John W. Hilton - 58th NCT/US Navy

The information that I found in the Navy Widows’ Pension Applications has intrigued me. So, yesterday I did a little digging. I have been able to find sixteen men who were members of the 58th NCT, and later joined the US Navy. Not all of them appear to have pension records. I have not gone through all of these, but I did find another yesterday: John W. Hilton.

According to the NC Troops (Vol. 15, pg. 411), Hilton’s date and place of enlistment are not recorded (probably in the autumn of 1863). [Possibly mustered in as a private in Company L, 58th North Carolina Troops.] Hilton was captured at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee, November 25, 1863. Sent to Nashville, Tennessee. Transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where he arrived on December 11, 1863. Transferred to Rock Island, Illinois, where he arrived on or about December 14, 1863. Released at Rock Island on or about February 5, 1864, after taking the Oath of Allegiance and joining the U. S. Navy.

I’ll let Hilton tell you his story (spelling is his):

“In March 1861 and from that time until August 28, 1862, I lived two miles from Thomasville, Davidson County, North Carolina, and during that period my occupation was Wagon and Buggy Manufacturer.

On said August 28, 1862, I was arrested and imprisoned in jail at Lexington, North Carolina, under accusation of entertaining principles and sentiments in favor of the United States government, was refused bail and kept in prison until the 4th day of November, 1862 when I was allowed to give bail and was released upon giving $5000.00 bond, conditional for good and peaceful behavior towards the Confederate Government.

Thereupon, I returned to my home and said business and resumed the same for about twenty days, when on November 25, 1862, after having planned with other union sympathizers to release Federal soldiers imprisoned at Saulsbury, North Carolina, and learning that the plot was discovered and that I was about to be arrested for complicity in it, I fled to avoid capture… to Forsythe County, North Carolina, and there lay in concealment under care of my friend Joseph Nott Singer, until June 1863.

About the last of June, 1863, while attempting to pass through the confederate lines on my way North, I was captured by confederate soldiers near Taylorsville, Tennessee [present day Mountain City, Tennessee].

Six days after, I eluded my guard and laid concealed in various places, principally in Davidson and Forsythe counties, North Carolina, until September 15, 1863, when I started north again, and was recapatured on the 15th day of October, 1863, near Wytheville, Virginia, by confederate soldiers while enroute North, who deprived me of my money, knife, and valuables on my person.

I espaced from them the night that day and by circuitous route and managing to keep concealed during the time, I succeeded in reaching a point near Chattanooga, Tennessee; lair there concealed until after the battle of Lookout Mountain, where soon after, I voluntarily came to the Federal army at Chicamauga Station then in pursuit of Bragg’s army. whereupon I was placed in the custody of the Federal Provost Marshal, and in his custody returned with the Federal forces to Chattanooga, whence as a prisoner was sent to Rock Island… and there kept as such until my enlistment as landsman in the United States Navy on January 20, 1864…"

Hilton wrote the above in August 1891. The Pension Board wanted Hilton to clarify his Confederate service. Hilton appears to be a little more forthcoming in his reply in December 1891. Hilton writes:

“That on or about the last of October 1863, I was endeavoring to pass through the Confederate lines and while doing so was captured in west North Carolina near the Tennessee line by a body of North Carolina State Militia in the Confederate service and carried a prisoner to Raleigh, North Carolina, and while so a prisoner in said Raleigh was compelled by the Confederates authorities to join as a private, captain Eller’s Company L of the 48th North Carolina Regiment of Infantry, which was about the 14th or 15th of November 1863. That I continued as such private in said company L 13 or 14 days (and did not exceed 14) days and was sent back as an invalid to the supply train of General Bragg’s army at Chickamauga Station about the 29th or 30th day of November 1863. I made my escape from the Confederate authorities, sought and found the Federal forces and delived myself to them.”

The Captain that Hilton refers to is Capt. Calvin Eller, Company L, 58th NCT. While Hilton refers to the 48th NCT, the 48th was a Army of Northern Virginia regiment. It is interesting how Hilton changed his story. In the earlier version, he voluntarily went to the Missionary Ridge area, after escaping from Federal soldiers near Wytheville, Virginia. In the later version, he was actually captured, imprisoned, and forced into Confederate service.

After joining the US Navy, he was assigned to the USS Princeton. Hilton was later injured. It appears that he fell from a ladder and broke an ankle and banged his head. He was discharged in May 1865. Hilton later went to California, where he died on January 21, 1898. He is probably buried in Los Angeles.

I wonder what else I will be able to find in those Navy Widow Pension Records…

New Bern Battlefield Visitor Center

Three cheers for the folks in New Bern who dedicated their visitor center at the New Bern Battlefield this past weekend. For details, see article from the Sun Journal here.

Graves

I was thinking about my research into the life of Felix Sluder. Private Sluder is just one of almost 200,000 North Carolina Civil War soldiers. Just one. And we know a lot about Sluder and his war-time experiences because of what he wrote after the war while trying to get his pension. We are not even sure of where he is buried.

When I wrote the history of the 37th NCT, I was excited that I had found the final resting places of about half of the regiment. Of course, that still left 1,000 men for whom I did not know the final resting place (there were 2,005 men who served in the 37th NCT). With the 58th NCT, I have much less, probably only 30 percent.

Most historians who write regimental histories do not include this type of information. Silo’s excellent history of the 115th New York does not, and Jenkins’s history of the 15th Kentucky (US) contains a few. I understand why – it is hard work, with a certain degree of uncertainty. For me, it gives a sense of closure.

I wish I knew where Rev. Alfred L. Stough was buried. Stough was a Baptist minister and chaplain for the 37th NCT. His wife, Ann Elizabeth Stough, is buried in the Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Cleveland County, NC. She died in 1888. Stough moved around quite a bit after the war. He pastored churches in Kinston, Pineville, and in South Carolina. There is even a Stough Memorial Baptist Church in Mecklenburg County. He appears to still be alive in 1900. I was never able to find his place of burial

For the 58th NCT, I know nothing about these:

Marcus J. Bearden who was assistant quartermaster.
Abram Shuford Edmisten, a Commissary Officer who was born in Caldwell County ca.1844.
Calvin Eller, a Captain of Company L, born in Ashe County ca.1830.
J. J. Goodwin, an assistant quartermaster.
Hamilton Griffin, the regimental surgeon from Kentucky. (I think he went to New York after the war and worked as a stage manager).
David S. Hall, a Commissary Sergeant from Yancey County, born ca.1837.
William White Harris, another regimental surgeon
Thomas J. Mitchell, an assistant surgeon
Robert C. Pearson, yet another assistant surgeon
Benjamin Perry Perry, adjutant
John W. Rabey, Chaplain, born in Caldwell County ca.1839
William Toxey, surgeon

Grave of Felix Sluder

I did some more searching and it appears that Felix Sluder is probably buried in a grave marked only by a field stone (next to his wife) in the Roark – Price Cemetery in Ashe County. I am trying to track down some of the family to confirm this.

Cenantua - Do you think he would be a good candidate for a gravestone?

Felix Sluder - 58th NCT

Sorry for being away for so many days. I guess it is time to get started again.

I spent today trying to get caught up on email. I had one about a soldier in the 58th NCT, Felix Sluder. What I thought was going to take five minutes to answer developed into a morning-long affair.

Sluder lived in the North Fork District of Ashe County in 1860. He was a thirty-six year old farmer. Also in the house hold were his wife and two children. According to Sluder, on April 3, 1862, he was conscripted to serve in the Confederate army. It could be that he was in error about the date, since the first Conscription law enacted in early 1862 set the age limit at 35, and Felix Sluder would have been thirty-eightish. A revision to the law in September 1862 capped the age at 45. Regardless, Sluder was able to evade conscription officers for several months.

According to Sluder “on or about the last days of August 1863 I was captured on Roans Creek Johnston Co. Tenn by the Rebel home guard, while on my way through the lines to join the 4th Tenn. Infantry United States Army. as I had previously enlisted under one Joel Eastridge who were a recruiting officer of said Regt.” Sluder was taken to Camp Vance, and then on to Raleigh, before being sent to the 58th North Carolina. The 58th NCT was stationed near Missionary Ridge at the time. Sluder continued to refuse to join the Confederate army; “they then tried to force me to Enlist in the Confederate army.” Sluder wrote after the war; “and I willfully refused to do so. They then threatened to starve me until I did enlist in their service and I yet willfully refused. They then kept me under arrest until about the 26th day of Nov, 1863 and then about the same day they placed me in the breastworks at Mission Ridge and in the front of battle, where I were captured by the Yankees refusing all the while to enlist under any service for the Confederate authorities. and after bearing all the afore said punishment I still refused to enlist or render any service that ever for the confederates, and that I did not enlist in the Confederate army in no shape nor form.”

Sluder believed that he was placed on the front lines, in the breastworks, to be executed by the advancing Federals as the Confederates retreated. He wrote as much: “I [was] that day forced into the Breastworks so as to have me killed for refusing to enlist in the Confederate service” While this might be true, it smacks a little of the David/Bathsheba/Uriah story in the Old Testament. I find it hard to believe that the Confederates would have just left Sluder, knowing that he would desert. If the members of the 58th NCT understood anything, it was desertion.

As with almost all Confederate prisoners, Sluder was sent to Nashville, Tennessee. He was then transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where he arrived on December 7, 1863. He transferred to Rock Island, Illinois, where he arrived on December 9, 1863. About six weeks later, Sluder was given the chance to join the Federals, which he did. He enlisted in the United States Navy on or about January 25, 1864, serving on board the USS Ticonderoga. In April 1865, Sluder was given a 10-day furlough. He felt that his health was so bad that he could no longer serve at sea. Towards the middle of April, he joined Company G, 57th Pennsylvania Infantry, and was mustered in as a private. He enlisted under the alias “John Malron, because he was sure that if he was captured by the Confederates, he would be executed for being a deserter. At the end of June 1865, he was honorably discharged from the United States army. Sluder returned to Ashe County where he died October 31, 1907. I assume he is buried in Ashe County, but I am not sure where.

I found most of this remarkable story in Sluder’s pension application. Sluder was not discharged from the US Navy at the end of the war, and was listed as a deserter. This “slight” on his record was later corrected in the 1890s and Sluder received his pension until he passed over.

The Sluder story has several good points that I plan to use in the book. It may not all be true, but will make for some interesting thoughts.

Folks – sorry for not posting lately. My wife’s aunt passed away on Christmas day and we have been in Kentucky over a week. Check back after the first of year for new post.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas.

Regards,
Michael

Frustration

I am again at a very frustrating point in the 58th NCT manuscript. Once more, I cannot even get the brigade in the right place. I am writing about the battle of Peechtree Creek. I know that their corps, temporarily under Cheatham, has been ordered to hold the attention of the Federals while Hardee and Stewart attack on the flank. But I seem to be at a loss as to where the different divisions and brigades of the corps line up. I do not like having unanswered questions when I write. Yes, I know that there will always be unanswered questions, but, we are talking about the whole corps.

Oh well, I guess I need to just keep digging.

58th NCT update

Working on the 58th NCT today (and yesterday). Up to 60,000 words, main text (not counting appendix).

Joe Johnston just got sacked.

Sorry about missing a week of posting. I’ve been busy once again. I did get the Brooksville Raid (FL) manuscript finished and it is currently being edited. It is amazing how easy the writing is when you know that you have everything there is laid out before you. I had a couple of 2,000+ words days, including a 2,700 word day, which is really remarkable… probably even a record for me.

The manuscript was finished on Wednesday, and I spent Thursday reading through it for the first time. Friday was spent in getting caught up on my email. This included

58th NCT – 10
37th NCT – 3
25th NCT – 1
47th NCT – 1
Daniel Boone Trail Marker – 1
Highbrighton High School – 1
J. P. Arthur – 1
The Bright Settlement – 1
Miscellaneous – about 15

Speaking of J. P. Arthur, I’ve been talking with Rick Russell over at Reminiscing Books. He brought me to read John P. Arthur’s “Through Southern Eyes,” a fictionalized novel about Columbia, South Carolina, during the mid-1860s. You will probably be more familiar with Arthur’s A History of Watauga County¸ and Western North Carolina: A History. Thanks Rick!

Well, time to get back to the 58th NCT.

A Little Bit of Reflection

At times, sometimes at church, or out in the public, folks come up and say, “I heard you were a Civil War buff.” I’ve even been introduced as such. Since attending/participating in my first reenactment in November 1982, I’ve been obsessed with history – and obsession is probably not even the right word.

And it is not just the Civil War, or North Carolina’s role in the war. Many of you know that I write local history as well. Why? I just feel compelled to get stories of the past on paper. But it is even more than just local history. I think I could go about anywhere and write about anything. Now, to be honest, I do not have the background for some of these subjects. For example, my knowledge about WWI and WWII does not surpass History Chanel level. I discovered that when I wrote my history of Watauga County. As I was struggling along, I really felt out of my element when it came time to cover those periods of American history. Granted, I needed to know how the war affected local communities, not what was happening in North Africa, in Germany, or Japan. But still, I felt out of my comfort zone.

My interested in the Civil War goes beyond just North Carolina. The book I wrote on the battle of Hanover Court House (VA) spawned an article, a biographical piece on Irvin McDowell. I do wish the publisher who has it would publish it. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a little booklet on the July 1864 Brooksville (FL) Raid. I am co-writing this with my dad, and it should out in time for the 2009 reenactment in January.

For the past few weeks, I have been exploring the option of starting yet another blog. I actually set up the page, but I have done nothing with it. This blog would allow me to explore my interests outside North Carolina, like Capt./Col. Jonathan W. Childs (2nd USCT/4th Mich) – why do none of his bios ever mention his service with the 2nd USCT? Or maybe Colonel Stryker of the 44th NY and his dismissal from the service? Or, one of my favorite places, Cumberland Gap.

The problem? I already have difficulty in keeping up with the two blogs that I do have – this one, and my local history blog on the Toe River Valley.

Just thoughts….

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday – we are off to visit family. What am I thankful for? Every day I get to crank up this computer and write about the past.

New Book - a little off topic

New Book

Things have been really, really busy here of late. I am trying to balance four different books. Here is the latest release:

Families, Friends, and Felons: Growing Up in the Avery County Jail
This book was just released last week. We (I co-wrote this with Jimmie Daniels) had a book party this past Sunday afternoon. Families, Friends, and Felons takes a look at a historic structure, the Avery County jail, but from a different perspective. When most people think about a jail, they think about the incarceration of wrong doers. We did not focus on those who wound up on the wrong side of the law, but on those who lived in the jail. Over the course of almost seventy years, the jail was home to the jailer, sometimes the sheriff and sometimes an appointed deputy, and his family. The jailer’s wife often cooked (and at times cleaned) for the prisoners, and other members of the family helped take care of those men and women behind bars. Families, Friends, and Felons is the story (in their own words) of those families. They not only witnessed prisoners being brought in at any time of the day or night, but also weddings (two documented) and births (one documented), along with regular observances: birthdays, anniversaries, even Christmas.

The book is 51 pages in length and has a dozen photographs, most published for the first time. You can get signed copies of this book by sending a check for $15.00 to: PO Box 393, Crossnore, NC 28616 or, you can order it online by visiting www.michaelchardy.com/books.html. If you want us to address this book to someone in particular, please let us know to whom it needs to be addressed.

The folks who picked the book up last Sunday have already started calling and saying how much they enjoyed the book. Get your copy soon. It makes a great gift!

And don’t forget, I have two other books on Avery County. The first is the collection of historic images and the second is a collection of essays on all kinds of Avery County subjects, like Lulu Belle and Scotty, Howard Marmon, the Land of Oz, Crossnore School, Childsville, and many other locations and people. Check it out at http://www.michaelchardy.com/

Well, I hope everyone is well. It’s been snowing here on Hawshaw Mountain and very cold. More like January than November.

Regards,
Michael

PS: The new Mitchell County book is slated for release in February, and the book on the 58th NCT will be out sometime next year

A couple of articles:

Today, I received a copy of the new Company Front, the magazine published by the Society for the Preservation of 26th North Carolina Regiment, Inc. This new issue is a look at the programs conducted back in May, when the flags of the 26th NCT and 37th NCT were unveiled to the public. All of the talks given that beautiful Saturday in May are in the issue, and include “Any Man in that Line: The Museum of the Confederacy and the Return of the Twenty-sixth NCT Battleflag.” by Skip Smith; “That What They Had Done Would Not be Forgotten: The Battle Flag of the Thirty-seventh North Carolina” by Michael C. Hardy; “Tar Heel Cincinnatus: Major General Bryan Grimes” by Alan C. Leonard; “Determined Tenacity: The Twenty-sixth North Carolina at Gettysburg” by J. H. Stepp ; and “Homecoming: Flag and Regiment Reunited” by Richard Lane Brown III. This issue is full color and something that I will treasure for a long time.

The second article I got recently is by Dr. Kenneth W. Noe, of Auburn University, and is entitled “’Damned North Carolinians’ and ‘Brave Virginians’: the Lane-Mahone Controversy, Honor, and Civil War Memory.” This article examines the May 1864 attack of Lane’s brigade at Spotsylvania and the way in which that attack, and the controversy surrounding the attack, had an impact on Brig. James H. Lane’s life. This article was published in the October 2008 issue of The Journal of Military History. Back a few years, ago, I sent Dr. Noe an article that I had written on the 37th North Carolina and 17th Michigan at Spotsylvania. The article was accepted for publication by a major Civil War Magazine, but alas, it is still languishing, unpublished, gathering dust, right beside other articles, like the bio on Irving McDowell, and the 8th Florida at Sharpsburg.

These are two great (and important) pieces of North Carolina historiography and I am glad to have had a very small part in them.

Dare County

A couple of weeks ago, I printed out a county map of North Carolina. It is a modern map, with all 100 present-day counties. I’ve taken a highlighter and marked in the five that I have completed. Boy, I have a lot of work to do.

I thought we would stay in the east today, with a look at Dare County.

The historical period of North Carolina’s history begins in present day Dare County in 1587. That is twenty years before the settlement of Virginia, and thirty-three years before settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts. In 1587, settlers landed on Roanoke Island and established a colony. Their ships returned to England, leaving the colonists. When the ships returned, the colonists were gone.

Dare County was not created until 1870, taken from parts of Currituck, Hyde, and Tyrell Counties. The name Dare comes from Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in America, who disappeared along with her family and the other Roanoke Island settlers. Since Dare was not an official county during the War, we will suspend with the votes for president and secession.

Present-day Dare County saw quite a bit of action during the war. Following secession, Southerners began constructing two forts along Hatteras Island, in an attempt to protect Hatteras Inlet. These forts were known as Hatteras and Clark and were largely constructed on sand. A third, smaller fort, named Oregon, was constructed at Oregon Inlet. Fort Hatteras had twelve 32-pounder cannons. Fort Clark was armed with five of the same, and “two smaller guns.” Fort Hatteras was first attacked by the USS Harriet Lane on July 10, 1861, with no damage reported. I am going to hazard a guess here: the firing on Fort Hatteras was the first attack on North Carolina since the state left the Union.

These forts, along with another (Fort Morgan) on Beacon Island further down the Outer Banks, helped protect not only North Carolina’s coastal towns, but also a fledgling navy of privateers. The side-wheeled steamer Winslow captured “at least sixteen Union prizes, including a bark, three brigs, and several schooners…”

The Federal government soon determined that these had attacks had to stop. And, the flow of goods into North Carolina ports had to end. In late August 1861, a joint navy and army attack was launched against the defenses at Hatteras Inlet. The naval bombardment succeeded, and the Confederates retreated to Roanoke Island, where they commenced to build new works. In October 1861, a group of Confederates launched an attack against the Federals at Chicamacomico, pushing the Federals back down the beach to Cape Hatteras. The Federals counter-attacked the next day, pushing the Confederates back. This small bit of history today is known as the Chicamacomico races.

To protect Roanoke Island, three forts were constructed on the northern end of the Island, overlooking Croatan Sound. Other smaller works were constructed on the Island, and obstructions were sunk. The Federals, under the command of Ambrose Burnside, finally attacked on February 10, 1862. The battle was a Union victory. You can read a detailed account of the battle on the NPS site here.

A colony of ex-slaves soon established themselves on Roanoke Island. There is a marker on the Island, at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and it bears this inscription:

A year after the Civil War began, Roanoke Island fell to Union Forces. Word spread throughout North Carolina that slaves could find "safe haven" on the Island. By the end of 1862, over a thousand runaway slaves, freed men, women and children found sanctuary here. This colony, precursor to the Freedmen's Bureau, was to serve as a model for other colonies throughout the South. Once again this small Island, site of the first English attempt at permanent settlement in the New World, became a land of historic beginnings.

The Freedmen's Colony encompassed unoccupied, unimproved lands from Manteo to the north and west shores, including some of the land today known as Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. A sawmill, hospital, a school with black female teachers and homes were established. Able-bodied men were offered rations and employment to build a new fort. They also enlisted to form the First and Second North Carolina Colored Regiments. The colony could not remain self-supporting without men and became a refuge for three thousand women, children, aged and infirmed.
Upon the war's end, the federal government discontinued rations and supplies to colonists and returned land to original owners. Reminiscent of early English efforts, the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony was abandoned by 1867. Many freed people remained, and their descendants would become respected local residents. Others settled in communities throughout the region and would become an integral part of eastern North Carolina culture.

There are numerous markers in the area telling the story of the war and Dare County. Beside the Freedman’s Colonel marker on Roanoke, there are markers about the Chicamacomico Races (on the Outer Banks near Rodanthe), and a marker about the first attempt at reunification on Hatteras. This marker reads:

"Orchestrated by Union Col. Rush C. Hawkins, the Hatteras Convention was held on Nov. 18, 1861. The state's secession was declared null and void, Hatteras was proclaimed the capitol and Marble Nash Taylor became provisional governor. Taylor called for a special Congressional election held Nov. 28 but, Charles Henry Foster's unanimous election by the four island precincts was ignored by the 37th U.S. Congress. Abraham Lincoln's May 28, 1862 selection of Edward Stanley as military governor effectively ended all claims to any local government."

Rambling Notes

Lots going on – as usual. Here are a few headlines that have been sent to me recently.

There was an article in a recent Gaston Gazette on the dedication of tombstones to two brothers: Lt. John H. Roberts (Co. H, 37th NCT) and Lt. Adam M. Roberts (Co. M, 16th NCT). You can read the article here.

Over at the Southern Unionist Chronicles, Cenatua has been talking about Shelton Laurel and Stephen S. Shook (58th NCT).

There is going to be a marker dedication for 13 Confederate soldiers who died in the battle of Whitehall, North Carolina, on December 13. The dedication service is in Whitehall.

A month or so ago, fellow blogger Drew Wagenhoffer published a review on a new book Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family. Check out the review here.

There is also going to be a lecture in Raleigh on December 1 on the life of Andrew Johnston. The lecture will be in the old State Capital. You can call 919-733-4994 for more information.

You know, there is just not enough hours in weeks at times. I've started working on a post about Dare County, but I'm just not going to have time to get it done today. I'm off to my parent's this afternoon, and will not be back until Sunday night.

Here are a couple more photographs from my recent trip to Oakwood in Raleigh.

in Raleigh

Wait – I missed it. My own anniversary. This blog started on October 11, 2006, a little over two years ago. It has been a lot of fun and I hope you have enjoyed my musings.

This past Tuesday, I had a book signing in Chapel Hill. I had a great time and enjoyed the company. Back a few months ago when this opportunity came open, I asked my wife if she and the kids would be interested in going with me, spending the night, and going on to Raleigh on Wednesday. A special exhibit is going on at the Natural History Museum: the Dead Sea Scrolls. We really enjoy seeing this type of programming, and have seen the Treasures of Ur exhibit at the McClung Museum in Knoxville and the King Tut exhibit in Fort Lauderdale. She said yes, and we set up to be gone, which included creating a podcast for my wife’s classes. We were driving along on Tuesday, when what did we hear, but the “Anointed One” had announced that he would be in Raleigh on Wednesday. After we got to our room, we checked his schedule, and sure enough, it said ten am, and just a block from the science/history museum. Talk about a bummer! So, we had a slow morning, went out to eat, got in downtown Raleigh, and no parking. Worshippers were lined up for at least two blocks. We decided to head north to Oakwood Cemetery. From the cemetery, we could hear bits of the speech, and the throngs cheering. Regardless of how I feel about a candidate as an individual, I find the exhibited demagoguery appalling; our founding fathers would be horrified to see presidential candidates treated like Roman generals being made emperors by acclaim! We later learned that there were 25,000 people to hear Obama. They apparently all parked across the street from the museum. We did not get into the museum until 2:00 pm. While it would be nice if any politicians actually gave us some of the stuff they promise, we just want our morning back.

I did manage to sneak into the History Museum for a couple of minutes. They have the 18th NCT’s Branch flag on display, along with two flags of the 26th NCT. I did pick up a copy of the new book, Worthy of Record: The Civil War and Reconstruction Diaries of Columbus Lafayette Turner, edited by Kendrick N. Simpson. Turner served in the 33rd NCT.

I thought I would enclose a few images that I made at Oakwood Cemetery. The Oakwood Preservation Project members, including Jeff Morton, Charles Purser, and Tom Smith, are to be congratulated for their wonderful work on restoring the Confederate Cemetery at Oakwood.

Brunswick County

For our study today, I thought we would move about as far away from my mountain home (where it is currently snowing), as we can get: Brunswick County. I have been fortunate enough to visit Brunswick County four or five times in the past ten years. Each of those stays was for several days, including a week at Fort Caswell.

Brunswick County is located in the coastal area of North Carolina. The county was formed in 1764 and named for King George I, who was also the duke of Brunswick. The area had been settled by Europeans several decades earlier. Brunswick Town, founded in 1725, was the first permanent European settlement on the Lower Cape Fear River. Bolivia was once the county seat, but since 1975, Southport has gained that honor.

In 1860, the total population of the county was 8406, including 3,021 slaves. That same year, the presidential vote was also a tie. Breckinridge received 326 votes, while Bell received 386. Douglas got one. The elected convention representative was Thomas D. Meares.

Brunswick County men served in the following regiments: Company G, 20th North Carolina Troops; Company C, 30th North Carolina Troops; portions of Companies G and K, 36th North Carolina Troops (2nd North Carolina Artillery); and, Company G, 51st North Carolina Troops.

You might say that the Civil War in North Carolina began in Brunswick County. On January 9, 1861, a group of local militia seized Fort Caswell. Named for North Carolina’s first governor, Fort Caswell was a part of the third system fortifications along the coast of the United States. The fort was manned only by a caretaker. That same day, Fort Johnston, a little to the north of Fort Caswell, was also seized. Fort Johnston was much older, portions of it dating back to 1745. Both forts were returned to the Federal government by Governor Ellis, only to be retaken on April 16, 1861.

Costal fortifications

Fort Johnston was served as a early recruiting and training depot, and functioned as a supply depot for much of the war. The fort was modified, beginning in late 1861, with an earthen battery, which in 1863, was expanded. The battery contained four, 10-inch guns. The fort was also known as Fort Branch, and in late 1863, Fort Pender. The 20th North Carolina Troops was stationed at the Fort until June 1862. Portions of the 1st North Carolina Artillery were also stationed at the fort, along with portions of the 2nd North Carolina Artillery. Fort Johnston was abandoned after the fall of Fort Fisher. Later, the fort was garrisoned by the 149th New York, 27th and 37th United States Colored Troops. The Confederate earthworks were gone by 1870. Today, only the officers’ quarters are left.

Fort Caswell

Fort Caswell was likewise reworked, and massive sand batteries were constructed around the fort’s brick walls. These earthworks protected 29 heavy guns. These included 32-pounders, 8 and 10-inch Columbiads, and a 150-pounder Armstrong. Two of the guns on duty at Fort Caswell survive: they flank the Confederate monument on the capitol grounds in Raleigh. There were several plans laid in 1862 through 1864 to bombard or assault Caswell, but none of these plans was ever executed. Finally, with the fall of Fort Fisher across the Cape Fear River, Fort Caswell was abandoned. On January 16, 1865, the barracks were burned and the magazines destroyed. When the magazines blew up, they took a large portion of the fort with them. The explosion was felt as far away as Wilmington and Fayetteville.

Both the garrisons from Forts Johnston and Caswell retreated north to Fort Anderson. This earthen fort, which is incredibly preserved, was constructed at the site of the ruins of Brunswick Town mentioned above. The fort was first known as Fort St. Phillip, named in honor of the church ruins on site; later it was called Fort Henderson, and finally, Fort Anderson, in honor of the late Confederate general George Anderson. The massive earthen walls contained ten cannons. In February 1865, the fort withstood three days of bombardment before the garrison evacuated during the night.

Other earthen batteries were constructed in Brunswick County during the war. They included Batteries at Dutchman Creek, Deep Water Point, and Reaves Point. Also on Oak Island near Fort Caswell was Battery Campbell, containing at least fifteen guns, including a 100-pound Brooke Rifle. Between Campbell and Caswell was a battery with one 10-inch Columbiad. This might have been called Battery Shaw.

Across from Fort Caswell and Oak Island is Bald Head Island and the Bald Head Lighthouse. The southern tip of the Island contained at least five batteries, the most impressive of which was called Fort (or battery) Holmes. The current Bald Head Lighthouse was constructed in 1817. During the war, the lighthouse guided blockade runners into the Cape Fear River. The light was darkened with the Fall of Fort Fisher. While no longer in use, the Bald Head Lighthouse is the oldest such structure in North Carolina.

The Confederates from Forts Caswell and Anderson retreated north and made a stand behind Town Creek. The Confederates, under the command of Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood, were flanked out of their position, losing some 400 men captured.

Brunswick County offers a visitor some good places to visit today. Fort Anderson/Old Brunswick Town is a state park and well worth a visit. The earthen fort at Old Brunswick is impressive. Fort Caswell still survives, and is owned by the North Carolina Baptist Assembly. Make sure you stop by the office to announce your presence to the folks there. You can also ferry over to Bald Island to see the lighthouse.

You can find a good photo tour of Fort Caswell here. The state web site for Fort Anderson/Old Brunswick Town can be found here

Sources: Johnson, Touring the Carolinas’ Civil War Sites; Angley, A History of Fort Johnston; Herring and Williams Fort Caswell in War and Peace; Powell, Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

Yadkin County

Well, I missed posting a county last week, so I am behind. Maybe I can get two done this week. I thought we would look at Yadkin County first.

Yadkin County is located in the foothills of western North Carolina, not far from Winston-Salem. The county was formed in 1850, taken from Surry county, and named for the Yadkin River that flows through the county. Yadkinville, the county seat, was chartered in 1857.

According to the 1860 US Census, Yadkin County had a total population of 10,711, including a slave population of 1,438. In the 1860 presidential contest, Yadkin County voted overwhelming for Bell (842, 495 for Breckinridge, and 23 for Douglas). In the February 1861 call for a convention, Yadkin voted 34 for calling the convention, 1490 against. Their delegate was R. F. Armfield.

Yadkin County men largely served in these organizations: Company B, 21st NCT; Companies F and I, 28th NCT; Company B, 38th NCT; and, Companies A and H, 54th NCT. The number of local Confederates has been placed at 1,200 men.

One of the most memorable activites in the county during the war occurred at the Bond School House. At the start of the war, local resident Jesse Virgil Dobbins did not want to join the Confederate army. He continued to resist after the conscription act in 1862. Some cite his Quaker beliefs as the obstacle. However, his beliefs did not stop him from wanting to join the Union Army. Dobbins, believed by some to be the head of Unionist activities in Yadkin County, began to fear the Confederate authorities, and determined to slip across the mountains to east Tennessee. He, along with several others, met at the Bond School house, near Yadkinville, on the evening of February 11, 1863. Having learned of the gathering, the local militia converged on the school house, and on the morning of February 12, a shootout occurred. Two men on each side were killed. Dobbins and his brother, William, survived and joined the Federal army. I am not sure which regiment that Dobbins joined. There are men by that name in the 1st Battalion, Tennessee Light Artillery, 2nd Indiana Cavalry and 8th Indiana Infantry. There are over 38 men named William Dobbins in the Federal army, including a William T. Dobbins who served in the 1st Battalion Tennessee Light Artillery. Jesse survived the war; William did not.

The other notable event was the arrival of Stoneman’s Raiders in April 1865. They passed through the county several times, and, on April 11, at a place called “Shallow Ford," on the Yadkin River, a portion of the command surprised part of the local home guard battalion. The local defenders put up some resistance, but were later driven off. The Federals later burned the “Red Store” in Huntsville, and the mill at Buck Shoals.

I have never found any reference to a United Confederate Veterans camp in Yadkin County, nor is there a Confederate monument.

This Saturday, there will be a dedication for a North Carolina Civil War Trail Marker in Huntersville. Stop by if you get a chance.

Well folks, I spent the past week trying to get two different manuscripts proofed. Neither of these books are Civil War related. The first is a short history of families of the sheriffs/jailers who lived in the Avery County jail. I’ve co-wrote this book with a fellow board member of the Avery County Historical Society: Mrs. Jimmie Daniels. Jimmie is one of those special people who lived in the jail while her dad was a deputy/jailer. This is a short book, about 55 pages, and it is my first attempt at self-publishing. I’ve written eight other books, but yes, this is my first attempt at publishing something myself. This book should be available in a couple of weeks.

The second book is my fourth with Arcadia Publishing in South Carolina. It is a photographic history of Mitchell County. This book is set to be released in February 2009.

So it is time to get back to the history of the 58th NCT.

Tonight, I’ll be signing books in Brevard, NC, and on Thursday, I’ll be in Asheville.

I have some great topics to blog about in the coming days, I just need to get these two projects off my desk.

58th NCT update

I recently finished the battle of Kolb’s Farm, a part of the Kennesaw Mountain arena of actions. This was probably the 58th NCT’s third highest casualty rate during the war.

Right now, I am on July 4, 1864, and a little affair called the battle of Ruff’s Mill. To be honest, I’ve never heard of Ruff’s Mill. I’ve traveled in the area extensively, I’ve been to numerous reenactments in the area (is this not the weekend when they used to have the event down by the river in Rome?), and I’ve read quite a bit, but Ruff’s Mill has slipped by unnoticed.

Conley, in his history of the Army of Tennessee, makes no mention of the battle. Castel in his history of the Atlanta Campaign only makes brief mention of the event. I’ve checked several other sources, but I’ve not come up with much.

Here is a little break down: Joe Johnston is retreating (big surprise). Sherman is advancing, but is unaware of the position of the Confederates to his front (big surprise). Joe Johnston has drawn his army up into a position known today as the Smyrna Line. Portions of the Federal army attack at Smyrna Camp Ground on the Confederate right, and at Ruff’s Mill on the Confederate left. Stevenson’s division of Hood’s corps is on the Confederate left, and bear the brunt of that attack, delivered by portions of Dodge’s corps. Now for my sticking point: some have written that Stevenson was positioned with two sets of breastworks, and the first was taken. However, not everyone, even the Federals, agree on that point. Private Dugger, my only 58th NCT source for this battle, simply writes that the Confederate skirmishers were driven in. So, I’m kind of stuck. Maybe Dugger is right, and the Confederates skirmishers were posted in a advance position in some type of works… I’m still digging into this.

Stevenson does position his division at the Chattahoochee line.

By the way, anyone know of the brigade placement of Stevenson’s division along the Smyrna line?

Meeting of the NC Society of Historians this past Saturday

Folks, I had a chance to attend the award banquet for the North Carolina Society of Historians this past Saturday in Hickory. Two of my books, Remembering Avery County and Remembering North Carolina’s Confederate, were awarded the Willie Parker Piece History Book Award. This marks the third and fourth times I have won this award. Considering that there were 834 entries and only 107 winners, well, I am deeply honored.

Other WBTS titles that were honored included:

Greensboro’s Confederate Soldiers – Carol Moore
The Civil War Ends: Greensboro, April 1865 – Bradley R. Foley and Adrian L. Whicker
Mountain Myth: Unionism in Western North Carolina – Terrell Garren
Through the Eyes of Soldiers: The Battle of Wyse fork, Kinston, North Carolina – Tom J. Edwards and William K. Rowland
The Un-Civil War – Mike Scruggs

I had a great time catching up with some old friends and making some new ones. And, once again, thanks to the NC Society of Historians for honoring my work.

Pitt County

I’ve been undecided about which county to do next in our little study. I was in Rowan and Cabarrus County on Tuesday, and there is a small write-up about Mitchell County in today’s Asheville Citizen. I finally decided to move a little further east and look at Pitt County.

Pitt County is located in the Coastal Plane area of eastern North Carolina. The County was formed in 1760 from portions of Beaufort County and named for the earl of Chatham, William Pitt. Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Tuscarora Indians. The county seat, chartered in 1771, was originally known as Martinsborough, in honor of North Carolina’s last royal governor, Josiah Martin. In 1786, the name was changed to Greensville in honor of Patriot general Nathanial Greene.

In 1860, the County had a total population of 16, 080 including 3,743 slaves. In the 1860 presidential election, Pitt County was practically tied. The residents cast 731 votes for Breckenridge, 710 for Bell, and eight for Douglass. While their presidential ideas were split, their belief in secession was not. When the vote came in February 1861, they voted 986 for, with 177 against the convention. Their representatives for the convention were Fenner B. Satterwhite and Bryan Grimes. Grimes resigned and was replaced by Pryton Atkinson.

Numerous Confederate companies came from Pitt County. These included Companies E, G, I, and K, 1st Battalion Local Defense; Company G, 8th NCST; Company C, 17th NCST (1st Organization); Company K, 17th NCST (2nd Organization); Companies E and H, 27th NCT; Companies C, D, and I, 44th NCT; Company E, 55th NCT, and Company F, 61st NCT. One of the first Confederate battlefield fatalities, Henry Wyatt (battle of Big Bethel, June 1861), had spent a number of years in Greenville. It was estimated by a local historian that 1,376 Pitt County men served in the Confederate army.

Military action came early in Pitt County. On June 5, 1862, “Col. Robert Potter [US], garrison commander at Washington, North Carolina, ordered a reconnaissance in the direction of Pactolus. The 24th Massachusetts under Lt. Col. F.A. Osborne, advanced to the bridge over Tranter’s Creek, where it encountered the 44th North Carolina, under Col. George Singletary. Unable to force a crossing, Osborne brought his artillery to bear on the mill buildings in which the Confederates were barricaded. Colonel Singletary was killed in the bombardment, and his troops retreated. The Federals did not pursue and returned to their fortifications at Washington.” Total losses on both sides were estimated at 40. You can read a fuller description of the battle here.

Two additional incursions took place in October 1862. The first was a raid toward Haddock’s cross road, resulting in the capture of several Confederates. The other raid was on Greenville itself, and the town was captured with the death of one Federal soldier.

In July 1863, Federal General Edward Potter raided through the area. You can read a full account here. There is also a driving tour, part of the North Carolina Civil War Trail Markers program, that you can view here. The raid was to disrupt Confederate supply routes in the area. Federal soldiers entered Greenville the afternoon of July 19. Local residents said that during their short stay, the Federals looted homes and destroyed Confederate supplies. At Otter Creek Bridge, near Falkland, a group of 150 Confederates, with artillery, stopped a portion of the raiders, and forced them to find another rout. Yet another small skirmish occurred at Scuffletown, on the Pitt/Greene County border.

In November of 1863, another raid took place through the county. The Federals involved were the 1st North Carolina Volunteers (African-American), which captured a portion of the 67th North Carolina Troops near Haddock’s Cross Roads. A fight, involving a portion of the Federal army and North Carolina and Virginia soldiers, took place at Red Banks Church on the night of December 30. Both sides retreated, with the Confederates losing a piece of artillery.

By 1864, most of the county had been raided, looted, and burned, and large-scale military action dropped off.

Following the war, a Confederate monument was erected on the courthouse grounds in 1914. Last year, an individual or two asked that the monument be removed. So far, the county commissioners have been unmoved.

Pitt County is doing a great job of marking and interpreting its Civil war sites. They have seven of the North Carolina Civil War trial markers, including three recently put up. You can learn more about the new markers here.

Up and Coming Travels

Folks – I’m off to Concord this afternoon to speak to the Carbarrus Guards SCV Camp. On Friday, I am working with a school group here in Avery County, and on Saturday, I’ll be attending the annual meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians in Hickory.

Big Ivy, Buncombe County

I had a great time this past Saturday at the Big Ivy Heritage Festival. It is always good to be able to get out and talk to the public about the past. We even got to put a number of rounds through a reproduction 12-pounder Napoleon. The weather was great. I have one school program to do here in Avery County this Friday, and I think that about wraps up the living history events for the year.

The photograph above is of our camp this past Saturday, taken from the reconstructed fire town on park grounds. We have already been invited back next year.

By the way, a large number of the 25th North Carolina (Company I, I think), was recruited from the Big Ivy community.

Big Ivy this Saturday

Folks – I’m off this Saturday to participate in a living history at the Big Ivy Heritage Park in Buncombe County. If you get a chance, stop by and say hi!

Union County

For our next county, we will turn our attention to the southern piedmont area: Union County.

Union County, originally populated by Native American tribes known as the Waxhaws and the Catawbas, was created from portions of Anson and Mecklenburg counties in 1842. The area had been settled since the early 1700s by Presbyterian Scots-Irish, Welsh, and Germans. The name “Union” was a compromise. The Democrats wanted to name the county in honor of Andrew Jackson, and the Whigs in honor of Henry Clay. Monroe, the county seat, was named in honor of President James Monroe. While Mecklenburg County, to the west, had prospered with an "industrial revolution" in the 1850s and 1860s, Union County was still predominantly a planter- and tenant-farmer-based society, with a small number of artisans. The county, one of the largest cotton-producing counties in North Carolina, also produced an abundant amount of tobacco. In 1860, Union County had a population of 11,202, including 2,246 slaves. The county voted for Breckinridge in the 1860 presidential election.

In February 1861, the county voted 548 for and 483 against calling a convention. Hugh M. Houston was the elected delegate for the convention.

Union County sent numerous men to serve in the Confederate army. These men served in Co. C, 10th Battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery; Co. F, 2nd North Carolina Junior Reserves; Co. I, 4th North Carolina Senior Reserves; Co. B, 15th North Carolina Troops; Co. B, 26th North Carolina Troops; Co. F, 35th North Carolina Troops; Co. D, 37th North Carolina Troops; Co. B, 43rd North Carolina Troops; Cos. A, E, F, and I, 48th North Carolina Troops; and Co. I, 53rd North Carolina Troops. Regiments like the 26th and 37th NCTs were some of the hardest fighting regiments of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The landscape of Union County remained untouched until the very last year of the war. On March 1, 1865, a skirmish was fought between Confederate cavalry under the command of Joseph Wheeler and Federal cavalry under Judson Kilpatrick. That same day, a group of Federal raiders rode into Monroe, stealing horses, mules, a train of ten wagons, “and nineteen negro men…” After reading the ORs, it appears that the wagons belonged to the African-Americans, thirteen of whom later escaped and returned to Monroe.

There were both UCV and UDC Camps in Union County after the war.

On the grounds of the old Union County Court House is a monument dedicated to local Confederate soldiers. The marker was dedicated on July 4, 1910. A parade with floats opened the festivities, followed by the unveiling of the monument. Next, the UDC pinned crosses of honor on the veterans present (about 150), before adjourning to the Masonic hall for dinner.

For more information, check out this web page.

A short update

Yesterday was Old Timey Day in Burnsville. Yancey County was celebrating its 175th anniversary, and we participated in a living history on the grounds of the square. We set up an infantry camp and had an artillery piece and crew, along with an 1860s ladies display. The ladies were, among other things, making bandages for soldiers.

I’ve been hard at work on the 58th NCT book. Right now, the regiment is getting ready for its small part in the battle of New Hope Church.

I’ve been (happily) dealing with scores of email. I recently posted 58th NCT queries to list serves in Ashe, Watauga, Mitchell, Avery, Yancey, Caldwell, and McDowell counties. This has generated probably 100+ emails that I’ve been responding to. A lot of these folks have dates (birth and death), burial places, stories, and photographs. If you have emailed me and I have not responded, please bear with me – I’ll get to yours soon.

Speaking of which, I’m going to work on some of those now….

Update

The Mitchell County and the Civil War discussion went great last night. We had almost twenty people, and talked about the war for almost two hours.

I’ve been hard at work on the 58th NCT book. In the past three days, I’ve finished up Resaca, and the regiment is setting at Adairsville (May 17), right now, soon to be on their way to Cassville.

Watauga County

Here is the first installment. Tell me what you like and don’t like.

Well, I guess I will start with the county that I know the most about: Watauga.

Watauga County, a part of the “lost colonies” was created in 1849. A plot of ground surrounding the local store operated by the Council family was chosen as the county seat, and the town was named for Daniel Boone. According to the 1860 census, there were 4,957 people in Watauga County, including 104 slaves and 32 free blacks. A portion of the white and slave populations were lost in 1861 when Mitchell County was created to the south. In 1860, Watauga County had the smallest population, both white and slave, in the state of North Carolina.

In 1860, the county voted for Bell in the presidential election. In February 1861, when the vote to call a convention to secede was held, 536 men voted against the measure, while 72 voted for the convention. The representative to the May 1861 convention was James W. Council.

On May 11, 1861, Watauga County’s first company was recruited for service. This group of men would become Company D, 1st North Carolina Cavalry. Other companies recruited from the county include Companies B and E, 37th North Carolina Troops; Companies D, I, and M, 58th North Carolina Troops; and a small part of Company A, 6th North Carolina Cavalry. I have documented 987 men (and one woman) who served from Watauga County. They break down like this: 951 enlisted as Confederate soldiers. Thirty-six enlisted as Union soldiers. Another 68 of the Confederate soldiers later enlisted in the Union army. Some of were truly of Union sentiment. Some enlisted out of northern prisons simply because they were about to starve to death. Most of those serving in the Federal army served in the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry. At least two of the 32 free blacks who lived in Watauga County served (volunteered) in the Confederate army: William Henry and Franklin Cousins (Cozzens). Franklin was killed at Second Manassas.

In the summer of 1863, the home guard was created. The 11th Battalion North Carolina Home Guard was commanded by Maj. Harvey Bingham. As with most mountain counties, the war started to come home in 1864. Numerous raids took place with civilian causalities. There were two home guard camps in the county, both apparently named Camp Mast on Cove Creek. One company was on duty while the other was at home. Save for men and a limited supply of foodstuffs, the county did not materially contribute to the war effort.

The biggest event of the war was the arrival of General Stoneman in March 1865. A skirmish was fought in downtown Boone, with the Home Guard losing. After Stoneman left, a Federal brigade under Brig. Gen. Davis Tillson came in and constructed five “forts” in the county to protect Stoneman’s way home. There were at least three Federal soldiers who died while stationed here, and they are buried in the slave section of the old Boone Cemetery. I have also heard rumors of one (or more) Federal soldiers buried across the road from the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock.

After the war, there was a United Confederate Veterans Camp in Boone, and there was an attempt to erect a Confederate monument in town. What became of the monument, or the funds raised, is unknown. There are three of the state historical signs marking the sites of three of the five forts Tillson constructed. There are no NC Civil War Trail markers.

For more information, see Michael C. Hardy A Short History of Old Watauga County (2005), chapters three and four.

Also see Watauga County and the Civil War

Announcements

For the longest time, I have wanted to start a series on each North Carolina counties and the war. This series would examine each county, the men who were shipped off to fight in the war, and events that took place there during the war. Presently, there are 100 counties in North Carolina. If I were to get one county a week done, then this little project should take just over two years. We will see how it goes.

The first installment should be up soon.

What counties have Civil War histories? Here is what I found. Have I missed any? This list does not include roster-only compilations.

Martin – Ashe County’s Civil War (2001)
Casstevens – The Civil War and Yadkin County (1997)
Thomas – Divided Allegiances: Bertie County (1996)
Dillard – The Civil War in Chowan County (1911) [I’ve not seen this one]
Kell – Carteret County During the Civil War (1999)




Two announcements.

I’ll be speaking this Saturday morning in Asheville, at the annual meeting of the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society.

Next Tuesday, there will be a Mitchell County and the Civil War round table discussion at the Bakersville Public Library at 6:30 pm. Everyone is invited and the event is free.

Banner House talk

Greetings folks! Here is one of my talks from this past Saturday. This one is on the marker at the Banner House in banner Elk. I hope you enjoy.


It was a hellish existence. The prison in Salisbury was overcrowded, the food was poor, and disease was rampant. That’s not to say that any prison North or South was any better. They all shared the same disorders. And as in all prisons, the inmates sought to escape. At Salisbury, the Federal prisoners dug at least sixteen tunnels in attempts to escape. One of those tunnels was not found until one hundred years later, and was in such good shape that the workmen who found it were able to pose for photographs within the tunnel. However, tunneling out the prison was the easy part. Once free from the prison walls, the escapee had to look for sympathetic friends. Luke Blackmer was just such a friend. Blackmer hid a number of escapees, helping the Federal soldiers find guides toward Union lines in east Tennessee.

Guides took the Federal soldiers across the state. The parties would stop ever so often to pick up new guides and provisions. It was a common thought that once the parties reached the mountains, more people loyal to the Union could be found and the trip made easier. Nothing further was from the truth. Most citizens on the west side of the Blue Ridge were just as pro-Southern as residents in other parts of the state.

Once the escapees reached Blowing Rock, they were met by one of three guides: Keith Blalock, Harrison Church, or Jim Hartley. The escapees were piloted through Shulls Mill, or across Grandfather Mountain, to Dutch Creek and Hanging Rock, and then on to Banner Elk. At Banner Elk, other guides, such as Dan Ellis, met the Federal prisoners and conducted them on west.

John Preston Arthur, an early twentieth century historian, left us with this note. Two Michigan soldiers had escaped from prison and were making their way through the mountains of Watauga County. They were met by Reuben Coffey, who was determined to take them on to Camp Mast on Cove Creek. As they walked along, they were able to distract Coffey, overpower him, and take his pistol. A boy on a horse, Wilson Beech, came alone, scaring the Michigan men back into the woods. It is unknown if they ever returned safely to Union lines.

Monroe Dugger, in his book ­War Trails of the Blue Ridge, left this account. Dugger was living here in Banner Elk, as a young boy, when “on a spring morning a man coming to our cabin door from a nearby thicket of laurel and pine, ask my mother to prepare for six men, some breakfast, which he would come back after. Mother said, ‘Go back and stay, I will send it to you by the children’ who were my older sister and I. We were met at the edge of the woods, and conducted to where the remaining five were seated on logs. I knew the guide, who was caring a eight shooter, to be Harrison Church…”

Dugger’s acquaintances survived their ordeal.

Banner Elk, in 1860, an isolated hamlet of just a few homes was one of the pro-Union leaning areas in western North Carolina. These areas were not as predominant as modern historians would have us believe. You would need to travel into Ashe County to the north to find another in that direction, or to Bakersville in Mitchell County to find another to the south. The local home guard was constantly on the lookout for escaped prisoners or deserters. The local home guard commander for this area, Maj. Harvey Bingham, was publicly thanked by the general assembly in 1864 for his zeal in capturing those who chose to evade the authorities.

Lewis B. Banner was a slave owner, possessing one of the largest groups of enslaved people in what was then Watauga County. While a slave owner, Banner was also a Unionist, siding against the Confederacy. Banner had three sons in the Federal army. He frequently provided food and shelter for escapees while they waited for their guides. Banner’s son ,Samuel H. Banner, a member of the 5th Ohio Infantry, built this house after his discharge in February 1864. The laurel thicket by the river was known as the Land of Goshen and served as a hiding place for escapees and draft evaders.

Save for a few fragments of history, like those from Arthur and Dugger that I have shared this afternoon, not much solid information exists to tell us of the men who passed through this area. It is possible that this underground railroad also saw non-combatants, men, women, and children wishing to escape for a variety of reasons. We will probably never know their stories. But they were here, and on a cold winter’s evening, if you listen closely, you just might be able to hear that timid knock on a door, a hopeful, unfamiliar face taking a chance for a friendly bite to eat and praying that the Home Guard isn’t hot on his heels .

Civil War Trail markers this past Saturday

We had an incredible time this past Saturday. I spoke four different times, three in dedication services for our Civil War Trail Markers. Here are some photos:

Members of the Hawgwaller Mess in Cranberry

My family at the Blalock maker in Linville

Cutting the Ribbon at the Banner House

My darling little girl at Cranberry

Trail Markers

Tomorrow we dedicate our Civil War Trail Markers in Avery County. We have three: Cranberry, covering the mines; the Blalocks; and the underground railroad in Banner Elk. Over the past couple of days, I’ve gotten some stats in about Civil War Trail Markers. Here is a run down.

“As of summer 2008, 177 sites have been interpreted and the majority of them are first time interpretations.”

I saw on another email that there are 68 counties in North Carolina that have Civil War Trail markers. That leaves 32 counties without Trail Marker signs. One of those counties is Watauga. A few months ago, I was asked to come up with a list of possible sites within Watauga County. That list included:

Boone – skirmish in March 1865, a part of Stoneman’s Raid.
Boone – a fort, one of five, was built here to protect Stoneman’s line of escape. There are Federal soldiers buried in the town cemetery who died while garrisoned here in April 1865.
Deep Gap – a fort, one of five, was built here to protect Stoneman’s line of escape.
Blowing Rock – a fort, one of five, was built here to protect Stoneman’s line of escape.
Cove Creek – the second of two home guard camps were established here. This camp was captured in February 1865.

I could probably come up with a dozen more, but those are the major ones. The information that I got read that in Virginia, where the program originated, that in 2003, “the Virginia Civil War trails was the single most-requested program for the state with 85,000 inquiries fulfilled. This out-paced all other niche programs by nearly ten to one.”

Also, “Eleven percent of all travelers to Virginia actively seek out one of their Civil War sites. Two profile studies done for the car route visitor in Virginia show that these travelers spend $75 pp/pd and each trail averages 16,500 tourists annually. This comes out to nearly $1.24 million dollars per each of the five trails.”

It is amazing that more communities are not involved in this program.

A few days ago, I talked to a friend in Buncombe County who is trying to work on NC Civil War Trail markers for Asheville. He has run into opposition from the mayor of the city of Asheville, who has emphatically stated that no NC Civil War Trail Marker signs will be erected on city property. Others in city government have said the same things. Do the business owners in Asheville realize that their elected officials are taking away this potential revenue? In a time when tourism dollars are getting harder and harder to come by, one would think that no opportunity would be passed up to benefit the people of Asheville. It is also regrettable that certain individuals are elected to be servants of the people of a city, but then refuse to honor that city’s past. Like an alarming number of other leaders, these individuals are apparently so enamored with their own points of view that they refuse to acknowledge or respect the needs and wants of their constituents.

There have been 815 markers placed in 178 counties in 5 states. I am just glad that Avery County has three of them.

Avery County Civil War Trail Markers

Just a quick announcement. The three North Carolina Civil War Trail markers in Avery County that I have made mention of before have been installed. We are holding dedication programs this Saturday: Cranberry at 10:30 am, Blalocks at Cannon Memorial Hospital at 1:30 pm, and the Banner House in Banner Elk at 3:00 pm. There will be living histories at both the Cranberry site (old Cranberry school), and at the Banner House. If you get a chance, please stop by and see us.

Chickamauga... again

I’ve spent the past couple of days going over the role of the 58th NCT at Chickamauga. I had someone email me regarding the events. His interpretation is that Palmer and the 58th, after their second attack, were done for the evening, not helping the 63rd Virginia and 5th Kentucky in driving the Federals off Snodgrasss Hill.

In my original response, I confined myself to what was written in the Official Records. I’m going to come back to that in a couple of minutes, but right now, I want to look at how historians have interpreted (or ignored) Palmer’s role in events.

The first book I pulled off the shelf was Matt Spruill’s Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga (1993). Spruill makes no real mention of Kelly’s brigade. He sums up the action with “The last attack was made just before dark when eight brigades were sent against the Union position.”

I thought I would stick with the guide books, so we will look at Woodworth’s Chickamauga (1999) next. I could find no mention whatsoever of Kelly’s brigade.

Next, how about Tucker’s Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West (1961). Tucker does not go into a lot of detail about the final assault. He simply writes that that Kelly and Twigg assaulted “the position on the ridge…”

We will look next at Cozzens’s This Terrible Sound (1992). Cozzens probably writes the most in-depth study of the battle to date. On page 487, Palmer and the 58th NCT have attempted twice to advance up Hill Three. On the second advance, they have been met by the 21st OH coming down the hill and firing. The 58th NCT, many of them with almost no ammunition, have retreated behind trees, and Palmer is attempting to find out what is going on. According to pages 507-509 of this book, it is Hawkins of the 5th Kentucky who takes charge. Cozzens leaves Palmer out.

I also checked the new article (by William Glenn Robertson) on September 20 in the most recent issue of Blue and Gray – no mention of Palmer, and barely a mention of Kelly.

Next, why don’t we look at what the people involved wrote:

Palmer writes in his official report on September 25, 1863, just five days after the battle, of what happened after the 58th NCT had charged twice. Palmer sent a messenger to Kelly, who could not be found. Palmer himself then went to look for Kelly and
“… ascertaining that the other regiment had formed some distance to the right, I moved by the flank and formed on the prolongation of their line.”
“Being told by Colonel Hawkins that Colonel Kelly had a short time before been summoned suddenly from the field by General Preston without time to notify me of the fact, I assumed command of the brigade and, changing direction to the right, advanced toward the enemy at right angles of our first line of advance. Colonel Twigg had in the meantime, and after the enemy’s fire had ceased, moved his brigade up a depression between us and the main position of the enemy, and to his command some of them were about surrendering.
“My regiment captured about 20 officers and men…” (ORs Vol. 30, pt. 2, 446)

After the war, Palmer wrote: “Shortly after dark our brigade, temporarily under my command, succeeded in capturing the troops who had been opposing us.” (“The 58th North Carolina at the Battle of Chickamauga” Our Living and Our Dead October 1875)

Colonel Hawkins of the 5th Kentucky, wrote in late October 1863: “My men recovering from the temporary surprise caused by the treachery of the enemy, reformed, and, with fixed bayonets, advanced on the enemy, joined by Major French, then by Colonel Palmer…” (ORs Vol. 40, pt. 2 443-4)

Maj. French of the 63rd Virginia, also writing on September 25, has this to say: “The Fifty-eighth North Carolina, Fifth Kentucky, and my regiment advanced to within a short distance of the enemy, when they proposed to surrender and laid down their arms. When we arrived within about 40 yards of them, they retook their arms and poured a heavy fire into our ranks, which caused us to fall back a short distance to our position on the hill, from which we continued to fire into them. Our ammunition being now almost exhausted, we supplied ourselves as far as possible from the boxes of the killed and wounded. We again advanced in conjunction with Colonel Twigg’s brigade, when we succeeded in capturing 249 prisoners, including several field officers.” (ORs Vol. 40, pt. 2 448)

Kelly wrote, also on September 25, that after the false surrender volley was fired, Kelly met up with Twigg and began to advance. “Just at this movement was begun, I was notified by one of his [Twigg’s] staff that the brigadier general commanding division wished to see me, and I repaired at once to where he was stationed in the field. During this temporary absence the enemy surrendered to Colonel Twigg…”


My breakdown of events is this:

Palmer and the 58th NCT, on the left of the brigade, attempted to charge twice and were stymied. Palmer went looking for Kelly with his own ideas of how to finish driving the Federals off of the hill. He could not find Kelly, who had been called to the rear. Palmer, being senior commander of the brigade, took over. Hawkins of the 5th Kentucky had already started to move up the hill in conjunction with Twigg, as the 63rd Virginia, and then the 58th North Carolina, came on line and charged together. Both French and Hawkins said that Palmer is involved, even though there is some difference in the accounts, so I do not think this should be discredited.

So what do you think – I have laid my case out well?

Busy....

Ugh – I am way too busy right now. Not enough time to write.

The Avery County and the Civil War round table discussion went off smashingly. We had 34 in attendance, including a class on Civil War and Reconstruction, being taught by Dr. Allen Speer at Lees-McRae College. Speer is the author of Voices from Cemetery Hill, a collection of letters by one of his relatives in the 28th NCT. Speaking of the 28th NCT, I’ve had a copy of the new regimental history of the 28th NCT here on my desk for two or three months, and I’ve just not had time to read and review it. I also have a copy of the new book on Walter W. Lenoir of the 37th NCT, and Faust’s This Republic of Suffering­, just no time to read. Next week looks clear until Saturday, when we have the dedication for Avery County’s Civil War Trail Markers. We’ll see how much time I really have.

September

Folks: I thought I would share a few things going on in September.

There will be a Avery County and Civil War round table discussion tonight (September 2) at the Avery Morrison Public Library in Newland. Everyone is invited to attend. We are planning to start at 6:30 pm.

There will be a Mitchell County and the Civil War round table discussion on Tuesday, September 23, at the Bakersville Public Library. I believe that one also starts at 6:30 pm. As with the Avery program, this event is free, open to the public, and everyone is invited.

I am scheduled to be set up on the Writers Row at the Antique Fair in Charlotte this weekend. We'll see how the weather (Hurricane Hanna) plays out.

On September 13, we are dedicating our Civil War Trail Markers here in Avery County. There will be living history encampments at both the Cranberry Site and the Banner House in Banner Elk. I'll be speaking at the Cranberry and Blalock sites.

On September 20, I'll be in Asheville speaking to the Old Buncombe Genealogical Society. I don't have the time yet. I'll be leaving there and headed to the Chickamauga reenactment in north Georgia.

September 25 will find me speaking at the SCV Camp in Mt. Airy. The topic will be based upon my book, Remembering North Carolina's Confederates.

On September 27, I'll be participating in the Old Timey Days in Burnsville, Yancey County, and on September 28, I'm heading down to the reenactment in Hendersonville.

And I did not think September looked all that busy...

Oh yeah, I forgot - I'll be on local radio, WECR 1130 am, this Thursday morning, talking about the war.

At Todd General Store today

I just want to let everyone know that I will be at the Todd General store in beautiful downtown Todd today, August 30, from 11 until 4. If you are in the vicinity of Ashe County, come on by and chat! I’ll be signing books, answering questions, and meeting folks. It’s a lovely day up this way, so I hope to see some of you there!

New Bern Battlefield Visitor Center

On a ramble around the internet today, I saw were work has begun on the visitor center for the New Bern battlefield. I was over in the area not long after I began blogging. The driving force behind the battlefield and the new visitor center is the local historical society. It is good to see local organizations working hard to preserve local history.

For more information, check here and here.

Ox Hill Battlefield

Just read a few minutes ago that a portion (small portion) of the Ox Hill or Chantilly, Virginia, battlefield will become a battlefield park. Apparently, the park will contain less than 5 acres – all that it left of the battlefield. Everything else has been paved over or built upon. There were two brigades of North Carolinians at this battle, fought just outside of Washington, D.C., on September 1, 1862: Branch’s brigade (7th, 18th, 28th, 33rd, and 37th NCTs) and Pender’s brigade (16th, 22nd, 34th, and 38th NCTs), along with the 21st NCT of Trimble’s brigade, and Latham’s Battery. The preserved spot is near where these brigades fought, but I believe that both of these position are now topped by houses.

As many of you know, I wrote a history of the 37th NCT. This is the only battlefield (of 30+) where they fougt that I have not visited.

If you want t learn more, check out the articles here, here, and here.

Confederate Pension Records Available Online

I just noticed that the NC State Archives has digitized and released the 1885 Confederate pension records. Check out the story here.

This was released on August 5 – why did I not notice it earlier? My 13th wedding anniversary was August 5!

back at work on the 58th NCT

Many of you will be happy to know that I spent most of yesterday working on the 58th NCT book. I've been away from the project for several weeks now, trying to complete the Mitchell County project. I spent yesterday reorganizing the piles of folders that I use to try and keep things organized. I also spent some time sending an email to a friend about the fragments of the 58th NCT's flag in Raleigh.

Whenever you undertake a project such a regimental history, there are always going to be questions that you cannot answer. It was true when I wrote the book on the 37th NCT, and it is turning out to be true for the 58th NCT.

What I want to know is how the "58" and "NC"of the 58th NCT's Atlanta/Dalton flag ended up with the Harpers in Lenoir? Was the flag surrendered at Greensboro, or was it smuggled out, or was it cut up in little pieces and distributed to the survivors? And, since the 54th and 63rd Virginia's 1864 issue flag survives, and the "58"and "NC"of the 58th NCT's flag survives, whatever happened to the 60th NCT's 1864 flag? Is there a list of flags surrendered at Greensboro?

If any of my readers ever attempt to undertake such a project as aregimental history, be prepared for a long list of questions that you will never find answers to!

Boone Tuesday evening

Folks – I’ll be speaking in Boone this evening (Tuesday) at 7:00 pm at the Golden Corral. If you get a chance, stop by and join us.

CSS Nuese II

This past Monday morning, I headed to Kinston to speak to a group of “cadets” at the School of the Ironclad Soldier. Kinston is almost six hours from my house, and I had to transverse almost the entire state on a Monday morning to get there. Thankfully, there were no mishaps along the way.

My talk was about the war in the mountains of western North Carolina. I started out trying to debunk the myth of western North Carolina being more pro-Union than the rest of the state. Sure there are pockets of Union sympathizers, but western NC is stanchly pro-Confederate. Alas, the reporter that was there missed that entirely. See the article here.

My favorite time of any talk that I give is the question and answer time. This event was no different, and I had a lovely eight-year -old peppering me with questions regarding what I had said. I almost thought I had been set up….

After my talk and looking at the exhibits at the visitor center, which has some good relics from the area, I went over to tour the CSS Nuese II. The SCV/Reenactors/Community have gotten together and created a life-size reproduction of the Confederate ironclad. While the ship is still incomplete(no cannon) they are doing a great job of filling the inside of the vessel with items like bunks that the sailors slept on (documented), and an original steam boiler, much like the original that powered the ship. The tour guide was Charlie Broadway, who did a great job leading me around the ship. I had a great dinner, and I was taken to see the site of the Pickett hangings and the spot where the Unionists that Pickett hanged are buried. Then it was back to my room, where I finally finished Longacre’s dual biography on Johnston and Sherman (review coming).

On Tuesday, I stopped long enough in Raleigh to do some quick research, and then it was back home.

Dixie Highways

My first stop on my state-wide ramble was a in Hendersonville. On Sunday afternoon, there was a rededication of a marker commemorating the “Dixie Highway.” The Dixie Highway, according to Wikepedia, was created in 1914, with the goal of connecting the Midwest with the South. Rather than being one large road, the Dixie Highway “is better understood as a small network of interconnected paved roads. It was constructed and expanded from 1915 to 1927.” There were three routes. The western route ran between Chicago and Miami, through Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The eastern route connected Sault Ste. Marie with Miami via Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The central route “was a short cutoff between the western division at Macon and the eastern at Jacksonville, forming a shorter rout to Miami… The Carolina Division cut the distance between Knoxville and Waynesboro.” The route today is known as US 25.

The marker in Hendersonville was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1926. Why the rededication? The monument, a boulder featuring a bronze plaque with Robert E. Lee on it, originally sat in front of the courthouse, which fronts US 25. The courthouse has recently been remodeled, and the monument moved to the rear of the building. But the monument still fronts US 25. The road is now a divided one-way street, running both in front of and behind the old court house.

After attending the UDC-led re-dedication, we went inside to tour the recently opened Henderson County Heritage Museum, located in the old Henderson County Court House. Their inaugural exhibit is entitled “Let Freedom Ring” and features the story of Henderson County men and women who have served in the armed forces. Displays range through the days of the American Revolution to Desert Storm. Their Civil War displays are good, with some period pieces and a great map of battlefields and the names of those Henderson County men who lost their lives. The museum, which is free to the public, is well worth a stop.

Counting the Dixie Highway marker, I saw three Civil War markers on the courthouse grounds.

At home at last

Well, I̓m back from my wanderings, at least for now. I worked at our local museum on Saturday. On Sunday, I attended the rededication of the monument in Hendersonville and toured their museum. Monday afternoon, I spoke to some great folks at the School on the Ironclad Soldier in Kinston, and on Tuesday, I did a small bit of research at the state library and archives in Raleigh. Tonight, I am co-teaching (with my beautiful wife) a class on oral history at Caldwell Community College.

I̓'ll post more on my travels soon.

Cumberland Gap

I'm back from my excursion to Cumberland Gap. I got to see some great Civil War related sites in Claiborn County, Tennessee, on Saturday –including some unmarked graves, a wartime church used as a hospital, the site of the battle of Tazwel, and plenty of other really interesting sites. Hats off to David Honeycutt for showing me around.

I went hoping to find the graves of a dozen members of the 58th North Carolina who died in September-November 1862 while on duty at the Gap. I was shown a site and told a story that the Confederates were buried here, and after the war were disinterred and taken to Chattanooga for reburial. Alas, I am not yet convinced. The depressions in the ground could have been burial trenches, but they might just as well have been the site of winter quarters/huts. I’ve read on other occasions of soldiers building log huts three or four feet high, and then excavating inside the huts another two or three feet so the occupants could stand up. And, why Chattanooga? Most of the Confederate dead in Chattanooga were later taken to Marietta. Why not Tazwell or Knoxville?

So, I am still on the lookout for the site of the Confederate cemetery in Cumberland Gap. Any ideas?

Museum to host Civil War Days

Greetings folks! Check out this link for information on Henerson County Heritage Museum's upcoming Civil War Days.

Bear Creek

I spent last Tuesday evening with some really good friends poring over the Bear Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Mitchell County. There are probably 1,500 burials at Bear Creek, including about a dozen Union and Confederate soldiers.
I picked out two to talk about briefly. The first stone here is that of John P. Davis. He enlisted in Company C (not “D” as on the tombstone), 13th Tennessee Cavalry (US) on January 14, 1864. Just what became of him after that is unclear. He might have transferred to Company M, and then transferred to back to Company C, but that is unclear. At some point, over 50 years ago, someone ordered Davis a stone to denote his service in the Federal army.

The other tombstone (which was broken and lying in the grass) in the photograph is that of Matthew L. Sparks. On December 30, 1861, Sparks enlisted in the Mitchell Rangers, Palmer’s company that was charged with defending western North Carolina after the bridge burning in east Tennessee. Sparks was 49 years old when he enlisted. He served but two weeks – being discharged on January 14, 1862. The reason he was discharged is not listed, but I am willing to hazard a guess: his age.

So many times, when doing this type of survey, one runs across so many names with proper birth dates (1820-1850), but just cannot link them up with a soldier. In our survey we found a Adam Mace, born in 1847 and died in 1867, but we could not find an Adam Mace in Broadfoot or Soldiers and Sailors. There was also a Keith Sparks, born 1840, but we have found nothing for him either.

I’m off this weekend to Cumberland Gap. I’ve got a lead on a location for a Confederate Cemetery. Just maybe I can find a final resting spot for those dozen or so members of the 58th NCT who died between September and November 1862.