. William Henry Cozzens served most of the War as a teamster, and when it came time to apply for a pension, he had no problems obtaining one. I could find no pension for Winters, nor do I know of the disposition of his remains. It will be an interesting story to follow.

A Look Around the Old North State

It been sometime since I looked at what's going on in the news related to North Carolina and the War - sorry for being behind.

For information on North Carolina Civil War sites with holiday-themed programs, check out this piece from South Carolina here.

The Virginia Pilot recently reported here that the bell of the CSS Albemarle has been returned to North Carolina.

Information about arms manufacture during the War in the Jamestown area can be found here.

Interested in original Confederate imprints? Check out this article on a exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.

Playing the role of tourist

Every once-in-a while, I get to go and play a tourist - I'm not out researching, or trying to give a talk, or selling a book. A couple of weekends ago, I got to spend a little time in Harrisonburg, Virginia. My darling wife was presenting a paper at James Madison University, and we got to tag along.

After a morning spent at children's museum in Harrisonburg, we headed up the interstate to New Market.  Often I drive up I-81 through the Shenandoah Valley and literally pass through the New Market Battlefield. I cannot recall if I had ever actually visited the area; if I had, it would have been in the mid- to late 1980s, possibly during the trip to Gettysburg in 1988.

On arriving in town, "Thing Two" was asleep in the backseat, and so we drove around and visited the two large cemeteries in town: Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery, and then over to St. Matthew's Cemetery. Both are great old cemeteries and hold the remains of Confederates from the battle. St. Matthews has a large Confederate monument marking the burial spot for many Confederates killed or mortally wounded during the battle, and was also the final resting place of the cadets from the Virginia Military Institute before being reinterred on the campus of VMI.

Figuring that Thing Two had had enough of a nap, we headed to the battlefield. We toured the museum, looking at the uniforms and flags and different displays. It would have been nice to see a little more about the battle, but I understand that they are trying to reach a broader audience. We also watched "Field of Lost Shoes," the short documentary on the 1864 battle. Overall, it was really good, with great interpreters.  I was a little concerned with the whole slave running away bit - it seemed unnecessary and gives into the whole "the Union army got close and the slaves sought freedom" part of popular culture. Was this actually based on a true story from one of the local farmsteads? Is there proof that slaves did run away from their homes on the approach of the Union army getting ready to fight at New Market? How about information on the slaves that chose to remain behind and not run away? Or, is this simply a North Carolina phenomenon?  Oh well...

We spent time touring the battlefield and walking about the Bushong Farm. It was late in the day, and rather cool, so there will be other places to explore in the area on a return visit.

On Saturday, we had a chance to visit Dayton, Tennessee, and the area where Lt. John Meigs, the son of Federal general Montgomery Meigs, was killed. Meigs was out on a scout when he and his companion ran into Confederate scouts. In the very brief skirmish that followed, Meigs was killed. His fellow soldier returned to camp and informed the Federal command Phil Sheridan, that Meigs had surrendered and was killed later. Sheridan ordered one of subordinates, George A. Custer, to burn all the town of Dayton and all of the houses in a three mile radius of the site. Much of the town survived, but many of the farms in the area were torched.

Overall, a great weekend of just touring Civil War sites. Time to get ready for the next adventure.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Catawba County Library Will Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit in December

RALEIGH – Determination, commitment and pride are among many characteristics of North Carolinians depicted in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The exhibit commemorates the role our state played in the Civil War (1861-1865), a defining period in United States history. It will visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras and the Catawba County Library in Hickory from Dec. 2-29 on simultaneous eastern and western routes.

 “The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

Images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org) will illustrate valiant members of the Confederacy, African Americans fighting for freedom, and daring women dedicated to the South. A total of 24 images will be exhibited by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state from April 2011 to May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and seeking viewer comments.

 Among the photos is an image of Parker D. Robbins, who was listed in an 1850 census as a mixed-race mechanic (Chowanoke Indian, black, and white). He served in the 2^nd United States Colored Calvary and later served as one of the first Black Republicans in the North Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1868.

For info rmation on the December displays call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at (252) 986-2995 or the Catawba County Library at (828) 294-2343. For more info rmation on the statewide tour visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

Silver Dollars

Dug this out of the Charlotte Observer (02/01/1903) this afternoon - wish I would have came across it sooner, or maybe even found the Mexican dollar!

      Major G. W. F. Harper showed your correspondent a Mexican silver dollar, which was his pay for service in the civil war. As many know, the Confederates were paid off at the close of the way for their services, some receiving $1.25, while others only received $1.14; the latter amount being the price paid Major Harper. On this dollar, Major Harper has had engraved, "Bounty for G. W. F. Harper, Major, Fifty-eighth Regiment, April 1st, 1865, for three years' service in the Confederate States army."

Duke Homestead to Host Lecture About Slavery

Durham -- On Saturday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m., Duke Homestead State Historic Site will host a lecture on the practice of slave leasing in the south as part of the Civil War 150 programming series. Professor Heather Williams of UNC-Chapel Hill will shed some light on this often misunderstood and under recognized part of the institution of slavery. This event is free.

 Williams holds undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and is currently Associate Professor of History at UNC- Chapel Hill where she teaches several courses including U.S. History to the Civil War; African American Life and Culture in Slavery; and other courses relating to the antebellum and Civil War periods.

On the road (yet again).

Friends, I'll be out signing twice this week. Tonight (November 15), I'll be speaking to the Capt. Jonas Cook Camp, SCV Camp. They meet at the St. John's Lutheran Church near Mt. Pleasant, NC, at 7:00 pm.

On Saturday, November 19, I'll be speaking at the Ladies Tea at the Annual Raid on the Suwannee Reenactment, held at the Spirit of the Suwannee River Music Park in Florida. Not sure about the time yet. I'll be around at the event most of the weekend.

More please?

Col. L. O'B. Branch was given this order November 18th: "The Governor directs that you arrest Lieut. Col. Bowman, U.S. A., and confine him in some cell in the jail at Raleigh reserved for prisoners accused of infamous crimes and treat him as such so long as the enemy continues so to treat the prisoners of war captured by them at sea and now held for trail in new York as prisoners. You will release Lieut. Col. Bowman from his parole and execute this order with as much regard for his feelings as practicable." This came from the adjutant general' letter books, found in the Charlotte Observer on March 9, 1902. Sometimes you just want more of the story. Who was Lieut. Col. Bowman? And why was he in Raleigh?

Thoughts on Hanover

So what drew me to the story of the battle of Hanover Court House/Slash Church? When I was working on my work on the 27th North Carolina Troops, I came across this battle - it was the second battle that the 37th NCT fought, along with the other regiments in Branch's brigade. As I was working, all I could really find was an essay by Robert E. L. Krick on the battle and a master's thesis by Jerry Coggeshall from 1999. I believe that the story of this battle needed to be told. In reading larger histories of the Peninsula Campaign, Hanover barely got a mention - just a couple of paragraphs in Sear's treatment of the battle. As I was working through the role of the 37th NCT at the battle, I believe that this action had a greater role in the overall Peninsula campaign that which had been previously told. With a portion of Irvin McDowell's army advancing south from Fredericksburg, and Fitz John Porter's Corps sitting just a little to the northeast of Richmond, the capital city of the Confederacy stood poised to fall to the Federals. Who was there positioned north of the city and able to stop them? The demoralized brigade of Branch. Of course, we all know the outcome: McDowell returned to Fredericksburg and Porter was soon on his way back to the main elements of the Army of the Potomac.

I try and get back to the Hanover area once or twice a year, often just to sit and reflect about this battle, a battle overshadowed by Seven Days and then the bloodletting a month later. But I would argue that Hanover needs to be remembered. The sacrifices of the Confederate and Union soldiers around the Kinney Farm and just north of Peake's Turnout were just as real as those of later battles.

So the next time you are in Hanover County, traveling north along US 301 towards the Court House, and pass by the intersection of Peake's Road and Georgetown Road, remember those who fought at the battle of Hanover Court House.

Cannon from Latham's battery, captured during the battle of Hanover Court House. Photo taken in the camp of the 17th Michigan.

Battle of Hanover Court House reissued as softback.

Good news - The Battle of Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign has recently been released in paperback.

Follow along as Federal general George B. McClellan advances north from the Peninsula and Irvin McDowell advances south from Washington, D. C., with orders to meet in Hanover County, Virginia. Sent to guard the railroad brigades in the area is the brigade of Brig. Gen. Lawrence Branch. His Tar Heel brigade is composed of the 7th, 18th, 28th, 33rd, and 37th Regiments of North Carolina Troops. These men, along with the 12th North Carolina State Troops and Latham's battery, pitch into the Federals of Fitz John Porter's V Corps. While the Confederates are heavily outnumbered, they fight valiantly, at times driving the Federals back. In the end, massive Federal reinforcements arrive and force the Tar Heels to retreat to Ashland, Virginia. Federal losses were 355; Confederate losses amounted to 798.

This is the only book-length treatment of the battle, and in 2007, won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. You can order your signed copy today for $27.50 (plus shipping and handling) by visiting www.michaelchardy.com/books.html or through your local book seller.

As an aside, I've been contacted by some folks in the Hanover area about doing a tour of the area on May 27, 2012. Keep watching for more details.

How a Boy Won His Spurs at Antietam

I came across this story a few days ago and I thought I would share. It is from Confederate Veteran, March 1913. This one makes me want to quit working on Civil War Charlotte and write a history of the 35th NCT...

HOW A BOY WON HIS SPURS AT ANTIETAM.

FROM SKETCH BY MRS. B. A. C. EMERSON, DENVER, COLO.

Early in the morning of the battle of Antietam Colonel Ransom's brigade of North Carolina regiments was sent to the aid of Stonewall Jackson's hard-pressed lines. In this brigade, in the 35th North Carolina, was William S. Hood, the boy who won his spurs on that day. The incidents are detailed by Capt. W. H. S. Burgwyn, of the 35th:

"During a lull in the battle General Jackson, with Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, visited our lines, which were in the famous 'West Woods.' General Jackson had on an old worn uniform, his slouch hat was pulled down over his eyes, and he was riding Little Sorrel. He rode up to where Colonel Ransom was standing and said he wanted him to take a battery that was in sight. Colonel Ransom replied that he would try if ordered, but was afraid he would fail. Jackson replied that he had just witnessed his charge upon that battery, and he thought that if he would try again he could take it. Colonel Ransom said he had tried it, and when he got on top of the hill he saw what he thought was the greater part of McClellan's army behind it. Jackson asked: 'Have you a good climber in your command?' Colonel Ransom called for volunteers, and Private William S. Hood, of Company H, jumped up and said he could climb. Jackson picked out a tall hickory tree and told him to go up it. Hood pulled off his shoes in a jiffy and went up like a squirrel.

"When Hood was near the top, Jackson, sitting on his horse under the tree, asked him: 'How many troops are over there?' Hood, uttering an exclamation of amazement, replied: 'Oceans of them.' Jackson sternly said: 'Count the flags, sir!' Hood began, 'One, two, three, four,' etc., General Jackson repeating after him the numbers until he had counted thirty-nine, when Jackson said: 'That will do; come down.' All this time the enemy's sharpshooters were firing at Hood."

When this sketch appeared in the newspapers before its publication in the State's history (North Carolina regiments), it brought a communication from Capt. D. G. Maxwell, Company H, 35th North Carolina, of Charlotte, which is so creditable to the gallant boy, Private William S. Hood, that it is incorporated as part of the record of this regiment. It states:

"In regard to the battle of Sharpsburg there are several additional incidents I shall relate. When going into action that morning, Colonel Ransom himself carried the regimental colors, but was not wounded. His command captured the battery which they had charged, but were afterwards forced to fall back and take their original position at the foot of a hill in the woods. Just here a Yankee officer mounted on a bobtail horse rode up to the abandoned battery, apparently to view our position, when I suppose one hundred guns were fired at him. He sat unconcernedly on his horse, when Colonel Ransom cried out: 'Cease firing; don't shoot that brave man.' The Yankee officer withdrew as deliberately as he came.

"Shortly thereafter, the firing having ceased in our immediate front, and before Private Hood had volunteered to climb the tree for General Jackson, Colonel Ransom came and ordered me to detail the best man in my company to go forward and ascertain the position and movements of the enemy. Immediately young Hood sprang to his feet (we were all lying down) and asked permission to go; and as he struck a 'turkey trot' across the field with his gun at a trail, I could see a smile of admiration on the face of the old Roman as he asked the name of the boy soldier and commanded me to lie down and report to him on Hood's return.

"Hood was gone for at least an hour, which was a long time under the circumstances, so long that both Colonel Ransom and I were uneasy as to his fate. Finally he returned and gave such a satisfactory account of all he had seen that Colonel Ransom complimented him and ordered him to return to his company. Hood told me that on the field among the dead and wounded he found a Federal officer badly wounded and crying for water. He gave the officer his canteen. The wounded man offered to give Hood his gold watch and chain and all the money he had to carry him within our lines for treatment. Hood told him that it was an impossibility; but when he encountered the Yankee pickets he informed them of this officer's condition and proposed to conduct them to the place where he was lying, which proposition was readily accepted. The officer was placed upon a stretcher and carried within the Federal lines. Hood could easily have been captured; but his magnanimity to this wounded officer gained for him the admiration of the Federal pickets, who treated him kindly, gave him coffee, and allowed him to return.

"A short time after Hood's return General Jackson made his request for a man to climb the tree. Hood again volunteered, as Colonel Burgwyn states, except that he did not 'take off his shoes in a jiffy,' from the fact that he had no shoes on his feet, they being so sore that he could not wear any. He was not only barefooted but ragged and dirty. His condition, however, was not an exception.

"After our retreat across the Potomac, Gen. Robert Ransom left an order with me for Private Hood to report to him. Soon thereafter we resumed our march toward Martinsburg, Va. I saw nothing more of Hood until late in the afternoon, when General Ransom passed our regiment in a gallop, Hood following him on one of the General's horses, with spurs on his bare feet. He lifted his old cap and saluted as he passed. He remained with Gen. Robert Ransom as courier until Col. Matt Ransom was promoted to brigadier general. General Matt then took Hood on his staff of couriers.

"William S. Hood was only sixteen years old when he enlisted. He was a handsome boy with black eyes, long black hair, and fair skin—indeed, a noble type of a Southern lad. He wrote a beautiful hand, and was often detailed to assist in making out reports, pay rolls, etc. He was a son of A. I. Hood, of Mecklenburg County."

In the assault on Fort Steadman on March 25, 1865, Gen. Matt Ransom commanded his own and Wallace's South Carolina Brigade. In his report of this brilliant but disastrous attack General Lee said: "The two brigades commanded by General Ransom behaved most handsomely." The 35th lost largely in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Here Hood was killed. General Ransom clothed the body of the brave boy in a general's uniform and laid it tenderly in a grave far from the home of his childhood, in old Mecklenburg County

RALEIGH – The pitchers in the World Series probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Civil War. But a little-known fact is that a form of the curve ball, one of the hardest pitches to hit in baseball, was first thrown in 1862 by Union soldier Alphonse “Phoney Ball” Martin, 9^th NY Infantry.

As the nation observes the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, military and social aspects of the time are being officially commemorated in the state by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (www.nccivilwar150.com) through 2015.

While stationed at Fort Reno on the northern end of Roanoke Island during the occupation of North Carolina ’s Outer Banks, Union soldiers often had free time. Martin, a native New Yorker, had played on a pre-war team called the Unions, one of 16 teams that competed regularly in the metropolitan New York area. Union soldiers brought baseball down South during the war, as it had originated in Maine as “town ball” and spread through New England .

Martin was known for a slow, curved pitch that was incredibly difficult for batters to hit, and he earned the name “Phoney Ball.” After the war, Martin returned to New York and pitched for the New York Mutuals and the Brooklyn Eckfords. Although Martin pitched the curve during the Civil War, Arthur “Candy” Cummings is credited with inventing the pitch in 1867, playing for the Brooklyn Excelsiors.

A plaque for Cummings at the Baseball Hall of Fame states “Inventor of the Curveball,” but Cummings admitted to baseball historian Alfred H. Spink that he felt Martin had first pitched a curve ball. Cummings reportedly said of other pitchers, “But none of those pitchers knew they had a curve, and I suppose it is fair to say I was the first to find out what a curve was and how it was done.”

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina ’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visitwww.ncculture.com.