John Brown, pt. 3, cont.

Let’s look at another newspaper, the Fayetteville Observer.

On October 20, the Observer ran a piece on the Raid on page 3, their first page being made up of advertisements, and their second page a piece on Kings Mountain and Blackbeard… The Observer’s coverage lasted almost two columns. Their headline is “Startling News from Virginia,” and interestingly enough, at first the author believes that the Raid was a riot of workers at the Arsenal. They are not (at least yet) attacking anyone like the Weekly Standard did.

The next issue was published on October 24, and much of the paper is devoted to the Raid. On page two, E. J. Hale, the editor, sums of the Raid from accounts from other newspapers. Interestingly enough, Hale looks at reports in Northern newspapers for how they reacted to Brown’s Raid. Hale found several neutral – the Journal of Commerce, Democratic, the Express, Whig, and the Day Book, all published in New York. The “incendiary” Evening Post apparently justified the actions of Brown.

Coverage was scaled back on October 27. On page two was an article concerning a trunk that reputably belonged to Brown. The trunk contained maps of the other Southern cities. On page three, Hale again looks at Northern newspaper reaction to Brown’s raid, and finds the papers in Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia “sound and patriotic.” The editor did find problems with the Ohio State Journal and Boston Daily Advertiser. Hale believed that much good would come out of the Raid. He wrote that

Beside the natural effect of deterring others from following an example where only disgrace and death are the rewards of the conspirator, where the State and Nation instantly unite their powers to punish them, and where there is an almost universal expression of abhorrence and detestation of their crime—another good result is manifest, in the clear line of separation which it has been made between the handful of Abolitionists and the great host of Republicans. That line had been almost obliterated—we in the South have been accustomed to consider it entirely obliterated. To see that it is not so, but only to read the conspiracy. With the exception of such fanatics as Greely of the Tribune and Bryant of the Evening Post, there is one united and overwhelming burst of condemnation.
And while this ought to lead, and doubtless will lead, to a more kindly spirit between the sections, since it shows that after all we are not so widely separated as had been feared, it will be a death blow to the Presidential aspirations of such ultraists as Seward, and Chase, whose speeches have encouraged outrages like this at Harper’s Ferry. The outbreak has come in good time to prevent the Republicans from nominating any man of their stamp.

The next issue, published on October 31, took excerpts from other newspapers to further inform their readers of the events that had transpired. These excerpts take about two columns of page two and are the only mentions of the Raid in that issue, although the Observer does make some mention of letters passed between abolitionists.

John Brown, pt. 3

I was hoping to get to ASU to look up some additional sources on North Carolina’s reaction to John Brown’s raid. But with time constraints, and with the flu running rampant on college campuses, I’ve decided to just use the resources that I have at hand.

I will start by saying that using newspapers to gauge the public’s reaction to an event is not necessarily good history. Newspaper editors (then and now) are biased, and use their column space to present a certain view (theirs) to the public. With that warning in mind, let’s dive in.

John Brown’s raid took places on October 16-17, 1859. Word had not arrived in sufficient time to warrant a column in the October 19 issue of the ­Weekly Standard (Raleigh). The Raid did get coverage in the October 22 issue, the editor (W. W. Holden), devoting almost three whole columns on the front of his paper to the Raid. Holden’s personal comments seem to be these:

The Outbreak at Harper’s Ferry
The whole country has been startled by the insurrectionary movement at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, full accounts of which will be found in our paper today.
The movement was promptly suppressed by the authorities, but it will be long remembered as a [practical] illustration of abolition doctrines.
The President of the United States deserves the thanks of every true man North and South, for the energy and promptitude which he displayed on the occasion. What would have been done, if Seward had been President?

Everything else on the first page is a reprint from a newspaper in Washington, D. C., detailing the raid, and the search for fugitives.

Holden devotes most of page three (the newspaper was only four pages) to coverage of the Raid. He continues his own thoughts, praising the actions of Virginia Gov. Henry A. Wise. Holden then looks to identify the financial backers of the Raid, naming “Gerritt Smith, Joshua R. Giddings, and other prominent abolitionist.” Holden wanted the federal authorities to “take hold of these men…” He also wrote that “If about one thousand of the prominent abolitionists could be hanged by the neck until they were dead, the country would be benefitted, and all good men every where would be more assured of a continence of concord between the States.” Holden’s next paragraph is aimed at Seward and the abolition movement. “At the North this Harper’s Ferry movement” Holden writes “should produce more sound reflection on the subject of slavery than heretofore, and should dispose every just and fair-minded citizen to set his face against a party whose doctrines lead inevitably to insurrection and a dissolution of the Union.” Holden then goes on to reprint articles from Richmond and Baltimore.

In the next issue of the Weekly Standard, published on November 2, 1859, Holden once again turns his pen against Seward. On page 1, under the title of “The ‘Irrepressible Conflict’”, Holden writes that the “doctrines announced by Mr. Seward, in his Rochester speech, have displayed their first fruits in the recent outbreak at Harper’s Ferry." The editor then looks at the doctrines of the “black Republicans,” and latter takes issue with Republican journalists, saying that while they “seek to palliate the wickedness of old Brown and his confederates, by declaring that he is a madman, and that they are not responsible for his conduct…” Brown’s actions “are the legitimate fruits of their doctrines, which teach that slavery is a monstrous evil, to be ‘extirpated’ by every means under the ‘higher law’ which its enemies can command."

N.C. Museum of History Returns Civil War Flag to Rhode Island

Greetings folks! I was away at a Avery County Heritage Museum meeting this afternoon, and found this in my email on my return.

The North Carolina Museum of History has returned a Civil War flag of Company L, First Rhode Island Cavalry to its home state. The V-shaped flag, called a guidon, was captured by the 63rd North Carolina Troops (Fifth North Carolina Cavalry) on June 17, 1863, during the Battle of Middleburg, Virginia. The battle was part of the Gettysburg campaign, a series of battles in June to July during Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's movement through Virginia toward Pennsylvania.

The silk, striped guidon of Company L, with stars and letters on a field of blue, was donated to the Museum of History in the early 1900s. The gold-fringed banner has been fully restored by the museum and has appeared in previous exhibits.

In a gesture of goodwill, the Museum of History initiated the offer to return the flag to the State of Rhode Island. In 2008 the Rhode Island National Guard accepted the gift from North Carolina.

"The Rhode Island National Guard is thankful to the North Carolina Museum of History staff for graciously returning a Rhode Island Civil War guidon," says Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray, Adjutant General and Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard. "We are delighted to display the banner, especially given its pristine condition as a result of the careful preservation provided by the museum, among the many historical artifacts at the Varnum Armory in East Greenwich."

The Museum of History hopes the State of Rhode Island will return a North Carolina flag captured by Rhode Island soldiers at New Bern on March 14, 1862. "We would like this Confederate flag, along with ones held by other states, to eventually be returned to North Carolina," says Tom Belton, curator of military history.

In addition to the Rhode Island guidon, the Museum of History has given back a Civil War flag to Louisiana. The banner was mistakenly identified as being associated with North Carolina. Within the last few years, the Museum of History has received North Carolina flags from Arkansas and Massachusetts to add to its collection.

The Museum of History boasts the third-largest Confederate flag collection in the world. All banners in the collection were carried by Tar Heel troops. The museum is currently engaged in an extensive flag conservation program in anticipation of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War; commemorative events will take place from 2011 to 2015.Company L, First Rhode Island Cavalry at the Battle of Middleburg

Company L, First Rhode Island Cavalry suffered devastating losses during the Battle of Middleburg. On June 17 Union Col. Alfred N. Duffié led more than 230 men into Middleburg around 4 p.m. After hearing of their arrival, Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart ordered Brig. Gen. Beverly Robertson to move the Fifth North Carolina Cavalry in, and at 7 p.m. the regiment surrounded and attacked the Rhode Island unit. Several of Duffié's men were killed or wounded, and the rest were driven out of town and fought their way through the night.

Most of Company L's soldiers were captured the next morning. Only four of Duffié's officers and 27 soldiers made it back to Centreville on June 18. A few more men from Company L returned during the next two days, but the regiment's losses were about 200.

For more information, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The Museum of History is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol.

News and notes....

Time for our little look around….

The blog North Carolina Miscellany has yet posted another post about Abe Lincoln’s North Carolina roots. Check it out here.

The Chapel Hill News has an article that you can read here that is comparing our War in northeastern North Carolina in the 1860s with the war in Afghanistan. Hmm, I’m not so sure that I agree with their assessment.

In the Examiner.com, there is an article looking at Gov. W. W. Holden, the only North Carolina governor to have been impeached. Check out the article here.

The Sun News, out of Myrtle Beach, complains that the displays at the North Carolina Capital is not racially diverse. Hmm, I felt tthat there was plenty of diversity last time that I was there. Maybe they have changed things around. Check out the article here.

Interesting article in the Washington Post (you can read it here) about the town of Beaufort.

The Examiner.com (mentioned above) has a good article on the Bennett Place. Read it here.

John Brown, pt. 2

I’ve been working on the North Carolina reaction to John Brown’s raid part of this current series and I’ve made a couple of discoveries. This is probably not going to be a two parter, but will probably have five parts. I think the new part two is: what do you think John Brown was? Here are your choices:

guerrilla fighting in the revolutionary cause of antislavery
terrorist
not sure

I’m going to put up a poll on the sidebar and keep it up for a week, and then we will talk about the results. Thanks for voting.

Regards,
Michael

John Brown, pt. 1

I’m behind on my postings for this week – had some computer problems that are hopefully resolved. What I hope to write in the next couple of days is a two-part post dealing with John Brown and his raid. The first post, the one you are getting today, deals with some thoughts by Robert E. McGlone in a recent article in Civil War Times. The second part of the article will deal with the reaction of North Carolinians to Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry.

It would seem that some people are trying to reform John Brown, shifting him from being labeled a terrorist to a “guerrilla fighting in the revolutionary cause of antislavery.” (per an article entitled “John Brown, terrorist?” in American Nineteenth Century History – March 2009. Since most folks don’t subscribe to that Journal, we will focus on McGlone’s piece.)

McGlone lays out his defense of John Brown in two paragraphs.
At no point did Brown endorse random killings, and he conceived his crusade against slavery as being governed by the rules of honorable warfare. Unlike typical modern terrorists, Brown also personally led guerrilla forces in the field. He treated his hostages at Harper’s Ferry with courtesy and deference rather than using them to shield his retreat from the town.
During the Marines’ assault on his engine house refuge on the grounds of the Federal armory, he shielded them from fire. He conceived the liberation of the slaves as a patriot act, not the destruction of the state. With control of the Harper’s Ferry arsenal… Brown could have wrought havoc upon the town. But he loved the biblical story of Gideon panicking the Midianites, and like Gideon, he hoped to strike fear in the hearts of his adversaries.

First: “At no point did Brown endorse random killings, and he conceived his crusade against slavery as being governed by the rules of honorable warfare.” So, when Brown attacked those living in cabins along Pottawatomie Creek, in retribution for a raid on Lawrence, Kansas, did he act as those “being governed by the rules of honorable warfare”? “At the first cabin, Brown's men brutally killed three Doyle men, splitting open their heads and cutting off their arms. Brown himself reportedly watched as if in a trance. When his men were done, he put a bullet through the head of James Doyle. Then the party went to two more cabins, dragging out and killing two more proslavery men. They killed five in all.” (1) Bear in mind that the while the men whom Brown and his party killed believed in the right of slave ownership, they actually did not own any slaves. We could further add that there were several individuals in Harper’s Ferry that Brown, or his men, killed, and not by the rules of honorable warfare.

Second: “Unlike typical modern terrorists, Brown also personally led guerrilla forces in the field.” There would be hundreds of examples to refute this. I’ll cite just one. Osama bin Laden reportedly carries a Soviet AK-47, which he obtained by killing a Russian soldier with his bare hands. This just might be urban legend, but there are plenty of examples of terrorist leaders taking up arms themselves. Once a terrorist organization grows, these terrorists gain lieutenants to manage their fights.

Three. “He treated his hostages at Harper’s Ferry with courtesy and deference rather than using them to shield his retreat from the town. During the Marines’ assault on his engine house refuge on the grounds of the Federal armory, he shielded them from fire.” Brown told his prisoners “I have only to say now that you will have precisely the same fate that your friends extend to my men.” (4) Which I take to mean that if Brown’s men were killed by the militia, then so would his prisoners be killed.

Four. He conceived the liberation of the slaves as a patriot act…” One of Brown’s sons recalled, in relationship to the murders on Pottawatomie Creek, that John Brown said “It was now and here that they, their aiders and abettors who sought to kill our suffering people should themselves be killed, and in such a manner as should likely to cause a restraining fear.” (2) So, Brown sought to strike fear into his adversaries. McGlone admits as much: “But he loved the biblical story of Gideon panicking the Midianites, and like Gideon, he hoped to strike fear in the hearts of his adversaries.”

Five. “With control of the Harper’s Ferry arsenal… Brown could have wrought havoc upon the town” Well, Hayward Shepherd, a baggage man for the R&O (and a free person of color) was shot and killed by Brown’s men at 1:30 in morning. Another citizen of the town, an Irishman named Boerley “happened to get within range of a picket, -a black fellow who called himself Dangerfield Newby, --whereupon the negro raised his rifle and without a word of warning shot him dead…” Another man, George Turner, moved toward the arsenal, with a shotgun. “When he had approached within some fifty yards… the same negro… saw him coming, and, taking deliberate aim, shot him dead.” (3) A skirmish between Brown’s men in the firehouse and the citizens of the town soon broke out. Fountain Beckham, the mayor of the town, was shot and killed. By all accounts, Beckman was unarmed. There are numerous accounts of terror experienced by the citizens of the town when Brown struck. Then with hundreds of militiamen pouring into the small town, and with a detachment of US Marines, well, the town was in havoc.

Brown wanted to establish a new nation in the Appalachian mountains, a nation composed of freed slaves. So, in a sense, Brown wanted to overthrow the US government and establish his own. And, we might add, slavery, no matter had repugnant, was constitutionally protected at this time. He expected these slaves, once they had heard of Brown’s successful rebellion, to quickly flee from their masters (possibly murdering them in the process) and join other abolitionists. Brown was prepared to use violence to complete his objectives, and had he been able to hold the armory, would have had weapons to achieve his means. Brown gathered a force, secretly made plans, captured a portion of a United States military base, took hostages, terrified local civilians, killed and wounded innocent civilians, killed and wounded United State Marines, and damaged United States property, all under the guise of “this is God’s will.”

According to a online dictionary from Princeton University, a terrorist is “a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities.” (5)

So, I stand by what I wrote above. John Brown was not a patriot, he was not a “guerrilla fighting in the revolutionary cause.” He was a terrorist.

1. “The Story of John Brown.” Current Events 11 March 2005. Vol. 104, Is. 21.
2. Goodrich, War to the knife: Bleeding Kansas (1998) 123.
3. Ibid., 233
4. Ibid., 236
5. http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=terrorist

News and notes….

Sorry to hear that Bill Scaife has passed away. I used his book The Campaign for Atlanta extensively in the 58th NCT book. You can read an article about him here.

The Raleigh City Museum is hosting a special event concerning reconstruction. Check out an article here.

Rob Neufeld continues his exploration of the War in western North Carolina with a look at the skirmish at Hanging Dog Creek. Check out the article here.

The Greensboro News-Record has an article on the statues in Statuary Hall in Washington, D. C. Read all about it here.

BlueRidgeNow.com has a look at the historic Cavalry Episcopal Church in Fletcher. The church served as a barracks and hospital during the War. Read about it here.

And,

In the Fayetteville Observer, you can find an article on primary sources and Sherman’s march through North Carolina. Check it out here.

Moore County

Two counties in one week….

Moore County was formed in 1784 and named for Alfred Moore, a Revolutionary War officer and later justice on the United States Supreme Court. The county seat is Carthage.

According to the 1860 census, Moore County had a population of 11,427, which included 2,513 slaves and 184 free persons of color. During the 1860 presidential election, Moore County men cast 588 votes for Bell, 299 for Breckinridge, and 179 for Douglas. When the vote for the call for a convention came in early 1861, Moore County men cast 1,257 against with 135 for calling the convention. Representing Moore County in May 1861 was Dr. Hector Turner. He was a native of Scotland and came to America in 1820. He studied medicine at the University of New York. During the war, he became a surgeon in the 20th North Carolina Troops, surrendering at Appomattox. He later served in the state legislature. Turner was born in 1816 and died in 1896.

Men from Moore County served in Company H, 26th NCT; Company H, 30th NCT; Company C, 35th NCT; Company H, 46th NCT; Company D, 48th NCT; Company D, 49th NCT; Company F, 50th NCT; and, Company E, 56th NCT. You can find a list here.

Just like with Person County, I could not find a lot of information in books or on the web about Moore County and the War.

There is a Confederate Monument in Moore County, but information about the monument is scarce.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncmoore/mcconfedsld.htm

Person County

Time for a look at another one of North Carolina’s great counties. Person County was formed in 1791, and named for Gen. Robert Person of Revolutionary War fame. The county seat of Roxboro was chartered in 1855 and named after Roxborough, Scotland.

In 1860, Person County had a population of 11,221, people, including 5,195 slaves and 313 free persons of color. In the 1860 presidential election, Person County cast 420 votes for Breckinridge and 483 for Bell, with only 9 for Douglas. In early 1862, Person County cast 593 votes in favor of calling a convention to consider the question of secession, while 167 people voted against the measure. John W. Cunningham, a local planter, merchant, state senator and member of the Council of State, was the county’s representative.

A local historian writes that Person County supplied between 800 and 1000 men to the Confederate army. Some of these men served in Company F, 17th NCST; Companies A and H, 24th NCT; Company E, 35th NCT; and Company A, 50th NCT.

Not much can be found about the role of the county during the war. One recent local historian writes that “Person County was a well-established plantation center before the Civil War. Crops included tobacco, cotton, corn, wheat, oats, fruits, vegetables, cattle, hogs and sheep…” A search of my standard sources – Johnson, Bennett, Trotter, Cromie, and others, did not turn up much.

Person County is the birthplace of Edwin G. Reade, a lawyer in Roxboro, a representative in the House of Representatives from 1855 until 1857, and a North Carolina Senator in the Confederate Congress (appointed by Vance). Reade was one of the Confederate senators who in 1863 advocated state commissioners from North Carolina meeting with representatives to reestablish North Carolina in the Union. Reade had the “unenviable job “ of opening that fall 1865 meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Raleigh. He is reported to have opened the meeting with “Fellow-citizens, we are going home…” Reade would go on to become a North Carolina Supreme Court justice. Reade was born in 1812 and died in 1894. He is interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

Person County has a Confederate monument, located on the grounds of the court house in Roxboro. The monument was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1922. On top of the monument is a statue of Capt. E. Fletcher Satterfield, who was killed on July 3, 1863, while bearing the flag of his regiment, the 55th NCT, at Gettysburg. Not sure why he is holding a rifle, and not a sword.

58th NCT at Appomattox?

Recently, I got Glatthaar’s book General Lee’s Army, in the mail (thanks, Matt). As usual, I flipped through the index first. To my surprise, there was an entry for the 58th NCT. I flipped to page 463 and found this:

“John Wesley Richards, a twenty-five-year old private in the 58th North Carolina, the son of a poor laborer, was not so lucky. According to official sources, he had survived Saylor’s Creek, only to suffer a mortal wound at Appomattox.”

So – if you have been following my blog for any length of time, you immediately see what is wrong. The 58th NCT was neither at Saylor’s Creek nor Appomattox. Neither was there a John Wesley Richards within the ranks of the 58th NCT. There was a John Wesley Richards. He served in the 56th North Carolina, not the 58th NCT. According to his service record, Richards hailed from Cleveland County and enlisted in Company F of the 56th NCT in Wake County on July 8, 1862. He was twenty-three years old at the time. Richards was “[r]eported sick in hospital at Goldsboro July and AUgust 1862. Returned to duty in September – October 1862. Reported present through December 1864. [May have been mortally wounded at or near the Appomattox River near the end of the war.]”

Had it been another regiment, say the 46th NCT vs. the 56th NCT, I would not have caught this mistake. But I did, so if you read Glatthaar’s General Lee’s Army, just remember that the 58th NCT was not at Saylor’s Creek or Appomattox.

58th NCT update (and a few other things)

I’ve been working today on writing captions for the book on the 58th NCT. The book will have approximately 100 photographs, many of them are of members of the regiment, a few are of the places where they fought. The text of the book has not really changed, about 126,000 words. I might get it turned in about two weeks from now. (Don’t hold your breath!)

I was digging about today on facebook and I found several North Carolina and the War-related links. They include a page on the preservation of the flag of the 58th NCT, a page produced by the state Sesquicentennial Committee, and a page devoted to Zeb Vance. There are probably others, I’ve just not found them yet.

If you are on facebook, look me up sometime.

By the way, if you have 58th NCT cemeteries, photographs, etc., you had better send them to me soon.

North Carolina and the War in the news...

Well, time for our look around.

Rob Neufield started a series on western North Carolina Civil War sites. Check it out here.

The Star News Online has a article on the namesake of Pender County. Read more here.

Also in the Star News Online is an article on the Frying Pan Shoals, off the Cape Fear River. Check it out here.

Pat Falci will be speaking to the Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table on August 10. Check it out here.

There is an article on North Carolina and Nat Turner’s Rebellion in “This Month in North Carolina History.” Check it out here.

and,

I'll be at the Mt. Mitchell Arts and Crafts Fair tomorrow (Friday). The organizers have an area set up for history and invited us to come. Stop by and say hi.

the 58th NCT and Chickamauga

There have been several times in my life when I have had the opportunity to work with the National Park Service and do living history programs on battlefields. This past weekend, I had the great privilege to portray a member of the 58th North Carolina Troops at Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Park. We were camped out at the Snodgrass cabin, not too far from where the regiment would have camped on the night of September 20, 1863. Saturday’s slate of interpretive programs went great. We had good crowds each time, and many of the spectators asked good questions and few even hung around for quite awhile. Saturday evening it started to rain, and many of us bunked in the Snodgrass cabin. The original cabin was used as a field hospital during and after the battle. The cabin itself is not original, but it is re-constructed on its original foundation. Some talked about hearing that “bump in the night” but, to be honest, between the fellow snoring on one side of me and another fellow on the other side cussin’ at the fellow snoring, well, I did not hear much. We ran through one part of one of our programs on Sunday morning for a couple of people, but it continued to rain, so we were cut loose. I spent the next hour and a half just riding around the park and talking pictures out the window.

Speaking of pictures, here is our mess for the weekend. All of these fine fellows were from the Old North State.

At Chickamauga today

Come see me this weekend at Chickamauga. It's great to be portraying the actual 58th on the actual ground!

ensign v. color guard

Ok- I learned something new today. That’s not to say that I don’t learn something new every day, I just thought I would share it with you today. I’ve been involved in a great email discussion with a fellow Tar Heel regarding the flags used at Chickamauga, particularly the flags of Kelly’s brigade and the 58th North Carolina. No, we have not really reached a consensus. To me, it would almost seem that the 58th NCT was not issued a flag until they received a Second National sometime in between the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. The color sergeant was appointed at this time, and the color guard of the 58th NCT was awarded four captured Colt’s Revolving Rifles for their (the regiment’s) performance at Chickamauga.

Anyway, I was reading in Howard Madaus’s book on flags of the Army of Tennessee, when I came across this:

“From 1812 through the Civil War, the responsibility for carrying the colors rested with the sergeants selected from the line companies. On 5 March 1864, however, the Confederate War Department published the act of Confederate Congress which reinstituted the rank of ensign, ‘whose duty it shall be to bear the colors of the regiment, but without the right to command in the field.” Three months later this privilege was extended to battalions as well as regiments. The problems posed by this position caused Congress to reconsider its earlier enactment, and on 25 March 1865, the rank of ensign was abolished…”

Ok – I knew all of that except the part about Congress rescinding its act in March 1865 (and how long have I owned this book?). Of course, the war was about over, and, maybe the Confederate Congress should have been worrying about more important matters. So I wonder, what problems arose?

So, I went hunting for the problem. I found several instances of the bearers of the flag being called ensigns prior to the fifth of March 1864, i.e., the 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles had an ensign in January 1863, as did the 19th Louisiana Infantry at Chickamauga. And interestingly enough, the term “ensign” appears more in the Official Records of Confederates within the Army of Tennessee than within the Army of Northern Virginia. Ensigns were to receive the pay and allowances of first lieutenants, which amounted to $90 per month. When the office of ensign was abolished two interesting things transpired: one, ensigns were approved, based upon recommendation, by the president, but when the office was abolished, the commanding officer of the regiment got to pick the color bearer from men under his command; and, two, though no longer an officer, the color-bearer still received the pay of a first lieutenant. (ORs, Ser. 4, Vol. 3, p.1167)

Interesting stuff, but I still cannot find the “problems” that Madaus alluded to in his book. Thoughts of where to look next? Maybe Jefferson Davis’s papers, or???

58th NCT at Chickamauga

Greetings folks! There is an article in The Daily Citizen about an upcoming living history at Chickamauga National Battlefield Park. A group of interpreters (me included) will be portraying the 58th North Carolina on Snodgrass Hill on August 1st and 2nd. If you live in the area, stop by and see us. You can check out the article here.

color guard

I think I was able to put two and two together this morning and come out with the original color company of the 58th NCT. The color guard of a Confederate regiment was composed of six men: the color sergeant and his guard, usually five corporals. Usually, only the color sergeant, or, after June 1864, the ensign, is listed in the records. I went through several of the Troop books put out by the state looking for comparisons. William E. Weaver of the 29th NCT was formally 1st Sergeant of Company H. He was promoted to color sergeant on July 2, 1863. However, the next entry states that John R. Rich enlisted in August 1861, and was mustered in as color sergeant. He was promoted to ensign in September 1864, and took the oath in 1865. Hmmm, maybe the 29th NCT had two color sergeants. In comparison, the 30th NCT, has no one listed as a color sergeant or ensign. The 22nd NCT has two men listed: Jesse H. Pinkerton and Sion H. Oxford. Even the 26th NCT, whose role during the battle of Gettysburg is highly documented, only lists Jefferson B. Mansfield as a color sergeant. His record simply states that Mansfield “Was apparently detailed to serve as Color Sergeant on various occasions during the war.”

For the 58th NCT, we know that Green B. Woody served as color sergeant, and later ensign, from October 1, 1863, through February 1865. Woody was a 2nd Sergeant in Company C. In a post war letter written by Lt. Col. Samuel Silver, he states that during the battle of Missionary Ridge, all of the companies had been sent from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain save the center company, which was Captain Suel Brigg’s Company C. The color guard would have been attached to the center company of the regiment, with that company being designated as the color company. The entire regiment would have dressed on the color guard, and the color company.

So, I know where two of the twelve companies were in line – Company A was on the right, and Company C was in the center.

News and notes...

Time for our look around the old North State.

There is an article on the passing of CSS Neuse II’s founder Ted Sampley on encToday. Check it out here.

Also in encToday is an article about work on the museum to house the original CSS Neuse. Read about it here.

Several newspapers have reported on the work of three North Carolina Central Students and their work with the papers of Jefferson Davis at the Museum of the Confederacy. Check out one of those articles here.

There is a small piece on New Bern and “What-if” which you can find here.

In the Stokes News you can find an article about the restoration of their courthouse and the planned addition of the North Carolina Civil War Trails marker. You can read about it here.

A very interesting article on the preservation of Fort Fisher through the past 100 years: read about it here.

58th NCT update

I thought I would pass along a 58th NCT update. This morning, I wrote the last paragraph in the book. There will undoubtedly be some things added between now and when I turn the book in, but I am getting close. The manuscript stands at 125,074 words. That includes text, notes, bibliography, roster, and a couple of other appendixes. For those who have my book on the 37th NCT, that manuscript was 150,000 words. I still do not have a number of illustrations – I am still working on getting some things scanned and indexed.

Tonight, I will be speaking at the Col. John B. Palmer Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They meet at 6:30 pm at the town center in Burnsville. I’ll be talking about some odds and ends regarding my work into the 58th NCT. If you get a chance, come and join us.

Troutman and Forbes

Greetings folks! I received this email concerning my last post – thanks to Richard Howland who lives in California for the information.

I read with great interest your post today about the Hill/Ledford cemetery south of Buladean. I have several relatives buried there, including George Washington Troutman, my gr-grandfather. As you mentioned, he fought in the Mexican war and also in the 58th NC troops. He deserted the Confederacy after about a year and went home to take care of his domestic responsibilities. At that time he had a farm, a wife and about 10 children to take care of. His son James K. Polk Troutman had joined Company "B" of the 13th Tennessee Cav. George had been serving in Tennessee, and I suspect that he didn't like the idea that he might have to shoot his own son. Maybe another reason George deserted. The James Troutman that's buried at Hill Cemetery is George's son.

You speak of Ricklas Forbes, who is another of my gr-grandfathers. He was taken from his home at gunpoint and forced to fight for the Confederacy. When he refused to fight for the confederacy, he was hung upside down from a tree by his big toes and left to die. Fortunately, he was found by passers-by and cut loose. Then, he along with his brother William enlisted in the Union. Ricklas is buried at the Campbell Cemetery located on Rittertown Road, 1/2 mile east of Hampton, Tennessee…

Ledford/Hill Cemetery, Mitchell County

I had the distinct pleasure this past Saturday to work (again) in the Hill/Ledford Cemetery in Mitchell County. There are at least four Civil War soldiers buried here, three Federals and one Confederate. There maybe an additional Confederate soldier buried here, John Hill (1838-1889), but I cannot seem to line him up with any regiment. He did not serve in any of the local regiments, and efforts to find him in Union or Confederate Pension records remain inconclusive. There may also be an additional Federal soldier – Rickles Forbes. His wife is buried in the cemetery, but there is no marker for him. Forbes served in Company E, 3rd NC Mount. Inf.

The other soldiers in the cemetery include James Troutman - Co. B, 13th Tenn. Cav., George Troutman - 1st North Carolina Volunteers (Mexican War) and Co. B, 58th NCT; and, Samuel Garland – Co. I, 29th NCT and Co. E, 3rd NC Mount. Inf. The lone Confederate is William Wise, Co. F, 3rd NC Cav.

These two cemeteries run together, with the Ledford Cemetery being on the bottom and the Hill Cemetery being further up the hill (pardon the pun). We estimate that the Hill portion of the cemetery has been abandoned for 40-plus years, so you can image the amount of work that was required. Our local SCV Camp was contracted to do the work, and it has taken three very long Saturdays. We hope to spend another Saturday this fall trying to uncover more of the downed field rocks that serve as tombstones.

So why would someone keep up part of the cemetery and not the other? We were told that the folks who had kept up the Ledford part of the cemetery were descendants of Union soldiers. When the last of the Hill family, which had sided with the South, moved away, their portion of the cemetery was abandoned. Probably not a true story, but an interesting one.

In all of my 20+ years of cemetery tramping, this was probably the worst case that I have ever seen. Very large trees, a lot of briars, groundhog holes, poison ivy… I’m glad we were able to pull it out ofoblivion.

Just fourteen slave states?

Interesting article this morning on the digitation of Freedman’s Bureau records in Virginia in the Winston-Salem Journal. You can read the whole article here. However, part of the article is misleading. Five paragraphs down, we find this statement: “Virginia is the first of the 14 former slave-owning states to have its records digitized.” Now wait a minute…. There are a lot more than “14 former slave—owning states…” In 1861, at the start of the war, there were fifteen “slave-owning” states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Add to this list the District of Columbia, which did not abolish slavery until April 1862, and in 1863, West Virginia, which was admitted to the Union as a slave slate. Of course, there was still slavery in New Jersey, the Nebraska Territory, and in Oklahoma/IndianTerritory.

But that’s not all of them – the shackles of slavery did not come off until 1848 in Connecticut, 1845 in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, 1842 in Rhode Island, 1827 in New York, 1783 in Massachusetts, and 1777 in Vermont. Wow, that’s a lot more than “14 former slave-owning states…”

I’m going to imply that the author of the article meant that there were fourteen slaves that the Freedman’s Bureau operated in after the close of the war. I just wish he would have written that.

Lenoir County

I thought this morning we would turn our attention to Lenoir County, over toward the east coast. Lenoir County is named for Gen. William Lenoir (1751-1839). The county was formed in 1791 from Dobbs County. Lenoir was a patriot in the American Revolution. He lived in modern Caldwell County, where the county seat, Lenoir, is also named for William Lenoir. Kinston, which had served as Dobbs County’s seat, was retained as Lenoir County’s seat. Kinston was incorporated in 1762. The name was originally Kingston and named in honor of King George III.

In 1860, Lenoir County had a population of 10,220, including 5,131 slaves and 177 free blacks. And during the 1860 Presidential election, Lenoir County voters cast 533 votes for Breckinridge, 317 for Bell, and 21 for Douglas.

February 1861 found Lenoir County voting 447 for a convention to consider secession, with 195 against the question. Representing the county during the convention of May 1861 was John Cobb Washington, a relative of George Washington. J. C. Washington was born in Kinston in 1801. He was a merchant and a farmer and was opposed to secession.

Numerous companies were recruited from Lenoir County, including Company D, 5th NCST; Company C, 13th Batt. NC Infantry; Companies C and D, 27th NCT; 1st Company K, 32nd NCT; Co. E, 61st NCT; and Companies C and H, 1st Batt. Local Defense Troops.

The county was the site of numerous raids during the war. Lenoir County was between the Federal army at New Bern, and the Confederate-held (and extremely important) Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. We are going to focus our time on the two larger battles in the county, namely, the battle of Kinston, fought December 13-14, 1862, and the battle of Wyse Fork, fought March 8-10, 1865.

The first battle of Kinston was part of a general troop movement by Union forces which extended as far west as Goldsboro, as far north as Fredericksburg, Va. and as far south as Wilmington. Union troops under the command of Brigadier General John G. Foster of New Hampshire had already taken the town of New Bern. Foster’s force consisted of about 10,000 infantry, 640 cavalry, and 40 pieces of artillery, supported by nine small gun boats on the Neuse River. Defending Kinston were a little more than 2,500 Confederates under the command of Brig. Gen. Nathan G. “Shank” Evans. On December 11, 1862, the raid commenced, and on December 13, the two forces collided. Federal cavalry battled Confederate infantry at Southwest Creek, with the North Carolinians being driven back. Evans consolidated his forces about two miles away at a bridge crossing over the Neuse. The next day, the Federals faced stiff resistance but were able to cross a swamp and out- flank the Confederates. Evans, believing all his men were across the bridge, ordered it burned. However, not all of his men were across the river, and he lost 400 captured to the Federals, along with eleven pieces of artillery. The flames on the bridge were extinguished by the Federals, who were able to cross over into Kinston. Evans continued to retreat, and skirmishes were fought at Seven Springs (then Whitehall) in Wayne County. Eventually, the Federals reached Goldsboro, but were unable to capture and destroy the bridge due to Confederate resistance, and were forced to retreat. By Dec. 14, Foster's inland expedition resulted in 90 Union soldiers killed, 478 wounded, and nine missing. On the Confederate side, 71 were killed, 268 wounded, and over 400 captured.

The battle of Wyse Fork, also called the Second Battle of Kinston, was fought March 7-10, 1865. This battle has been called the second largest battle in the state and was a delaying action by Braxton Bragg against forces of John Schofield. Schofield planned to advance inland from Wilmington in February, at the same time assigning Maj. Gen. Jacob Cox to direct Union forces from New Berne toward Goldsboro. On March 7, Cox’s advance was stopped by Hoke’s and Hagood’s divisions under Gen. Braxton Bragg’s command at Southwest Creek below Kinston. On the 8th, the Confederates attempted to seize the initiative by attacking the Union flanks. After initial success, the Confederate attacks stalled because of faulty communications. On March 9, the Union forces were reinforced and beat back Bragg’s renewed attacks on the 10th after heavy fighting. Bragg withdrew across the Neuse River and was unable to prevent the fall of Kinston on March 14. Federal loses were 1,101. Confederate losses were estimated at 1,500.

Also of importance to Lenoir County history is the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse. “ The CSS Neuse, named after the river on which it was based, was constructed in 1863 amid Confederate hopes that the ironclad could help regain control over the rivers and sounds of eastern North Carolina. In April 1864, the Neuse, not yet fully equipped, left Kinston to help with a planned attack against New Bern. Before it reached its target, the Neuse ran aground and eventually returned to its base. On March 12, 1865, she was burned by her crew to prevent capture. The wreck remained in the river until 1963 when it was raised, then located in its present site. The remains of the Neuse (much of its wooden lower structure and some of its iron plating) are displayed” at the CSS Neuse State Historic Park.

There are numerous things to see in Kinston and Lenoir County pertaining to the war. There is a driving tour available of the battle of Kinston. You can gain information on the tour by visiting the Visitor Center on Hwy. 70 just on the outskirts of town. The Visitor Center has a video and numerous artifacts from the battles. There is also a monument on the Visitor Center grounds. If memory serves me correctly, the Visitor Center is on part of the battlefield. The Historic Preservation Group in Lenoir County has preserved 56 acres of land pertaining to the March 1865 battle at Wyse Fork. There are also several signs and markers detailing this battle. The remains of the CSS Neuse can be visited, along with the “Cat Hole of the Neuse” a spot on the river where construction of the ironclad was finished. Right in the middle of town is the CSS Neuse II, a full-size replica of the original ironclad.

I was in Kinston in August of last year and greatly enjoyed my visit. I encourage you to also drop by.

Veterans of the battle of Kinston. Possibly taken on May 10,1920.

News, Notes, and 58th NCT update

Well folks, here are some items that I saw in a search around different online news outlets.

There is an article on Politico.com on Rep. Alexander Hamilton Jones, a member of the 40th Congress. Read that article here. Jones was born in Buncombe County, and served in the Union army during the war. There is a nice online bio on Jones you can find here.

A descendant of a member of the 26th NCT writes an interesting article on ENC.com, which you can read here.

For those interested in the Cold Mountain story (i.e., Frazier’s book, and subsequent movie), check out this article about the annual Cold Mountain tour.

There was also an interesting opinion piece a week or so ago in the Salisbury Post on the legacy on John Hope Franklin. The article is about Dr. Franklin’s work on Free Blacks owning slaves. The article points out that there were 69 Free Blacks (Free Persons of Color for my academic friends) who held slaves in North Carolina in 1860. Hmm, maybe it is time to pull out my census and slave schedules and re-examine the 58th NCT. You can read the article here.

Speaking of the 58th NCT, I have started editing Chapter 7, which deals with the battle of Chickamauga. I’ve also been trying to decide what to do with the whole slavery question. As I have said before, the men whose names appear on the muster rolls of the 58th NCT were not interested in the preservation of slavery, nor were they really interested in state’s rights: someone showed up at their farm with a piece of paper, and for some a gun, saying "You have to serve in the Confederate army." I have been trying to document actual slave owners in the regiment (and a note to my readers – slave ownership does not always mean loyal supporter of the Confederacy). As of today, I’ve got seven slave owners, out of almost 2100 men in the regiment. That is less than one percent.

Well, back to work…..

By the way, if you have emailed me recently, or posted a comment, I will get to those soon. I’ve been working hard on the 58th NCT manuscript lately.

oops - I messed up.

Dang – I messed up. It is the 146th Anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg, not the 145th – what was I thinking?

145th Gettysburg

Since it’s the 145th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg, I guess I should write something in honor of the event. I meant to get involved with Brett Schulte’s blogging event at TOCWOC, but alas, my head is still in the western theater of the war. Maybe Brett will do something similar with Chickamauga-Chattanooga. By the way, my favorite Gettysburg books are much like everyone else’s posts – Coddington, Imhof, Coco, Phanz, Martin, Wertz, and Gallagher. If you get a chance, check out the real contributors here.

You know, I’m probably an odd duck, and while I enjoy researching and writing about the battle (part of my 37th NCT book covered Gettysburg and three articles in Gettysburg Magazine), I don’t like visiting Gettysburg. I’m too worried about getting hit by one of the numerous cars that clog the streets, or passing out from heat stroke, or, spending more money than I should… to be honest, you are more likely to find me at Sharpsburg a few miles down the road stumping along the Sunken Road or the Cornfield. Maybe this aversion to Gettysburg comes from my past trips to the area. I’ve been four times – twice for reenactments (1988 and 1998), and then twice in October 2005. I liked the October trips – not as hot, but there were still lots of people. Maybe I should try and go in December or January. I might like it better then.

There were many Tar Heel soldiers who did visit the battlefield after the war. John Elihu Luther, a member of the 37th NCT, was an attendant at the 75th anniversary of the battle in 1938. Even those veterans who did not fight at Gettysburg did visit the park. I came across a newspaper article just a few days ago about Maj. George W. F. Harper (58th NCT) visiting Gettysburg in the 1910s. For the thousands who did visit the battlefield, there were tens of thousands who found the memories of what took place on those hills too painful, and they chose not to visit the area.

Skip ahead to today – July 2, 2009. Even if a person knows nothing about the war, he or she probably recognizes the word Gettysburg. Thousands of school children and countless tour buses roll onto the Park grounds every year for their “required” visits. But how can one battle, out of hundreds of others in a dozen or more states, be so important? Should that one battle be shaping the public’s image of a much deeper sociological part of our history?

By the way – the attached photograph is of me and my son Nathaniel on Little Round Top in 2005.

New Troop Book.

Greetings folks! Got a blurb about the last Troop book release from the North Carolina Archives. I hope you enjoy.

Volume XVII: Junior Reserves
NEW CIVIL WAR ROSTER CHRONICLES N.C. TEENAGED REGIMENTS

RALEIGH – The newest title hot off the press from the Historical Publications Section in the Office of Archives and History is “Volume XVII: Junior Reserves” in the popular “North Carolina Troops, 1861–1865: A Roster” series, edited by Matthew M. Brown and Michael W. Coffey.

Volume XVII contains the history and rosters of the North Carolina Junior Reserves. The Junior Reserves were 17-year-old boys drafted in the last year of the war, as the Confederacy faced a disastrous shortfall in manpower. Between the spring and fall of 1864, North Carolina raised eight battalions of Junior Reserves that were later consolidated into three regiments and one independent battalion. These young men were originally intended to guard bridges and depots in North Carolina , but eventually were drawn into combat. The Junior Reserves saw action in a number of minor clashes in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia , as well as the major battles of Fort Fisher and Bentonville.

An authoritative 120-page history begins the volume, followed by a complete roster and service records of the officers and men who served in the Junior Reserves. The service records include important information such as full name, rank, county of birth and residence, occupation, place and date of enlistment, age, whether the individual was wounded, captured, hospitalized, paroled, transferred, or promoted, and whether or not he died during the war. A thorough index completes the volume.

Matthew M. Brown received a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Michael W. Coffey received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Southern Mississippi .

“North Carolina Troops, 1861–1865: A Roster (Volume XVII: Junior Reserves)” (hardbound; pp. xvi, 509; index) costs $63.38 ($58.04, libraries), which includes tax and shipping. Order from the Historical Publications Section (N), Office of Archives and History, 4622 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4622. For credit card orders call (919) 733-7442, ext. 0, or visit the section’s secure online store at http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/. Volume XVII is also available through Amazon.com.

The Historical Publications section (www.ncpublications.com) is administered by the Office of Archives and History, part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina ’s arts, history and culture. Information is available at www.ncculture.com.

Busy

Ok – I’ll be honest, not much going on in my blogging world this week. I’ve edited the first three chapters of the 58th NCT book, and I’ve finished the final chapter. I have about a half a chapter of analysis to do to finish chapter 14. I thought I would edit through the rest of the book before I go back to finish chapter 14. So, I’m not going to have much time to blog this week. I will be at the Christmas in July event this Saturday in Jefferson in Ashe County. Not much else going on.

58th NCT update

Someone asked me the other day what my interest in the 58th North Carolina Troops was – did I have an ancestor in the regiment? No, I’m not a descendant of a soldier who served in the 58th NCT. I am distantly related to several of the men, like Lt. Col. William W. Proffitt (and any other Proffitts in the regiment), the Laws in Companies G and K, and the Hamptons in Companies C, M, and G. Distant as in those are cousins several times removed. So what interests me in their story? I guess it is their story, a story that needs to be told. Research into the lives of North Carolina regiments that served outside of the state, or outside of the Army of North Virginia, is woefully lacking. I hope to fill that hole with this book.

Also, I’ve had a couple of run-ins with different members of the regiment. No, I really don’t believe in ghosts, so let me explain. Growing up in central Florida, I used to traverse Palmer Avenue there in old Winter Park. The road goes over Palmer Creek. Little did I know then that what I know now: that Palmer Avenue and Palmer Creek are named for Colonel John B. Palmer of the 58th NCT. Since 2001, I have lived four or five miles from where Colonel Palmer lived from 1858 until 1864. So twice in my life I have lived close to where Colonel Palmer lived. Of course, I hope this trend does not continue. I have no desire to live in Detroit, or Columbia, or even upstate New York.

At a re-enactment once I got to meet and talk to the granddaughter of General Westmoreland (I don’t even remember her name – sorry, Dear!). That would be William Childs Westmoreland. The young John Eben Childs of Company H of the 58th, the one killed at the battle of Chickamauga, was Westmoreland’s great-uncle (I think I have that right).

I also got a chance to meet Clayton Stamey six or seven years ago. Clayton was the son of Elias Stamey, a member of Company A of the 58th North Carolina. He was a little over 100 years old when I met him. Clayton was in an old folks home in Marion, and I talked with him for about half a hour about his dad and even Colonel Palmer. The Palmers and the Stameys were neighbors. The chance to sit down and talk to someone whose dad was a Confederate (or Union) soldier is almost gone.

There is not time nor space to make mention of all of the great descendants of members of the 58th NCT that I have run into over the years. They have told me their family stories, and on occasion, allowed me to hold artifacts that their family has passed down since the War. It is an incredible honor to be the person to have chronicled the story of the 58th NCT.

So maybe I should give you an update on the project. I’ve decided to include two more chapters. These chapters were originally going to be a part of the appendix, but I have decided to bump them up into the chapter area. Chapter 14 will provide an overview of the regiment, its strengths and its weaknesses, namely desertion. I’ll compare the regiment to other regiments and talk about why desertion was such a problem. I could never really find a place to work this into the chronological history of the 58th NCT that I have written. This chapter has been started, and should not be too long. The last chapter, Chapter 15, is entitled “Looking for the Fifty-eighth Today” and is a brief look at some of the places the Fifty-eighth North Carolina fought during the war. This chapter is maybe 2/3 finished, maybe a little more. The entire project should come in at around 130,000 words. For those who have my book on the 37th NCT, that project was 150,000 words.

So, that is where I am – trying to finish these last two chapters and trying to go back through and integrate some materials that I did not have I wrote earlier chapters. Then the big edit starts, maybe the first of next week.

A look around the Old North State

Not much going on in the news as of late pertaining to North Carolina the War. Here are a couple of articles that I did find.

There is an article on WARL.com about a dive on what’s left of the USS Monitor, which sank off Hatteras in 1862. The turret of the Monitor was raised a couple of years again, and is now being conserved. Check out the article here.

There is an article in the Mooresville Tribune about the placing of a VA grave marker on the grave of a prominent Statesville lawyer and militia officer. The man’s name was E. Haynes Davis. I didn’t think militia officers were eligible for government markers. Check out the article here.

NC regiment question

I come up with 2,021 men in the 58th NCT. Does anyone have a larger North Carolina regiment?

Email me (mchardy@michaelchardy.com) or post a comment. Thanks.

58th NCT update

I’m bothered. Bothered that a copy of Maj. George W. F. Harper’s parole is not in his Compiled Service Record. It is undoubtedly clear that Harper was present. On May 1, Harper confides in his diary “Brigade paroled and preparations made to march home…” He writes on May 2 “A.M. Reg’t. recv’d. paroles and packed up…”

It is not so much that Harper’s parole is not there. What bothers me is this: how many other men from the 58th NCT were present to receive their paroles but have slipped through the cracks like Harper? How many of those that are listed as “No further record” after August 31, 1864, were present on May 2, 1865, to receive their paroles?

I’m just bothered… I don’t like so many loose ends.

the UCV in North Carolina

One of the things I included in the last chapter of both the 37th NCT book and the 58th NCT book is a brief description of the United Confederate Veterans. I also include UCV Camps from the area where the original regiment originated.

For the 58th NCT, that includes the Nimrod Triplett Camp 1273 in Boone, the General Pender Camp 1154 in Burnsville, the Col. John T. Jones Camp 952 in Lenoir, and the Confederate Veteran camp 956 in Marion.

As I scrolled through the list, I came across several Camps located in towns in North Carolina with which I was not familiar. Granted, I have not been every where in North Carolina, but I do get around. Camps that I was not sure just where they were include the H. L. Wyatt camp in Bayboro (Pamlico County); the Confederate Veteran Camp 1237 in Charm (I could not find this in Gazetteer, anyone know?); the Confederate Veteran Camp 1155 in Elrod (Robeson County); the E. B. Holloway Camp 533 in Independence (could not find this one); the Mexico Camp 650 in Mexico(ditto); the Ryan Camp 417 in Red Springs (Robeson County); the Alfred Rowlan camp in Rowland (Robeson County); and the Confederate Camp 417 in Ryan (could not find this one).Interestingly, in 1901 there were two camps in Franklin (Confederate Veteran Camp 955 and C. L. Robinson Camp 947) and two camps in Salisbury (Fisher Camp 309 and C. F. Fisher Camp 319). Probably the best name for any camp was the camp located in Cherokee, the Sou-Noo-Kee Camp 1268. The Camp Commander for Camp 1268 is listed as Sou Ate.

News and notes...

I’m working hard on the 58th NCT this week, so not a lot of time to get other things (like blogging) done. Here is a quick look around our beautiful state.

From knoxnews.com we find an interesting article about a diary from a member of the 104th Ohio that includes information on Sherman’s march into North Carolina. Check it out here.

There is a small bit of information on the housing of African-American troops in Raleigh during reconstruction in this article in the Indyweek.com

The Star News Online has an article about sunken ships along the Cape Fear. Read all about it here.

An article describing honors being paid to Historian Daniel W. Barefoot can be found here.

The battle of Bost Grist Mill reenactment is this weekend. Check out a press release here.

updates

Folks – sorry for not posting in the past couple of days. We were participating in a living history at Cranberry (Avery County) on Friday and Saturday, and then drove over to the reenactment in Jonesville, Virginia, on Sunday. I had “reenactor lag” yesterday – those who don the blue or gray understand.

The living history at Cranberry was held in conjunction with the Avery County Heritage Festival. While there I did pickup two War related books. The first is volume 8 of Lloyd Bailey’s The Heritage of the Toe River Valley. This is the first of three proposed volumes on the WBTS and the Toe River Valley. I've been through the book twice “mining” for information for the 58th NCT project and was able to come up with a few additions. The Toe River books that Dr. Bailey puts together are neat, but are very family oriented and are not for the casual reader. They also cost about $75 each. The second book that I picked up was a new tome edited by Rebecca (Becky) Alghrary entitled George Rabb: The Civil War Memoir of a Catawba County Tar Heel. I’ve not read this small hard back book yet, but it looks interesting. Rabb served in the 12th North Carolina State Troops.

I did work on the 58th NCT book some yesterday. I have about three more “parts” to this last chapter, and then it is finished. Of course, there will be a lot of editing, caption writing, map drawing, etc., left to go, but the end is in sight.

I’m off this afternoon to speak to the SCV Camp in Rock Hill, South Carolina. If you are around, stop by and say hi!

Cranberry this Saturday

The tenth (I think) Avery County Heritage Festival is this weekend, held this year in beautiful downtown Cranberry, on the grounds of the old Cranberry School. This is the site of the North Carolina Civil War Trails marker we put up last year. They mined iron ore at Cranberry during the war, and the property was owned by Robert F. Hoke after the war. We will be setting up a small encampment on the grounds and there will be several authors (me included) and other historians on site. The weather looks great, and if you are in the area, come on out and join us (10:00 am until 4:00 pm).

Flag of the 52nd NCT to be preserved

Good morning folks! I received this email yesterday evening from the folks at the North Carolina Department of Culture Resources. It seems that our friends in the 26th NCT Reactivated are not only raising money for the preservation of the flag of the 58th NCT, but are also now working on the flag of the 52nd NCT. Check out the press release below.

The 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, Funds Conservation of Battle of Gettysburg Confederate Flag

The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh is home to one of the nation's largest collections of Confederate flags. However, conservation of these banners requires expensive, specialized textile treatment. To help fund this need, the museum has formed a thriving partnership with the 26thRegiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, the state's largest Civil War re-enactment group.

The 26th Regiment recently unveiled the second flag it has helped conserve: the battle flag of the 52nd Regiment N.C. Troops. Carried into the Battle of Gettysburg, the banner was captured during the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge on July 3, 1863, by a soldier from the 14th Conn. Volunteers. The regiment's colors were sent to the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., and returned to North Carolina in 1905. It is currently on exhibit in A Call to Arms: North Carolina Military History Gallery.

"Our goal is to be able to raise enough money each year to restore at least one battle flag from the museum's collection," says Skip Smith, colonel of the 26th Regiment. "Simply put, we feel it is our duty to preserve for future generations these battle flags that guided many a Tar Heel boy.

"The organization's first flag project resulted in conservation of 26th Regiment N.C. Troops' colors that were captured at the Battle of Burgess' Mill near Petersburg, Va., on Oct. 27, 1864. A third banner is undergoing conservation, and funds for a fourth flag are being raised by the group through a statewide grassroots effort.

"We are most grateful for the conservation funding provided by the 26th," says Tom Belton, curator of military history. "Their help is more essential than ever." Each flag costs approximately $7,500 to conserve, and the 26th Regiment is covering the entire cost. Now other Civil War remembrance organizations are joining the 26th Regiment by adopting additional museum flags for conservation projects.

The 52nd Regiment, part of Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew's Brigade, suffered most of its losses on July 3, the final and bloodiest day at Gettysburg. The regiment had 46 men killed in action and 64 wounded. Another 140 were wounded and captured, and 91 nonwounded soldiers were captured.

"There are many members in our unit who had ancestors in the 52nd Regiment who fought under this flag during the Battle of Gettysburg," adds Smith, whose organization believes conserving battle flags is the best way to leave something behind for generations to follow.

"Although we could raise money to restore a uniform coat, it would only honor one person," he states. "A battle flag, on the other hand, represents the whole regiment and the sacrifices of all the men who marched under the folds of that flag. We are proud to partner with the North Carolina Museum of History to preserve these important artifacts." The colors of the 52nd and other regiments are being conserved in preparation for the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial. From 2011 to 2015, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources will be presenting programs in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina.

Susan Friday Lamb
Public Information Officer
N.C. Museum of History
Office: 919-807-7943
Fax: 919-733-8655

Rockingham County

It’s been a while since I posted one of my county histories. So, I thought this morning, we would look at Rockingham County.

Rockingham County, located along the state’s northern border, was created in 1785 from portions of Guilford County. The county was named for Charles Watson Wentworth, the Second Marquis of Rockingham, a member of the British Parliament who advocated American independence. The county seat is Wentworth, named for the marquis, and was incorporated in 1799.

In 1860, Rockingham County had a total population of 16,746 people, including 6,318 slaves and 407 free persons of color. In the 1860 presidential election the county cast 1,017 votes for Breckinridge, 485 for Bell, and162 for Douglas. When the time came for the proposition of calling a state convention to consider the question of secession in February 1861, Rockingham County voted 808 to 570 in favor of the idea. Representing the county at the secession convention in May 1861 were Dr. Edward T. Brodnax, a War of 1812 veteran and a representative in both the state house and senate. The other Rockingham County representative was former North Carolina governor David S. Reid. Besides serving as governor, he was also a state senator, a representative in the US House, a US Senator, delegate to the Peace Congress, and a member of the Confederate Congress.

Companies from Rockingham County include Companies H, I, and K, 13th NCST; Company G, 14th NCST; Company L, 21st NCT; and Companies A, D, E, F, G, H, and K, 45th NCT.

While Rockingham County saw no large troop movements, or pitched battles, there are numerous points of interest. Alfred M. Scales, a Confederate brigadier general, was born in Rockingham County in 1829. Scales was a lawyer and represented his area in the state house in 1852 and 1856, and in the US House in 1857. During the war, Scales served as colonel of the 13th NCST, and was promoted to brigadier general on June 13, 1862. His brigade consisted of the 13th, 16th, 22nd, 34th, and 38th NCT regiments. Following the war, Scales continued to practice law and served again the state house, and in 1874, in the US House, where he remained until 1884, when he was elected governor of North Carolina. He retired from politics in 1889, and served as president of Piedmont Bank in Greensboro, and as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro. He died in 1892 and is buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Greensboro. There is a historical marker off NC 87 that talks of his birthplace.

Another point of interest is a home, located two miles east of Madison, in which in 1847, Stephen Douglas married Martha Martin. The local family connection did not seem to help Douglas carry the county in the 1860 presidential race.

Rockingham County was also the birthplace of Thomas Settle, Jr., in 1831. Prior to the war, Settle was a lawyer and served in the NC House in 1854, and in 1858, became speaker of the house. He was also on the board of directors of UNC (there was only one at the time). During the war, he served for a year as a captain in the 3rd North Carolina Infantry. After the war, he was a member of the 1865-66 Constitutional Convention, and in the fall of 1865, was elected to the NC Senate, where in he was elected speaker of the senate. He soon became one of the leading founders of the Republican Party in North Carolina. He was elected an associate justice of the state supreme court in 1868, and then in 1871, served as ambassador to Peru. In 1872 he was back in North Carolina where he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the supreme court bench. He tried twice to run for governor, and was defeated the last time by Zeb Vance in an election known as “The Battle of the Giants.” Afterwards, Settle was appointed to a US District Court as a judge in Florida, serving until his death in 1888. He is also buried in Greensboro.

Surprisingly, Rockingham County has fully embraced the North Carolina Civil War Trails Marker program. The county has seven markers in the county, denoting Scales’s law office; the important rail link over the Dan River; Annie Eliza Johns, a nurse in the hospitals in Danville, Virginia; the Leaksville Cotton Mill; and the Wentworth Cemetery, among others. You can check out the list here.

News and Notes….

There is an article in today’s Star News Online about a second excavation at Fort Anderson/Brunswick Town. Check it out here.

The Salisbury Post reported on a recent Confederate Memorial Day in Salisbury. Check it out here.

An interesting article on North Carolina's Confederates buried at Arlington can be found here.

There is going to be a living history in Hot Springs June 6 and 7. You can get more information here.

There was also an article in the Mount Airy News about a recent Confederate Memorial Day service there. Check it out here.

Salisbury

Sorry for the lack of post for the last week. We spent the week at my mom and dad’s in Florida, and I planned to continuing posting from their house, but their internet was so slow, I could barely get my email checked.

Recently, I was in Salisbury, and visited the National Cemetery connected with the POW camp that was there during the war. Here are a few photos I planned to post yesterday.

A look around the Old North State…

There is an interesting article about St. Mary’s School in Raleigh in the Raleigh Public Record. The article describes a few of the events that took place at the school during the war. Check it out here.

An article about an upcoming event in Onslow County can be found here.

There is a very interesting article on Earl James and his researching into North Carolina’s Black, or free persons of color Confederates, recently in the Raleigh News and Observer. You can check out this article here. This article is interesting if read in light of the recent article in North and South. This also coincides with research currently being done by Dr. Rhonda Jones at NC Central University

Sold out and 58th NCT update.

Well, yesterday I received a order for a copy of my book on the Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops. A gentleman in New York has purchased my final hardback copy that I have on hand. The book is being rereleased next month by the publisher in a paperback edition.

Also this week, I finished chapter twelve of my book on the 58th North Carolina Troops. The regiment surrendered at Greensboro (actually they were in Jamestown), stacked some of their arms, and started marching for home. Yesterday, I started the last chapter of the book – at least, unless I decide to do something different with one of the appendixes. Almost done.

John M. Houston

While out and about on Sunday afternoon, I photographed another grave on Henson’s Creek (Avery County) that I thought I would share with you. No, I don’t have any questions, or great stories, I just like the way the photograph turned out. John M. Houston was September 15, 1846 and died September 16, 1916. He served in Company E, 6th North Carolina State Troops.

Will the real Robert Milton Pittman please stand up

I started writing this blog yesterday, but I hit a road block. I’ll explain shortly – here is what I wrote:

I like lists. And I look to know who is first, and last, on my list. But sometimes those names and numbers are hard to come by.

Recently, I’ve been editing a book for our local historical society. It is a collection of obits for people who died in Avery County prior to 1950. After going through this book, and through my own records, I believe that the last Confederate soldier to die in Avery County was Robert Milton Pittman.

Here is what I have been able to piece together. Robert Milton Pittman was born “at the head of Mine Creek,” in what was then Yancey County (now Mitchell) on June 10, 1845. He enlisted in Company I, 29th North Carolina Troops, on July 11, 1861. He was discharged for an unknown reason in October 1861 – a fairly short time to be in service. According to his obituary, “He was the son of Wilson Pittman and Bettie Stewart Pittman. He was a Confederate soldier during the Civil War and served under Capt. John W. Blalock, Co. I, 29th N.C. S.T. His wife was the former Miss Mary Burleson of Toecane who died seven years ago at the age of 75. He is survived by one son, W. C. Pittman of Spear and one daughter, Mrs. Hettie Ingram of Ingalls. 17 grand children and 11 great grandchildren Three grandchildren are now serving in this war. Funeral services were conducted by Revs. T. W. Clapp and J. P. Hall at the cemetery. Burial rites were under the direction of the Hughes funeral home.” Pittman died on August 31, 1943, and is buried in a little cemetery on Henson’s Creek. Not only is there a VA tombstone to mark his grave, but also a privately purchased historical marker.


But now for the sticking point: the Robert Pittman that served in Company I, 29th North Carolina Troops, claimed to be 39 years old – a birth date of ca. 1822. I dug hard yesterday into the 1860 census – the area would have been Yancey County. I found two Robert Pittmans, aged 39 and 42, respectively. There was a Wilson Pitman, but he does not seem to have a son named Robert. He does have a son named Milton. However, Milton was born ca. 1855, not 1845. This is confirmed by looking up Milton Pitman in the 1880 Mitchell County census. He is listed as being 25 years old, with his wife, Mary.

So, I’m stumped. Pitman even received a pension for his service in the Confederate army (I do not have the pension, but I will look it up next time I am in Raleigh – I sure wish they would get the rest of those placed online). I could easily say that the compiled service records are wrong in regards to age, or maybe there are two Pitmans in the 29th NCT and that this Robert Milton Pitman joined late in the war and there is no record, save pension, of him being in the 29th NCT. I have been told that the records of the 29th NCT are the poorest of all North Carolina regiments.

Confederate Memorial Day

As you read this, the 142nd observance of Confederate Memorial Day in North Carolina is drawing to a close. There were numerous activities throughout the state yesterday and today. I had the chance to attend two: the service in Burnsville (Yancey County) on Saturday morning and the candlelight service in the old Bakersville Cemetery in Bakersville (Mitchell County). I was hoping to attend a couple of others, but pressing projects kept me away. The program in Burnsville started at 9:00 am, and included the flying of a first national on the flag pole in front of the court house, the reading of the names of 148 Confederate soldiers from Yancey County who died during the war, and the laying of a wreath at the Confederate monument on the courthouse grounds. Three volleys were also fired in honor of the common Confederate soldier. The photograph to the right was taken at the monument.

The second service was conducted at dusk on Saturday evening. This service was almost rained out, but fortune favored us and the rain held off. There are eleven Confederate soldiers buried in this cemetery. The event was well attended by the public, who braved the possibility of foul weather to honor those who sided with the South during the war.

I hope you had a chance to get out and attend one of the many services being conducted across the Tar Heel state yesterday. If you have any pictures, please send them to me, and I will try and put them up.

NC Confederate Memorial Day

Well, it is that time of year – for Confederate Memorial Day services. We’ve been having Confederate Memorial Day services in North Carolina since May 10, 1867, when the Ladies Memorial Association of Wake County placed flowers on the graves of Confederate soldiers in the Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

Here is a list of a few of the Confederate Memorial Day service planned throughout the state.

Saturday, May 9
Alamance County – Old Courthouse in Graham, 8:00 am
Buncombe County – Smith-McDowell House, 2:00 pm
Burke County – Old Burke County Courthouse, 9;00 am, 5:00 pm
Cherokee County – Peacthree Memorial Church, 2:00 pm
Henderson County – Henderson County Heritage Museum, Hendersonville, 11:00 am
Mitchell County – Old Bakersville Cemetery, Bakersville, 8:00 pm
Orange County – UNC Chapel Hill Campus, “Silent Sam” Monument, (no time listed)
Rowan County – Old Luthern Cemetery, Salisbury, 11:00 am
Wilson County – Maplewood Cemetery, Wilson, 2:00 pm
Yancey County – Yancey County Courthouse, 9:00 am

Saturday, May 24
Wayne County – Willowdale Cemetery, 2:00 pm

Sunday, May 31
Durham County – Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, 2:00 pm


I am sure that there are many, many more, those are just the times and dates that I have available to me. Many of these events have living histories connected to them are and great ways to learn more about local soldiers, and the life of a soldier.

News and notes...

A quick look around.

There is a article on Blue Ridge Now on the Civil War display at the museum in Henderson County – check it out here.

In the Salisbury Post, there is an interesting piece on Lorenzo Deming, a US Navy sailor who participated in attack on the CSS Albemarle in October 1864. Deming, along with ten others were captured, and Deming later died in the prisoner of war camp in Salisbury. Check out the article here and learn why Deming cannot get a VA marker.

The Daily Advance reports that the CSS Black Warrior, a Confederate schooner, were recently found in the Pasquotank River. You can read the article here.

Recently, there was an article in the News and Observe on the Bennett Place. You can check out the article here.

The Rocky Mountain Telegram reports of a recent living history in their area. You can read about it here.

Trip Recap

Glad to be back home from my short trip to Roanoke. I spoke and signed books Monday evening for the Fincastle Rifles Camp #1326 of the SCV. They are a great bunch of folks. I actually took my son, Nathaniel, along on the trip. This was his first time out with his “old man.” We spent the night, and then on Tuesday morning (Nathaniel’s birthday), met Camp Commander Robert Barbour for breakfast. He took us to visit the small park established to commemorate the 1864 battle of Hanging Rock. We next took off to Franklin County were we visited the Jubal Early house. The Confederate general was born and lived in the house until he left to go to West Point. He later hid out in the house at the close of the war, and lived in the house for many years afterwards. The local SCV camp, along with some help from the UDC chapter, saved the house from a bull dozer. The house is being restored and will be open to the public sometime in the near future. Nathaniel and I next took off and went to the Virginia Transportation Museum, and spent a couple of hours amongst the trains and trucks and other displays. We then headed back for a special birthday dinner and time spent with the folks. A good trip was had by all.

Hickory's Cold Mountain

Greetings folks! Kim Wetmore will be presenting a program at the Hickory Public Library entitled “Hickory’s Cold Mountain” on Tuesday evening. Learn more here. If you get a chance, stop by and visit with her.