Summer Living History Series: “A Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier”

From our friends in Raleigh…



FOUR OAKS − Grab a camera, bring a sketchbook and pack a picnic, and head out to the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site’s free Summer Living History program, “A Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier,” on Saturday, June 5, from 10 a.m.− 4 p.m. Period-costumed living historians from the 18th NC/53rd PA and 1st NC/11th NC will demonstrate how soldiers made meals, maintained their weapons and uniforms, and trained for battle.

A highlight will be musket demonstrations at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Artillery firings of a three-inch ordnance rifle, a typical Civil War cannon, will be held at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

“Visitors can discover how Civil War soldiers lived in camp and what role the enlisted man played in battle,” said Bentonville Battlefield Program Coordinator Megan Phillips.

According to one historical account, the artillery fire during the Bentonville battle was so heavy that it “literally barked the trees, cutting off limbs as if by hand.” Though outgunned by Union troops, Confederate artillerymen used fortified positions to halt the Union advance for several hours.

The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, involved 80,000 troops and was the last Confederate offensive against Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site interprets the battle and the Harper House hospital, where many Confederates were left in the aftermath. The site is located at 5466 Harper House Road , Four Oaks, NC 27524. It is three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008. For more info rmation, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/bentonvi.htm or call (910) 594-0789.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Sgt. Matthew Goodson

While on our grand tour a week ago, we took a drive through Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg. We’ve been cemetery junkies for a long time and never pass up a chance to stroll through another. I actually teach a class on gravestone art, and I’m always looking to expand my collection of images that I use.

While driving through the cemetery, we happened upon the grave of a Tar Heel – Sgt. Matthew Goodson, Co. F, 52nd North Carolina Troops. Goodson and one other soldier (from Virginia I think), seemed to be the only Confederates buried in the cemetery. Evergreen is a very historic area, was part of the fight at Gettysburg, and has many historic graves, including members of the Getty family, John Burns, and Jenny Wade. If you are ever in the ‘burg, take a moment to drive by.

So, back to Goodson. A peek at his service record from the North Carolina Troop book series shows that he was a merchant in Cabarrus County prior to enlisting at the age of 34 in May 1862. He was mustered in as a private in Company A (not Company F, as his stone says), On March 1, 1863, Goodson was promoted to first (or orderly) sergeant of Company A. On July 3, 1863, during the battle of Gettysburg, he was wounded in the lungs and captured. Turning to a different source (Coco’s Wasted Valor), we learn that Goodson, after his capture, was taken to the Jacob Schwartz farm, which was being utilized as a hospital by the II Corps. Goodson lingered until July 12, 1863, when he perished. The sergeant was interred in a cornfield on the property of Schwartz, one of the three burial sites on the farm.

In January 1866, a local farmer wrote to Goodson’s widow, informing her that he had found the grave and was having it reinterred in Evergreen Cemetery, “where he would personally mark it well, care for it, and make sure it would never be lost.” Apparently, Evergreen Cemetery had voted to set aside a section of the cemetery for Confederate graves, just like the section it had for Union graves. In August 1867, the cemetery board decided to “move the Rebel dead buried in Ever Green Cemetery to a more secluded place…” As of 1990, that “seclude place,” according to Coco, had still not be found. Goodson’s grave has a Confederate marker from the Veterans Administration, along with an iron cross. I wonder, in the past twenty years, has his grave been found? Or is this just a memorial stone? Goodson has a cenotaph at the First Presbyterian Church in Concord, North Carolina.

Hang down your head…

Still not much free time around here. I did finish one major project on Monday, but wrote a proposal for a new book last night. Oh well, some people never learn.

Rob Neufeld takes a look at the story of Tom Dula (the Tom Dooley of Kingston Trio fame) in his current column in the Asheville Citizen. (You can read it here.) The Dula story is a pretty famous – Dula lives in Wilkes County before the war and has a fling with a local girl. He goes off to the war, survives, and returns home to find his girl married. Their fling continues, but on the side, Dula finds Laura Foster. At some point (maybe during the war), Dula contracts a venereal disease, and blames Foster. Someone (Dula? Ann Melton, his other girl?) kills Foster and Dula flees to Tennessee where he is captured. Neufeld’s article picks up here, with Zebulon Baird Vance defending Dula at trial. Dula loses the trial and is hanged for the murder of Foster.

So, a short summary of events. If you want to know more, check Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley by John Foster West.

However, what I want to take a few moments to examine is the service record of our Tom Dula.

According to the NPS web site, Soldiers and Sailors, there were five men by the name of Thomas Dula in Confederate service from North Carolina. These include Thomas J. Dula, from Wilkes County, who served in the 26th North Carolina Troops and as Lt. Col. Of the 58th North Carolina Troops. Some folks have tried to make this Thomas Dula, because of his service in Vance’s regiment, the Tom Dula of story and song, but he is not. Our Dula, Thomas C. Dula, served in Company K, 42nd North Carolina Troops. According to volume ten of the North Carolina Troop books published by the state department of cultural resources, our Dula resided in Wilkes County and was seventeen years old when he enlisted in April 1862. Company K was from Wilkes County, and there were two other Dulas serving in this regiment: William C. (age 20) and William L. (no age given). Tom Dula was promoted to Drummer in January – February 1864. He was captured during the battle of Wise’s Fork, North Carolina, on March 10, 1865, and sent to the prison at Point Lookout, Maryland. Dula took the oath and was released on June 11, 1865.


Next, we’ll look at Dula’s compiled service record. Dula was reported as being a patient in the Confederate States Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, from November 1 to November 24, 1862, and was then reported as a patient at the Episcopal Church Hospital in Williamsburg , Virginia, from December 3 to December 25, 1862, with a complaint of Re. Febris. [fever]. In January and February 1863, he was back with his regiment, but was reported sick in his quarters. Dula seems to have been present until August 10, 1864, when he was reported sick in a hospital in Richmond (this was at the end of October).
Well, not much to go on. Maybe Dula contracted his VD while he was a soldier. That happened frequently . But there is not enough to go upon while looking at his record. Just a couple of prolonged trips to the hospital and one record of having a fever.

What do you think?

End of the Grand Tour

We arrived back home Friday, and all agree, we had a really good trip. We spent Thursday morning at the visitor center (more on this in a minute), and then I met with Eric Lindblade of Ten Roads Publishing (more on this in a few days). After lunch, we hit several of the shops (some really good ones squeezed between the kitschy tourist stuff) and made a few more rounds on the battlefield, and then left town. In all we visited eight battlefields (can you count New Market? You drive through this one while traveling down the interstate). We explored the positions of quite a few Tar Heel regiments.

I was really good vis-a-vis book purchases: I only came home with three. They include Tom Clemens’s Volume 1 of Carman’s The Maryland Campaign; Johnson and Anderson’s Artillery Hell; and, a little book by Jayne E. Blair entitled Tragedy at Montpelier: The Untold Story of Ten Confederate Deserters from North Carolina. It appears that these ten men served in the 3rd NCST. I look forward to reading these as time permits.

This was my first trip to the new Gettysburg visitor center. I have read many mixed reviews about the new visitor center – some good and some bad. Some believe that the visitor center focuses too much on the causes of the war, and not enough about the actual battle of Gettysburg. Maybe, maybe not. I do wish they had focused a little more on why they (the Union soldiers) fought. There was just a slight mention throughout the displays of what Union soldiers fought for: preservation of the Union. Gary W. Gallagher had a really good piece on this neglected subject in a recent Civil War Times. The vast majority of Union soldiers did not enlist to fight for the abolition of slavery; they enlisted to preserve the Union. I agree with Gallagher that this story is almost a forgotten aspect of the war. I also watched the film “A New Birth of Freedom.” This is the second time in the past few weeks that I have seen this tidbit in a public place: that the advancement of slavery in the South was due to the demand of cotton by Northern and Great Britain industrialist and textile mill owners. The other place where this was brought up was on the History Channel’s America: The Story of Us. The History Channel special even went as far as to state that slavery was on the decline in Southern States until the industrial revolution happened in the North. This is not something that I’ve really looked into; what do you think? The History Channel cannot be wrong, can it?

There were precious few mentions of North Carolina in the visitor center. Maybe I just missed them with the thousands (tens of?) school kids milling about. They did have the flag of the 47th North Carolina Troops on display. Personally, I could do without the grand overview of the War that the Gettysburg Visitor Center presents. Is that not why we have the museums in Harrisburg, PA, or at Tredgar in Richmond? The Park proudly displays a small plaque stating that what is displayed is but a fraction of the collection it has. It seemed to me that much of the non-Gettysburg collection was on loan from somewhere else. Get rid of all of the other stuff and put more Gettysburg on display. The battle is why people come to Park anyway. Then maybe some of these other fine pieces can grace other museums and they can all be enjoyed and used to teach, rather than just locked away in a vault somewhere.

Speaking of those milling school kids, several of whom appeared to have been taught manners by chimpanzees, we were all distressed by the general rudeness and lack of decorum exhibited by many visitors. Yes, seventh-graders in large numbers will be loud even if they whisper, but we noted that at many other museums (the Smithsonian, the state museums in Raleigh), there are “suits” on hand who will quickly squash loud, disrespectful, or disruptive behavior. The docents were nice, but more scary guys in suits might have improved the atmosphere for those of us not interested in yelling across the galleries to our BFFs.

Once again, all had a really great time. I got some research for future projects finished, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future.

Grand Tour, pt. 4

Another great day on the battlefield. We started early with a tour of Culp’s Hill, followed by Cemetery Ridge. We then met some friends and tromped McPherson’s Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, and another round of Cemetery Ridge. After parting company, I followed Reilly’s North Carolina battery around for a while, and little more driving on McPherson’s Ridge. After a short rest, we met more friends, walked to town, had dinner, walked around some more, and had ice cream. Great day. I’ve taken a little over 500 photographs so far on this trip. Tomorrow, we are planning to visit the visitor center, I have a meeting with a publisher, and then some shopping and a few more tours. Might start heading home tomorrow evening… might not either. No rain today, and the clouds broke this evening.

Grand Tour, pt. 3

Our day was a great success – very little rain, even though it was a tad bit cooler than we had anticipated. We wound up spending almost six hours at Antietam – walking the Sunken Road, and following Reilly’s Battery around the field. Of course we visited the sites associated with Branch’s Brigade. Had a great talk about the 37th NCT and Branch’s brigade with one of the rangers. More about this later. We skipped South Mountain and headed to Gettysburg, got checked into our room, and had dinner at O’Rorke’s. We then drove around the Little Round Top section of the battlefield. We have some friends coming down from Allentown to tromp the field with us tomorrow. They have never been to Gettysburg, and we are trying to determine where to take them in the few short hours we will have together. The Visitor Center is a must, and the Confederate and Federal positions in regard to the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge. Probably Little Round Top, and the 26th NCT’s position on Day 1. That’s probably all we’ll have time for.

Well, I think I’m off to bed. I am going to try and get over to Culp’s Hill early in the morning, before our friends arrive.

The Grand Tour, pt. 2

Day two of our “three hour” tour – it rained pretty much the entire time yesterday. We visited six different battlefields: Hanover Court House, North Anna, Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Manassas. A spot at the Wilderness was our real destination, and thanks to the rangers at Chancellorsville for pointing us in the right direction. Manassas was not on our original itinerary, but traffic was so bad heading into Washington City, that we took a detour and wound up at Manassas. We did manage to tramp around the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania and walked to see the buff statue of General Jackson at Manassas. Today, we are in Maryland, and plan on touring Sharpsburg and South Mountain. I have my son Nathaniel, who is nine, along on this trip. While he has visited many of these sites before, this will be the trip he really remembers. Isabella, who is three, just wants to know who turned Jackson into a statue.

On the grand tour

I’m off on a grand tour of War related sites in the Eastern Theater. We’re spending the night in historic Ashland, not far from the Hanover Court House battlefield. I’ve stayed here many times. No, I don’t think we will be visiting any new battlefields on this trip, just reconnecting with some old sites. I’ve not tour Eastern Theater sites in several years – my work on the 58th NCT took me in the opposite direction. While we’re out and about, I will be researching/following two North Carolina organizations, one infantry and one artillery. More about this later. Well, as you can see by the time I posted this, it is kind of late. We have a full day tomorrow (probably in the rain), so I will sign off for now.

News and notes...

Still very busy here around the Hardy household. I did sneak a few moments and looked at some online newspapers, and found a few items of interest.

The news abounds with stories regarding Confederate Memorial Day, which was yesterday in North Carolina.

Jamie Funkhouser stood vigil at the Confederate Monument in Winston-Salem. You can learn more here.

Interesting article on ENC Today on how North Carolina “ignores” Confederate Memorial Day. Hmm, partial true, but not entirely. There are scores of events that take place to commemorate Confederate Memorial Day. Check out the article here.

Found an article in a paper from Waltham, Massachusetts, that outside of showcasing profound ignorance, I’m not sure the purpose of. The columnist writes: “There is no federal commission organizing the Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration, Richard Lewis of the Virginia Tourism Corporation told me, in part "because of the political minefield we just ran into" with McDonnell's proclamation. Some states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, are making no effort to mark the anniversary. Others, Pennsylvania included, are not using the term sesquicentennial because "no one can pronounce it, no one can spell it, and no one knows what it means." Um, maybe the writer needs to visit http://www.nccivilwar150.com/ or http://sc150civilwar.palmettohistory.org/ You can check out the article here.

On to other news

Information on the recent Salisbury Prison Tour can be found in this article in the Salisbury Post.

An article on Fort Johnston in Southport can he found here.

A good article on the battle of New Bern can be found here in the Sun Journal.

The ENC Today has an article on African-Americans serving as spies during the war. Check it out here.

and,

The Statesville Record and Landmark has an article on the home of Zeb Vance in Statesville. You can learn more here.

Yet another one of those little mysteries.

If you did not know, John Smith is the most common name in the English language. It is a genealogist’s nightmare. Back a few months ago, I was in the Cross Creek Cemetery in Fayetteville, and came across a tombstone for John Smith, Co. I, 58th North Carolina Troops. This tombstone was in the small Confederate section, not far from North Carolina’s first Confederate Monument. Yes, there was a John Smith in the 58th North Carolina Troops. He was first sergeant of Company I. The problem? The John Smith in Company I died on April 15, 1873, and is buried in Watauga County. So I wonder who this John Smith is? According to Soldiers and Sailors, there were 211 men by the name of John Smith who served in the Confederate army from North Carolina.

Mitchell County

Sorry for the lack of posts – I’ve been kind of busy and, unfortunately, I believe that this will continue for the next two or three weeks.

I thought we would continue with our county-by-county study of North Carolina and turn our attention to Mitchell County and a mystery.

Mitchell County was formed in 1861 from portions of Watauga, Yancey, Caldwell, and Burke Counties, and named in honor of Dr. Elisha Mitchell, former professor at the University of North Carolina (there was only one campus at the time). Since the county was formed in 1861, we do not have the usual stats, and Mitchell County’s representative in the 1861 secession debates was the same as Yancey County’s: Milton P. Penland, a Yancey County merchant. According to a Tax List, there were 65 slaves in Mitchell County in 1862. The original county seat was in the southern portion of the county and called Calhoun, in honor of John C. Calhoun. The county seat was moved by General Assembly decree during the war, to a spot called Davis, even though it cannot be ascertained if the community was called Davis in honor of Jefferson Davis, or because some members of a Davis family lived nearby.

That being said, we’ll jump into the mystery. Ask anyone locally about the formation of Mitchell County and you will hear that it was formed because it was more pro-Union that Yancey County. In 1935, Muriel Early Sheppard wrote in Cabins in the Laurel, “As soon as war was declared, the [Toe River] Valley split in two. The northern half , which supported the Union, wanted to part company with the Secessionist southern half. They succeeded in bringing about the separation in 1861…” (56). It would be impossible to tell you how many times this has been reprinted, both in conversation and in print. I don’t think it is true, and I’ll show you why.

New counties do not get formed overnight, especially in western North Carolina. In the nineteenth century, the power base in the Tar Heel state resided with the eastern counties, and their legislatures fought hard to keep new western counties, which differ in politics, from being formed. Yancey County, which contributed the most to the new county, is a good example. The formation of Yancey County was originally proposed in 1825. It was not until 1833 that the measure actually passed. One representative in the General Assembly in 1833 tried to establish a new County in the east called Roanoke (as a counter balance), and then went as far as to propose that Yancey County be established with “administration of justice without representation.” Both measures failed.

People in the Toe River Valley had been trying to form this new county for a long time. According to the Asheville Messenger, there was a meeting held in June 1850 in Burnsville for the purpose of “making a New County out of portions of Buncombe, Yancey and Watauga.” I do have other evidence to prove false the idea of Mitchell being formed because it was pro-Union, but we’ll just leave it at these two. The idea that Mitchell was formed because of the secession crisis is simply not fact; it is local myth.

Was there a strong Unionist element in Mitchell County? Absolutely. I’ll not deny that, especially in northern Mitchell County. As with most western North Carolina counties, the closer you get to the Tennessee line, the more Unionist they become. Most of the Confederate soldiers served in Company E, 6th NCST; Company I, 29th NCT; Companies A, B, and K, 58th NCT; and, Company K, 6th NC Cavalry. Most of the Union soldiers served in the 3rd NC Mounted Infantry and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry. According to Terrell Garren’s Mountain Myth, there were 771 Confederate soldiers and 84 Union soldiers from Mitchell County.

Details about Mitchell County and the war are scarce, mostly just fragments found in obscure sources. There was an underground railroad funneling escaped prisoners through the area during the war. One stop was the old English Inn in Spruce Pine. There are also a couple of stories of large deserter camps in the county, and one, up near Roan Mountain, contained 250 armed men. I’ve also never been able to determine if Mitchell County ever organized a home guard company. If so, the designation appears to be lost. I can find evidence of Brig. Gen. John W. McElroy being ordered into Mitchell County with the home guard companies from surrounding counties, in an attempt to help Mitchell County organize its own home guard. Maybe more information on this will come to light in the future.

Most of the war in Mitchell County could be described as the worst of guerilla warfare. Families fought against families, neighbor against neighbor. Most of these encounters were small engagements (a few shots). In August 1864, portions of the 68th North Carolina Troops were quartered in Bakersville, probably attempting to break up some of the deserter camps in the area.

Garren estimates that 87 Mitchell County men died during the war. Hundreds more probably perished within the confines of the county where civil war truly existed. There are no records of a United Confederate Veterans camp in the county after the war. I did see a newspaper article once of an attempt to form of Grand Army of the Republic camp in Bakersville, but apparently this did not materialize.

Mitchell County will celebrate its sesquicentennial next year, and I’m looking forward to being a part of the festivities.

Symposium

Even though it is not due until September, I’ve started working on a proposal for the symposium being held at North Carolina Museum of History in May 2011. I’ve got two ideas that I’m working on, and would really appreciate your thoughts. The first idea is one that I’ve talked a lot about here on this blog, and one that I am familiar with from my own books: the role of regimental histories (particularly ones written by North Carolinians) and the process of memory. If you have followed my scribbling for any time, you know that I spend a lot of time pondering what the veterans themselves wrote after the war.

The other idea I have is also a line of thought from some of my research and writing: the placement of monuments in western North Carolina commemorating Confederate (and Union) soldiers (or the lackthereof). Since I have produced formal or pictorial histories of Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Caldwell, and Yancey, I’ve studied this idea somewhat.

So, of those two ideas, what do you think? Which one would you follow?

News and notes...

Well, Monday has rolled around again and I guess it is time for a look around the Old North State.

Rob Neufeld picks up the story of Tom Dula in a piece in the Asheville Citizen Times. Check it out here.

Our friends in the 26th NCT and their recent living history at Appomattox are the subject of an article (which you can read here) in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Interesting article on the man who founded the town of Cary – check it out here at the Cary Citizen.

There is a new Civil War Round Table in Brunswick County – you can get more information here.

Tim Auten, author of a book on the battle of Wyse Fork, will be at the library in Concord in May. You can get more details here.

There is also an article on the life of Bryan Grimes on the Daily Reflector. Check it out here.

Book review – “The Iron Hearted Regiment”

I got this book some time ago to review (from McFarland). I read it not long ago, and put it aside, thinking it might make a great post on a new blog I was working on about Civil War regimentals. I’ve still not decided what I’m going to do with this other idea, so I thought I would go ahead and post the review of the book. The book is Mark Silo’s The 115th New York in the Civil War: A Regimental History (McFarland 2007).

So, what does a history of the 115th New York Infantry have to do with a blog about North Carolina and the War? Well, the 115th New York was involved in the assault on Fort Fisher in January 1865, and would later spend seven weeks garrisoned in Raleigh after the close of the war. However, let’s back up a little and review the 115th New York’s service record.

The regiment was recruited from Hamilton, Fulton, Montgomery, and Saratoga Counties, New York. The men of the 115th were mustered into service in August 1862. From reading Silo’s book, one might tend to agree that they were a hard luck regiment. The regiment was positioned on Bolivar Heights near Harper’s Ferry. After less than a month in service, the regiment was surrendered with the rest of the garrison. After being paroled, the 115th traveled to Annapolis and then to Chicago, where the men were quartered at the fairgrounds. On November 20, they were finally paroled and ordered to Washington. As the regiment was leaving, their quarters caught fire and burned. The regiment went first to Washington, D.C., and then Yorktown, and then to Hilton Head. After disembarking at Hilton Head, the regiment found itself “under arrest” for the destruction of the barracks in Chicago. The 115th was later absolved of the crime. They spent much of the spring of 1863 involved in small raids into the interior of South Carolina and Georgia. In the summer of 1863, several junior officers attempted to have their colonel cashiered, but the charges were found to amount to nothing.

In early 1864, the members of the 115th New York found themselves involved in the Florida campaign. They lost 296 men in the battle of Olustee (about 51%). The regiment was in Florida until mid-April, then in embarked for Yorktown, joining the Army of the James at Bermuda Hundred. The regiment was involved in numerous battles revolving around the Overland Campaign, like Port Walthall Junction, and Drewrys Bluff, the Crater, and Second Deep Bottom. In December 1864, during the engagement at Chaffin’ s Farm, the regiment was hit by friendly fire coming from the 9th Maine. In early December, the 115th New York returned to the landing at Bermuda Hundred, and set sail for Wilmington, North Carolina. The men of the 115th participated in the December 25 assault on Fort Fisher, but were recalled after landing on the beach. The regiment returned to Virginia, but was back in North Carolina, assaulting Fort Fisher on January 15, where it lost 17 men. The next day, the 115th New York was close to the explosion of the powder magazine at Fort Fisher, losing 11 dead and 41 wounded. From April 14 to June 19, the 115th New York was stationed in Raleigh. By mid June the 115th was back in New York, and on June 26, paraded through the streets of New York City. The men were mustered out of service on July 3, 1865.

Mark Silo has done a splendid good reconstructing the history of the 115th New York. He has interwoven numerous letters and diary entries with official documents on the regiment, and has also included numerous photographs of the men themselves, and in some instances, their equipment. I would say that Silo’s history is one of the better regimentals that I have read recently and folks interested in the assault on Fort Fisher and the last days of the war will find this book of interest.

If you are interested in the book, contact McFarland at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/ or at 800.253.2187.

Regimental Histories

This morning I’m still pondering regimental histories, probably because of a post on the 81st Indiana on Dave Powell’s blog. It is a subject that I seem to spend a great deal of time pondering, probably because I’ve written two and would like to write a dozen more. A couple of questions: what is your favorite regimental history (US/CS), and why, or what makes it a good regimental history? I look forward to your comments.

Burnsville tour recap

Had a great time Saturday giving a tour of downtown Burnsville with an emphasis on the War. There was a group of about 25 people present, and we covered Burnsville prior to war, events during the secession crisis, like the hanging of Zeb Vance in effigy, and war-time events, like the raids in April 1864 and May 1865. It was a lot of fun, and we talked for a little over one hour. I hope you can make the next one (no, we’ve not set a time).

Burnsville Tour tommorow

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 17) I’ll be participating in a tour of historic downtown Burnsville in Yancey County. We’ll be talking about what was where during the War, and different events, like the hanging of Zeb Vance in effigy and a couple of different raids. This event is FREE and we will be meeting on the square in front of the library at 1:00 pm. Come and join us if you are in the area.

Harold Holzer speaks in North Carolina

Got a chance to go and hear renown Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer at Appalachian State University a couple of nights ago. Holzer was originally scheduled to speak back in February, and one of our numerous winter snow storms kept him off the mountain. Holzer did a really good job, and spoke to a crowd of about 150 students, faculty, and a few community members (like me).

The title of Holzer’s talk was “Why Lincoln Matters—To History, To Our Presidents, and To Us.” Most of the talk centered around the “To Our Presidents” portion of the title. Holzer started out talking about how Ronald Reagan once misquoted Lincoln during a speech at a convention. Funny, he did not bring up how Obama did the same thing the other day. Oh well, the talk was good and lasted about an hour. Then came the follow-up questions, including one about the claims of some regarding North Carolina as the birthplace of Lincoln, and Holzer’s views of the recent “debate” regarding the Virginia governor’s Confederate History Month proclamation, which Holzer supports.

Then it was my turn (and I was the last question asker of the evening). My question: last year, C-Span, during the celebration of Lincoln’s birth, announced that there were 14,000 books on Lincoln: the short question is why, and the longer question, as a writer, as a historian, how do you sift through 14,000 books? Holzer, who has penned at least six Lincoln books himself, said he never really consulted anything after 1909.

Hmmm…. I’ll let you ponder that response.

Gates County

Gates County was formed in 1779 from portions of Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans Counties. It was named in honor of Patriot general Horatio Gates. He was also honored with the naming of the county seat, Gates Court House, that was changed to Gatesville in 1831.

In 1860, the total population of Gates County was 8,443 people, including 3,902 slaves and 282 free persons of color. One article claims that Gates County was composed mostly of “subsistence farmers [who] did not hold many slaves.” Hmmm, I would think the census says otherwise. In the 1860 presidential election, Breckinridge received 338 votes, Bell received 394, and Douglas received a scant 12 votes. In the February 1861 vote on the question of calling a convention to consider the question of secession, Gates County men voted 367 for, with 141 against. Alfred J. Walton was the elected representative to the convention in May 1861. Walton was a farmer and a “strong secessionist after Lincoln’s call for troops.” He was a justice of the peace and chairman of the county court.

Gates County produced several companies for the Confederate cause. They included Companies B and H, 5th North Carolina State Troops; Company E, 33rd North Carolina Troops; Company C, 52nd North Carolina Troops; Company I, 68th North Carolina Troops; and, Company C, 2nd North Carolina Cavalry.

William P. Roberts, regarded as the “youngest Confederate general,” hailed from Gates County. He was born there in 1841, and prior to the war, was a teacher and a private in the local Militia. He enlisted on June 10, 1861, in what would become Company C, 2nd North Carolina Cavalry. Roberts was mustered in as an orderly (or first) sergeant, and on September 30, 1861, was appointed a second lieutenant. By August 13, 1862, he was captain of his company and in February 1864, appointed major of the Second. Roberts was wounded in the head at Haw’s Shop, Virginia, in June 1864, and soon thereafter took command of the Second. He was officially promoted to colonel August 19, 1864. Roberts was promoted to brigadier general in February 1865, and assigned a brigade in Lee’s Divisions of the Army of Northern Virginia. Robert E. Lee is supposed to have presented Roberts with his own gauntlets in recognition of Roberts’s maturity and leadership. He was paroled at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. He later served as a Virginia legislator. Roberts died in Norfolk in 1910, one of the last living Confederate generals, and is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Gatesville.

Information regarding military activity in Gates County is scarce.

The US Navy landed in Gates County on May 9, 1862, and burned a warehouse containing “bacon, corn, lard, fish, &c.” They were attacked on their return to Elizabeth City.

June 5 through 7, 1863, found a US Navy reconnaissance through the county and down the Chowan River.

John A. (Jack) Fairless, a deserter from the 52nd North Carolina Troops, apparently caused much trouble for local citizens in the area. His band of men “pillaged, plundered, burned, and decoyed off slaves in their forays into Chowan, … Berties, Perquimans, Hertford, and Gates Counties.”

Like in so many counties in North Carolina, the citizens in Gates County erected a monument to local Confederates on July 8, 1915.

In Lenoir tonight

Ramblings

Well, yet another busy day. I’ll spend much of the day in Watauga County. I’m being interviewed for a documentary on Shull’s Mill, and I’m sure the war will come up. Then, this evening, I’ll be speaking with the folks over in Cove Creek about a North Carolina Civil War Trail Marker.

I’ve added some blogs to my roll recently. Make sure you check out The Maryland Campaign – Tom has a letter from a member of the 23rd North Carolina Troops.

Three events I want you to know about.

There will be a discussion about Caldwell County and the War in Lenoir next Monday night (April 12). This event is at the library and is free and open to everyone.

Second, Harold Holzer will be speaking at Appalachian State University on Tuesday, April 13. The event will be at the Broyhill and starts at 8:00 pm.

And,

Next Saturday, April 17, there will be a tour of Civil War Burnsville in downtown Burnsville. We will meet on the square in front of the library at 1:00 pm.

What’s your favorite?

New poll up on the right – tell us what your favorite War Between the States site in North Carolina is. Thanks!

I have the honor to tender…

Once a man joined the army, he had little opportunity to get out. If he was an enlisted man, he could be discharged for some medical ailment, or possibly because he was too young or too old. And of course, death would get a man out of the army.

Officers were given a choice. They were allowed to resign their commissions. (We could have a whole discussion about the origins of commissions, and how in other armies commissions could be purchased and sold, but we will leave that for another time.)

An officer wanting out of his commission had to simply write a letter. William Y. Farthing, captain of Co. E, 37th NCT, wrote on November 12, 1862: “In 1861 I brought into service my Co. and enlisted it for twelve months. Last April I re-enlisted ‘for the war’ and induced most of my company to follow me. I am fifty years old and have two sons; one of my sons is now a member of my Co. and the other is about to enter the army being subject to the Conscription law. I own no slaves, therefore my wife and daughter are left without any male assistance on the plantation.” Farthing’s letter then went up the chain of command – his colonel, William Barber, approved it; Brig. Gen. James H. Lane approved; A. P. Hill approved it; Stonewall Jackson approved it; and, finally, the adjutant general’s office approved it. Farthing had his answer on November 28: his resignation had been accepted and he was free from his responsibilities in the army. We don’t know if Farthing ever learned that news or not. He died that same day in a hospital in Winchester of “pleuritis.”

Officers submitted letters of resignation for every conceivable reason. The most obvious was due to wounds. Lt. Samuel J. Helper , Co. B, 14th NCT, was wounded in the left arm during the battle of Sharpsburg (September 17, 1862). He submitted his resignation on May 15, 1863, citing his wound as the reason, and his resignation was accepted on June 1. Lt. William W. Hall of Thomas’s Legion resigned on July 25, 1863, due to an attack of typhoid fever. The same reason, “a severe case of typhoid fever,” was the cause of the resignation of Lt. Col. James M. Lowry of the 29th NCT. Lt. George W. Thompson of Company A, 31st NCT, submitted his resignation on March 28, 1863, citing “chronic rheumatism of the feet & ankles” as his reason. Lt. Col. John C. Keener of the 58th NCT submitted his resignation on June 16, 1863, stating that was “near fifty years of age… [and] now consider it my duty to retire from the [service] for the purpose of going home to attend to the wants &c., of my family.” Keener’s case was helped by his commanding officer, Col. John B. Palmer, who wrote that Keener “is not competent to perform the duties of the office he holds…” Keener’s resignation was accepted on or about that same date.

Not all resignations were accepted. Probably the most famous would be when on August 8, 1863, Robert E. Lee, following the battle of Gettysburg, offered to resign. Of course, Davis refused. Other resignations were also refused. Lt. Col. Samuel Silver, 58th NCT, tendered his resignation on March 16, 1865, stating that he did not feel qualified to perform his duties as commanding officer of the 58th North Carolina Troops, and was concerned about his family back in Mitchell County. Silver’s resignation was originally rejected. Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart writes that “The first reason assigned should have been [tested] by the Examining Board. The second is no reason. “ Stewart is saying that when Silver went before the examining board, they found him competent for the position assigned to him by his promotion, and his reason of incompetency will not stand. Stewart’s second remark needs no explanation. (Gen. Johnston also disapproved the resignation.)

So why was Keener’s accepted and Silver’s (initially) not? Possibly the point of the war (1863 vs. 1865). Age was probably the defining point. Keener was 50, Silver just 32. Had Silver’s resignation been accepted sooner, he would have been liable for service under the conscription law, and would have been put back in service. The same was true of William Blalock of the 26th NCT. He was given a medical discharge, but once the local enrolling officer saw that he was well, he attempted to get him back in service. Another case would be that of Lt. John Tipton of Co. G, 58th NCT. He submitted his resignation on March 26, 1862, considering himself to be “wholly incompetent for the duties and responsibilities of the office through a want of education.” His resignation was accepted on May 15, 1863, and he later served as a private in this same company.

These are just a few examples – there are hundreds from North Carolina alone.

SCV FUNDS CONSERVATION OF BATTLE FLAGS

SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS FUND CONSERVATION OFBATTLE FLAGS AT MUSEUM OF HISTORY

Three Confederate flags that were once carried into battle will now becarefully transported to West Virginia for specialized conservation treatment. These banners, the colors of the 24th, 34th and 38th N.C. Troops, are part of the flag collection at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

Restoration of these flags requires expensive textile treatment, and the N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has helped make this possible. On March 18, the organization, which has 90 camps (chapters)across the state, presented a $28,361 check to staff members at the Museum of History during a brief ceremony. The funds will also be used to purchasea much-needed storage rack for the museum's conserved flags.

"The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is very proud and honored to be a part of this flag restoration project," says Tom Smith, Commander of the N.C. Division. "I can state with assurance that our members are dedicated to the work of historic conservation and preservation. We have helped the Museum of History with several other projects and preservation efforts over the years and have enjoyed a productive relationship with the museum."

According to museum curator Tom Belton, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, along with other groups, have been instrumental in funding flag conservation for the Museum of History in preparation for exhibition during the N.C.Civil War Sesquicentennial. From 2011 to 2015, exhibits and programs will take place across the state in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina.

After the conservation work is completed for the flags 24th, 34th and 38th N.C. Troops, the N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will present the banners during a dedication ceremony at the Museum of History.

For details about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook(r). For information about the N.C. CivilWar Sesquicentennial, access http://www.ncculture.com

The Museum of History is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, www.ncculture.com

Upcoming events

Spring has finally sprung here in western North Carolina and there is a lot going on that you might be interested in.

On April 5 there is a talk at Mars Hill College on Madison County Civil War regiments. You can learn more here.

April 10 is Park Day, an event sponsored by the Civil War Preservation Trust. Park Day is “an annual hands-on preservation event to help Civil War battlefields and historic sites take on maintenance projects large and small.” You can find a list of North Carolina sites looking for volunteers here.

On the evening of April 12, I will be involved in a Caldwell County and the Civil War program at the library in Lenoir. This will be a “round table” type of discussion and is open to everyone. Make sure you bring a friend.

On April 13, Abraham Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will be speaking at the Broyhill on the campus of Appalachian State University (at 8:00 pm). This event is also free and open to the public.

And, on April 17, I will be leading a tour of downtown Burnsville and the Civil War. We will be looking at sites like the place where local people hung Zeb Vance in effigy and where the April 1864 Burnsville Raid took place. We will meet at 1:00 pm on the square in front of the library. This event is also free.

I hope to see you around!

"Bloody Madison" continued

I was in Madison County this past Saturday, and I took a few photos to help illustrate the Madison County pieces. I hope you enjoy.

North Carolina Civil War Trails Marker on the campus of Mars Hill College.

Site of the Shelton Laurel Massacre (almost seven miles from the marker).

Marker speaking of the Shelton Laurel Massacre.

Home of Col. Lawrence Allen (64th NCT) in Marshall.

Robert E. Lee Trail Marker in front of the courthouse in Marshall.

Bloody Madison

Madison County won a little poll that I put up a couple of weeks ago as the county that I would write about next in our survey of the Civil War and counties across the state. This is really only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the war and Madison County. Maybe some of my readers will contribute more information.

Madison County was created in 1851 from portions of Yancey and Buncombe Counties, and was named for President James Madison. The county seat, incorporated in 1863, was originally called Lapland, but was renamed Marshall in honor of Chief Justice John Marshall.

In 1860, Madison County had a population of 5,908 people, including 213 slaves and 2 free persons of color. The returns from the 1860 presidential election were thrown out. In February 1861, 345 Madison County men voted in favor of calling a convention while 532 voted against the idea. In May 1861, when the convention was held, Madison County’s representative was Dr. Joseph A. McDowell. McDowell later served as colonel of the 60th North Carolina Troops, and also owned the Warm Springs Hotel.

Madison County furnished men to the Confederate army that served in Company , 2nd North Carolina Battalion; Company B, 16th North Carolina Troops; Company D, 29th North Carolina Troops; Companies B and I, 60th North Carolina Troops; Companies A, B, D, F, G, I and L, 64th North Carolina Troops; Company I, 6th North Carolina Cavalry; and, Company D, 7th North Carolina Cavalry. Also, many Madison County men joined the 2nd and 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (US). Terrell Garren, in his book Mountain Myth, believes that there were 1,969 Confederate soldiers from Madison County, and 135 Federal soldiers.

William Trotter described Madison County as the “most disputed and fought-over part of the mountains” during the war. So, we have much to talk about. A riot, followed by a shootout, broke out in May 1861 during the vote to electe McDowell to the secession convention. The sheriff, who was probably intoxicated, stood in the center of town shouting “Hurra[h] for Jeff Davis and the Southern Confederacy.” A Unionist in the crowd answered with a cheer for George Washington and the Union. The sheriff accused them of being “a set of Damd Black republicans and lincolnites,” drew his pistol, and fired into the crowd, wounding a young boy. The Sheriff was chased into a building, and was later shot and killed by the boy’s father. The father escaped and later joined a Kentucky regiment.

In January 1863, a band of Unionists and deserters raided Marshall, plundering houses and shooting local citizens. Also in January, there was a skirmish between militia and deserters in the Laurel Valley area. This led to the return of the 64th North Carolina, which were assailed from all sides as soon as they entered the county. A couple of skirmishes were fought in Shelton Laurel itself. When the Confederates could find no men in the area, they started interrogating and torturing the local women. Eventually, fifteen men, some old, others young, were captured. Two escaped before the column set out for Knoxville. Around January 13, the other 13 and the Confederates set out. At a pre-selected spot, the prisoners were halted, lined up, and executed. The commander of the 64th NCT, Col. James A. Keith, was arrested after the war, and spent two years in prison awaiting trial before escaping. This is known as the Shelton Laurel Massacre, and is the subject of a book by Phillip Paludan called Victims: A True Story of the Civil War.

Later that same month, Thomas’s Legion was in Madison County looking for deserters.

In mid 1863, Confederate forces commandeered portions of Mars Hill College and used it as a base and staging area for the rest of the war. Later in 1863, men from the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (US) attacked a meeting of the local Baptist Association not far from Mars Hill College, killing two men and wounding another.

There was a skirmish in October 1863 in Warm Springs (now Hot Springs). Federal forces captured the town and the resort. A few days later Maj. John W. Woodfin led his cavalry battalion into the area in an attempt to recapture it. He was shot from his horse. Brig. Gen. Robert B. Vance (the governor’s brother), then led several attacks to regain the area, and the Federals pulled out late in the month.

In April 1864, George Wiley Grooms and his brother Henry Grooms, along with Henry’s brother-in-law, Mitchell Caldwell, were captured while out working a field. They were marched across Mt. Sterling, on the Cataloochie side. As the family story goes, either Henry or George was forced to play the fiddle before being executed. George was a private in the 11th Tennessee Cavalry (US). All three are buried in a common grave in the Sutton Cemetery #1.

In March 1865, some men reportedly belonging to the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (US) burned the buildings at Mars Hill College.

On April 3, 1865, an expedition led by Col. Isaac M. Kirby of the 101st Ohio moved through Warm Springs (now Hot Springs) and Marshall, towards Asheville, with 1,100 men. This resulted in the battle of Asheville on April 6, and with the retreat of Kirby’s force back through Madison County.

There is going to be a program on Madison County and the regiments from the area at Mars Hill College on April 5. You can learn more here. If you would like more information on the events at Shelton Laurel, click here.

News and notes…

Yes, I know, I’ve just done a news and notes post. But I thought with the conclusion of the Bentonville event, we would look at some of the newspaper stories about North Carolina’s largest reenactment. There are many other articles out there. This is just a selection.

There is a short piece in the Goldsboro News-Argus, with a few photos. Check it out here.

There is a longer article in the Fayetteville Observer. Have a look at it here.

The Charlotte Observer also has a short article with a couple of photos, which you can read here.

The Los Angeles Times has a piece on the Joseph Johnston statue, which you can read here.

The Raleigh News and Observer has caught some flack because two thirds of their 106 photos are of Union soldiers. You can see all of the photographs here.

An article about the civilian side of things can be found here.

A return to Onslow County

Well, this is a first. I decided to revisit a county that I have already written about. Thanks to Andrew Duppstadt over at the blog Civil War Navy (et. al.,) I now have a copy of Manarin’s “Onslow County and the Civil War.” It is a small report of 30 pages. However, it provides details on some of the other events that occurred in Onslow County during the War. We’ll get to those in a minute. But for the next couple of minutes, I want to get on my horse again.

I’ve written a couple of times about how there is a serious lack of information regarding the different counties in North Carolina during the War. As look on my shelf that contains my North Carolina books, there are only a few. A while back, we developed this list:

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) Kell – Carteret County During the Civil War (1999)
McCallum – Martin County During the Civil War (1971)

So, out of 100 counties, only six have county histories. I have two or three that I am interested in myself. But, let me issue this challenge. As we sit here on the edge of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, let’s see if we can get every county a history of the War-time in print. No, someone else is not going to do it. The folks at the Department of Culture Resources do not have the time, nor the manpower, nor the money, and some professor at some college or University is not going to take the time. So my challenge is to you, historical or civic society member: put together some type of history of your county for future generations. I will be glad to help you in any way that I can. I might even consider being a co-author, or at least giving you a read. Drop me a line and let’s talk.

Ok, enough of that – back to Onslow County. Here are some other tidbits I gleaned from the Onslow County materials

January 1862 – the British brig York grounded on the beach near Bouge Inlet, and was burned by the Federals.

April 5, 1862 – expedition to Swansboro
April 13 – skirmish at Gillett Farm

August 14, 1862 – expedition up the White Oak River, including skirmish at Swansboro
August 17, 1862 – second expedition up the White Oak Rover, Swansboro taken and salt works destroyed.

October 1862 – Lt. William B. Cushing in Swansboro.

November 1862 – Cushing’s second expedition to Swansboro (mentioned in last post)

June 13-16, 1863 – Federal raid into Onslow County.

November 1863 – Northern schooner, Alice Webb, mistakenly arrives at Swansboro, runs aground, and is captured.

December 1863 – Federal Raid into Onslow County.

December 17, 1863 – schooner G. A. Bigelow, possibly a blockade runner, burned at Bear Inlet by Federal forces. Salt works also destroyed.

January 1864 – Confederate troops under Gen. J. G. Martin move through Onslow County and attack Federals at Newport Barracks.

February 4, 1864 – The blockade runner Nutfield was run aground near Bear Inlet and burned to prevent capture.

March 24-26, 1864 - Federal Naval raid into Onslow County. Force sent to Swansboro turned away after encountering Confederate cavalry. Federal force at Bear Inlet burned schooner, captured some slaves, but abandoned others.

April 1864 – Federal expedition to Swansboro that destroyed supplies and captured 12 Confederate soldiers. Part of town burned.

June 1864 – Federal raid at Swansboro and captured four or five pickets.
June 1864 – Raid at Jacksonville. Federals turned away by Confederates.

More on Bentonville and Johnston Statue

Folks – check out this video on WRAL’s web site about the new Joseph Johnston statue at Bentonville.

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/7253174/

Are you going to the dedication? It is at 10:00 am this Saturday.

News and notes...

I guess since there is so much going on within the Tar Heel state right now concerning the War, it might be good to have one of our “look arounds”.

There is an article this morning in the Raleigh News and Observer about the new statue of General Joseph Johnston on the Bentonville battlefield. Check out the article here.

You can find information here about events commemorating the 148th Anniversary of the Battle of New Bern, and some special tours they are doing.

There is also a living history coming up in April in Raleigh on the grounds of the capital. Go to this link for more information.

In a article this morning this is a mention of a school group visiting the Bentonville battlefield today. Check it out here.

On ENC this is more discussion of events going on in New Bern this week. Learn more here.

The Fayetteville Observer reports that Bluecoats and Tar Heels: Soldiers and Civilians in Reconstruction North Carolina by Mark. L. Bradley has won the North Carolinian Society Book Award. You can read the article here.

And, there are numerous articles on the upcoming Bentonville Reenactment. You can check out two here and here.

Bennett Place Program Features Largest Civil War Troop Surrender

Greetings folks! I received this via email and I thought I would pass it along.

DURHAM – Two hardened war adversaries who later became great friends negotiated the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War at Bennett Farm near Durham Station on April 26, 1865. A re-enactment of one of the war’s last surrenders will be held at Bennett Place State Historic Site on Saturday and Sunday, April 17-18, highlighting a week of free commemorative events for the 145th anniversary of the end of America ’s deadliest war, which cost more than 625,000 lives.

“This is hallowed ground, and we should all gather to remember the sacrifices made,” says Bennett Place Site Manager John Guss, who is planning the history and remembrance event, which includes soldiers on horses, music, books and more.

Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union Major General William T. Sherman had faced off in battlefield commands in Atlanta , Ga. , Columbia , S.C. , and Bentonville, near Four Oaks, N.C. Yet in the war’s waning days they sought a peace when they first met face to face. The final agreement was a military surrender of nearly 90,000 soldiers that ended the war in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida .

Crowds of thousands are expected to enjoy the weekend activity. Re-enactors portraying Gen. Johnston and Maj. Gen. Sherman will arrive on horseback at 10 a.m. at Bennett Place on April 17 and 18 for negotiations, just as it was for the first negotiations145 years ago to the day. They will meet Bennett family re-enactors. Visitors will be allowed into the parlor to witness the negotiations at various times. Other activities will include performances by the Huckleberry Brothers Civil War band, and demonstrations of blacksmithing and of Civil War-era photography, where pictures will be taken for a fee.

Noted Civil War historian Mark Bradley, author of “This Astounding Close: The Road to Bennett Place ,” will speak on Sunday. Saturday speakers include Jim Wise talking on his books “ Sherman ’s Trial” and “Murder in the Courthouse, Reconstruction and Redemption in the North Carolina Piedmont.” Jeff Toalson will speak on his publication, “No Soap, No Pay, Diarrhea, Dysentery, and Desertion: The Last 16 Months of the Confederacy.”

Many other activities will occur during the weekend. Sutlers will sell period-style clothes and tools, as will Seagrove potter Lonnie Blackmon. A stacking of arms and furling of colors by the Army of Tennessee, and a wreath laying at the site’s Unity Monument also are planned for Sunday.

For additional info rmation call (919) 383-4345, e-mail Bennett@ncdcr.gov or visit www.bennettplace.nchistoricsites.org.

Bennett Place State Historic Site is at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road , Durham , NC , 27705 . It is within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Flag of the 37th NCT on display in Raleigh

I was in Raleigh this past week doing some research for a couple of upcoming projects. I stopped by the state history museum for a couple of minutes and was happy to see that the flag of the 37th North Carolina is now on display – not that the flag of the 18th NCST was bad; I’ve just always been partial to the flag of the 37th NCT. As I stood gazing at the flag, at the few bullet holes and the long tear at the bottom, old questions were brought to mind. Where are the 37th NCT’s other flags? We know that this flag was issued prior to the battle of Fredericksburg in December 1863, and was captured on April 2, 1865, just below Fredericksburg. But there is no way that this flag could have been borne by one of the hardest fighting regiments in the Army of Northern Virginia though all of those battles – Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House (where a flag was almost captured), North Anna, Cold Harbor, and all of the Petersburg Campaign. Did the 37th NCT get a flag with the rest of the brigade right before Gettysburg? Who captured it? What happened to the flag that replaced that one? What about the regiment’s state flag? Is it still lying in someone’s attic? Will someone walk in with a tattered banner stuffed in some paper bag someday? Or has the flag of the 37th NCT already been discarded like the letters of Colonel Barber? So many unanswered questions.

This is me and my son Nathaniel with the flag.

11th N.C. Troops, a Re-enactment Group, Funds Conservation of Flag From Battle of Gettysburg

Sorry for the lack of posts this week – been busy, been out of town, going to Raleigh to do research tomorrow. Just been one of those weeks.

I did get an email earlier today about the preservation of the Gettysburg flag of the 11th North Carolina Troops. Please find it below.


On July 3, 1863, the final and bloodiest day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the 11th N.C. Troops carried its flag into some of the most intense combat of the Civil War during the famous Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge. This historic banner was the only flag from the Tar Heel regiments in Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew's Brigade at Gettysburg that was not captured by Union troops during the charge.The 11th N.C. Troops' colors are part of the Confederate flag collection at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The flag, which has needed conservation for many years, has recently been restored with the help of the 11th N.C. Troops, a Civil War re-enactment group. Conservation of the museum's banners requires expensive, specialized textile treatment, and the re-enactment group has helped meet this need by raising funds to restore the regimental colors. On Feb. 6, members of the 11th N.C. Troops unveiled the newly conserved banner during a dedication ceremony at the museum.

"This historic flag carried at Gettysburg will at last be available for viewing," says Tom Belton, Curator of Military History. "We are pleased that members of the 11th N.C. Troops took on fund-raising for the conservation of this flag." The banner will be on exhibit in the near future in A Call to Arms: North Carolina Military History Gallery."The 11th N.C. Troops has been working for years to generate funds for such a worthy project," emphasizes Mark Greiner, First Lt. and Treasurer of the organization. "The combined efforts of our membership, friends and supporters helped us complete this preservation project in October 2009."The 11th North Carolina's banner was one of five issued to the quartermaster of Pettigrew's brigade, composed of the 11th, 26th, 44th, 47th and 52nd North Carolina. It was signed for "in the field" on June 20, 1863, by the commander of the 11th North Carolina, Col. Collett Leventhrope, and carried into the Battle of Gettysburg two weeks later. "In the field" means the flag was issued to the regiment during a military campaign.At the war's end, Col. William J. Martin, the last commander of the 11th North Carolina, brought the regiment's colors home. In 1920 members of his family donated the banner to the Hall of History, which is now the N.C. Museum of History. Because of the flag's condition, it remained in storage and could not be displayed.

This Confederate flag and others are being conserved through private funds in preparation for the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial. From 2011 to 2015, exhibits and programs will be presented in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina.

For details about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook(r). For information about the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, access www.ncculture.com

The Museum of History is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The buttons they wore.

I’ll tell you how I got on this topic before we go any further. I ordered and received a new dress jacket the other day for interpretation and re-enacting purposes. It is a Confederate colonel’s jacket that I will use to display, and for warranted occasions, like dress parades and balls. I was trying to decide what buttons to put on the jacket. That is how we arrived at this post.

So which buttons were used on the jackets that North Carolina’s soldiers wore? I did some research, and went through the online catalog of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, and through the book ­A Catalog of Uniforms from the Museum of the Confederacy. Most of the jackets I found were officers’ jackets, probably their dress jackets. It seems that most officers had one dress uniform, and then another suit of clothes that they wore every day. After the battle of New Bern in March 1862, Lt. William G. Morris of the 37th NCT wrote home, stating that he had lost everything when the Confederates were forced to retreat. "I have Nothing Except that is on my back. that is My Brown soote. I Did Not have on My uniform" he wrote.

Surprisingly, the majority of officers had United States Staff Eagle and Shield buttons on their coats. These coats came from a variety of sources. Until the end of the war, officers were expected, or required, to purchase their own uniforms. Some were made at home, others were made by tailors. There is no real way to determine where each jacket was manufactured.

So where did the Confederates get all of these yankee buttons? Something in the back of my mind says I know this story, but I cannot seem to place my hand on it. So, I’ll put the question to you: where did the Confederates get these buttons?

By the way, it was just not Tar Heels who had these buttons. The majority of surviving Confederate officer uniforms at the Museum of the Confederacy also have Federal staff buttons, including the jackets of JEB Stuart, Sandie Pendleton, John Hunt Morgan, and Patrick Cleburne

North Carolina Museum of History
William Branch – staff – US Staff
Thomas P. Devereaux – 43rd NCT – VMI buttons.
Alfred May -- 61st NCT – CSA
Charles W. Broadfoot -- Fayetteville Light Infantry – US Infantry
Lawrence Branch – Gen. – US buttons
Robert F. Hoke – Gen. – Confederate staff
James B. Gordon – Gen. – Standard Federal Button
J. Bryan Grimes – Gen. -- NC Sunburst
Rufus Tucker – 41st NCT – NC State seals
John T. Jones – Lt. Col. 26th NCT – US Staff
Henry C. Albright – 26th NCT – US Staff
Junius Daniel – 45th NCT - SC Palmetto Guards (when a major)
William H. Powell – 17th NCT – US Staff
Henry M. Shaw – 8th NCT – US Staff
Thomas Sparrow – 19th NCST – US Staff
James J. Pettigrew – Gen. – US Staff
Edmond Haywood - ? – NC Sunburst

Museum of the Confederacy
NC Drummer – Federal shield with a “R”
William D. Pender – Gen. - US Staff
Eugene Morehead – 3rd NCA- US Staff
John Hughes – 7th NCST – CSA on shield
Robert D. Johnston – Gen. -- US Staff
John A. Gilmer – 27th NCT/ Prisoner commander – Virginia state seal.
Peter G. Evans – 6th NCC – US Staff
David S. Davis – 66th NCT – US Staff

Greensboro
David Gouge – 58th NCT – Script I’s

Onslow County

The county-by-county exploration of North Carolina and the War is not going as fast as I hoped. Maybe we will be able to wrap up by the end of the sesquicentennial. I thought today we would turn our attention to Onslow County.

Onslow County, a part of North Carolina’s Costal Plane, was formed in 1734 from New Hanover County. It was named for Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the House of Commons in the British Parliament. The county seat is located in Jacksonville, which was incorporated in 1843 and named for President Andrew Jackson. Onslow County is probably best known for these two things: the birthplace of Otway Burns, a privateer during the War of 1812 and later a member of the state house, and Camp Lejeune Marine Base.

In 1860, Onslow County had a population of 8,856 people, including 3,499 slaves and 159 free persons of color. In 1861, the men in Onslow County cast 781 votes for Breckinridge, 153 for Bell, and 24 for Douglas. In February 1861, the county cast 631 votes for calling a convention to consider the question of secession, and 89 votes against. Dr. G. W. Ward was their first elected delegate. Ward hailed from New Bern, but had spent some time in Mississippi. He was educated at UNC Chapel Hill, and later in Philadelphia. Ward served as a magistrate, County Superintendent of Public Instruction, and chairman of the county medical board. He resigned to enter the Confederate Cavalry and was replaced by Andrew J. Murrill, a farmer, magistrate and chairman of the board of county commissioners. Murrill later served in the state house and senate.

Men from Onslow County served in Companies E and G, 3rd NCST; Company B, 24th NCT; Company A, 35th NCT; Company H, 55th NCT; Company K, 61st NCT; Company I, 66th NCT; Company H, 67th NCT; Companies B and H, 3rd NC Cavalry; and, Company F, 8th Batt. Partisan Rangers.

Onslow County saw limited action during the war. In April 1862 there was a night-time skirmish at Gillett’s Farm, with the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry attacking a portion of the 103rd New York. On November 23, 1862, Lt. William B. Cushing, aboard the Union gunboat Ellis, arrived off the coast of Onslow County and destroyed salt works, then captured and burned a vessel loaded with turpentine and cotton at Stone’s Point. Cushing later captured the town of Jacksonville and captured two more schooners at Wantland’s Landing. The Ellis later grounded on the shoals across from Traps Bay and was attacked by the Confederates. The Federal Tars abandoned the vessel.

There is not much more to mention on Onslow County and the War. A visitor might learn more by visiting one of the local history museums – the Onslow County History Museum is in Richlands, and there is the Museum of the Marines on the base in Jacksonville. Louis H. Manarin wrote a small book entitled “Onslow County during the Civil War” back in 1982, but I do not have a copy and could find only one in a library in the state.

News and notes...

Lots going on around the Old North State. Here are a few things that I found for your entertainment and education.

The 145th anniversary of the battle of Bentonville is coming up soon, and most of the news outlets are abuzz with articles concerning the reenactment. Here is one from the Carolina Newswire. Check it out here. Or, check out this one from the Fayetteville Observer here.

If you cannot wait until March to see the boys in Gray and Blue, head over to the Bennett Place this weekend for a living history. You can learn more here.

There is an article in the Beachside Resident on Wilmington that makes some mention about the War. The article includes some great pictures. Check it out here.

You can also find some information on Kinston and the War by visiting this link to an article on Eyewitness News 9’s web site.

Interesting article about post-war New Bern. Check it out here.

There is also a Civil War show in Salisbury this weekend. Learn more here.

The Hand of Friendship.

I grew up in the South. I have Confederate soldiers for ancestors. I love the South. And, I have no qualms about saying that. Throughout my travels and studies, I’ve come across many interesting people, such as Southern re-enactors who would never don the blue (“Grandpa would roll over in his grave,” they might say, while I’ve always been more interested in what is right historically.) And I’ve met people who have this notion that all Southerners hated all Yankees. Period. End of story. While this was true for some who donned the gray 145 years ago, it was not true for most, at least I don’t believe it was. To adopt and adhere to such an attitude would be un-Southern, un-Christian. We as Southerners believe that we should lend a helping hand to everyone, even if they are wrong.

Today, I am posting a story of one old Tar Heel Confederate soldier who was willing to extend the hand of friendship to a man, a Northerner, who had tried to kill him on the hills of Gettysburg.

Rather a Romantic Scene: Col. Lane sees Man Who Shot Him” Charlotte Observer 24 May 1903.

Raleigh, May 23—A romantic scene was witnessed here this morning when Col. John R. Lane was introduced to Mr. Charles H. McConnell, of Chicago, and Col. Lane grasped the hand of the man who shot him down upon the field of Gettysburg 40 years ago and almost killed him. Col. W. H. S. Burgwyn, of Weldon, arranged this meeting between the two scarred veterans and introduced them. Mr. Connell served in the 24th Michigan Regiment of the Iron Brigade of the Potomac. His company was almost annihilated at Gettysburg and he has been much interested in that great battle. A few years ago he wrote to Col. A. M. Waddell, of Wilmington, to secure some information, and his letter was referred to Col. W. H. S. Burgwyn, of Weldon. This led to correspondence between Col. Burgwyn and Mr. Connell. Later they met in Richmond, Va., when Mr. Connell remarked that he fired the last shot of his company and brought down the color-bearer of the 26th North Carolina Regiment. “Then you are the man who shot Col. Lane,” declared Col. Burgwyn. Arrangements were then made for the meeting which took place here to-day, and Mr. McConnell said this afternoon: “Yes, I have come all the way from Chicago and brought my wife for no other purpose than to grasp the hand of the gallant man I tried to kill and thought then that I succeeded.” The heaviest losses recorded on any modern battle field were the 26th North Carolina Regiment which had a loss of 90 percent, and the 24th Michigan with 80 per cent loss. Col. Lane and Mr. McConnell are survivors of these gallant regiments.

In reply to a reporter’s question Mr. McConnell gave this account of the shooting of Col. Lane. “The battle was nearing its close at Gettysburg,” he said “and only 8 men of the 54 in our company in the 24th Michigan Regiment were left. Our ammunition was exhausted, but I had one cartridge left which was to be the last shot we fired at Gettysburg. As I loaded my rifle my lieutenant commander said, ‘Charlie, see that splendid color-bearer, cannot you knock him over?’ and he pointed at the colonel not as far as across this street from me. ‘I have my last cartridge and I am going to try’ I replied as I rested my rifle against a small tree and took careful aim at the man waving his colors and shouting to his men. I fired, saw him fall and then hastened to join my comrades retreating through Gettysburg to Culp’s Hill.”

“He is the man who shot me,” interposed Col. Lane, laying his hand affectionately on Mr. McConnell’s shoulder. “It was just as the battle ended and I had turned to cheer on my handful of men and was waving our colors that the ball struck me.” Colonel Lane raised his black locks and showed the ugly scar on his neck, just below the base of the brain where the well nigh fatal ball passed. Col. Lane is the only surviving colonel of the illustrious 26th Regiment, Col. Harry K. Burgwyn, brother to Col. W. H. S. Burgwyn, was killed in the same battle that came so near costing Col. Lane his life.
This morning Col. W. H. S. Burgwyn took Col. Lane and Mr. McConnell on a drive over the city. They went out to Crabtree where the 26th North Carolina Regiment was organized and Col. Lane saw his first service as a private in Company E. The camp was then under Col. Burgwyn as a commander. They then went to the cemetery to view the monument to Col. Burgwyn, visited the Soldiers’ Home and spent an hour with the old veterans, then to the State library to see the painting of the three colonels of the 26th North Carolina Regiment, Vance, Burgwyn and Lane. Col. W. H. S. Burgwyn then gave them a dinner party at the Yarboro. This evening Col. Lane left for his home in Chatham. To-morrow Mr. and Mrs. McConnell go to Weldon to visit Col. and Mrs. Burgwyn. Mr. McConnell is president of the Veterans’ Association of the Iron Brigade of the army of the Potomac at Chicago and is a highly successful wholesale druggist. He is six feet tall, well proportioned, with his hair and mustache almost white, stands perfectly erect and appears as agile as a youth.

You can learn more about Colonel Lane by checking out theis link.

10th battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery

You know, I don’t spend a lot of time writing on North Carolina artillery. While the Tar Heel state fielded regiments and battalions of artillery, they didn’t work like infantry or cavalry regiments. The individual companies, or batteries, were assigned to different brigades (at the start of the war), or divisions and writing a history of, say , the First North Carolina Artillery would be a very disjointed affair. Plus, infantry and cavalry regiments have more men. Both the 37th NCT and the 58th NCT had 2,000 plus men who served in their ranks. A researcher stands a greater chance of finding letters and diaries and post war stories from an infantry or cavalry regiment than from an artillery battery. Most batteries had only 200 men. Added to this, many North Carolina artillery batteries only did coastal duty, or at least that was their lot until the end of the war. So, many of their letters home were not filled with descriptions of battles. For an artilleryman, he might see one or two Union warships a month, and those ships usually stayed out of range.

I guess I write all of this as an encouragement for you to check out the Robert C. Caldwell papers (online) at East Carolina University. Caldwell served in the 10th battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery, during the war. They were stationed in the Wilmington Area for much of the war, with a brief stint in Charleston. In late 1864, they were ordered to join the Army of Tennessee, and later fought as infantry at Averysboro and Bentonville. Let me encourage you to check out Caldwell’s letters by visiting this link here.

Colored Confederates

Greetings folks! Sorry for the lack of post lately – I’ve got three or four going right now. I just saw that Earl Ijames, who use to work in the research room at the archives but has now moved across the street to the museum, is going to be speaking at Central Carolina Community College next Sunday (February 28) on Colored Confederates and the United States Colored Troops. This has been a topic of great debate recently in the blogging world. If we do not have another foot of snow, I am considering going. Maybe I’ll head off to the Civil War show in Salisbury on Saturday, and then over to Sanford on Sunday.

You can get more information by click here.

An interview with Skip Smith

I recently found a press release about the 26th NCT Reactivated’s latest preservation project: the flag of the 22nd North Carolina Troops. I thought some of you might be interested in learning more about what these great folks do for North Carolina History. Below, please find an interview with my friend, Skip Smith, Colonel of the 26th North Carolina Troops.

Skip, several news outlets are reporting that the 26th NCT Reactivated is going to raise funds to preserve yet another North Carolina battle flag. How did your group get involved in the preservation process?

In 2004 we decided to raise the money to preserve the 26th NC's Burgess Mill flag...initially we had not thought about the big picture but, it did not take long for us to realize that we needed to work on other flags...in talking with Betsy Buford, then NCMOH Director we found that there was a great need in this area as the Mus. did not have the funds to restore much of what they have in storage...we each exchange letters stating that we were formally creating a partnership with the NCMOH to raise money for the restoration of some of the battle flags...it has now evolved into the project and goal to raise the money for one flag per year...

Why is preserving Confederate battle flags important? Some people would prefer to just let them rot.

We decided to focus on the Battle Flags for one reason - they represent all men who marched beneath their folds...they have a story to tell and the only way this could be done was for them to be on display...while we respect other people's feeling and opinions, we do not let that dictate our mission...our focus is on the history and story these flags tell and not the modern politically correct story that some weave into them...these were battle flags that were designed to lead troops into battle...they became the pride of each Regiment...and for us it is important to preserve them for future generations...

What have been some of your most successful fundraising endeavors?

While there are other projects we have completed, there are three that have a special place in our minds...a) we have completed the fundraising for four North Carolina regiments battle flags, b) we raised $27,000 for a creation of a monument to the 26th NC on the New Bern Battlefield and c) the 26th NC led the process of getting the North Carolina Memorial at Gettysburg cleaned....

How do you decide which flag to preserve next - do you look at all of the flags to see which ones are in the greatest need, or are you drawn to certain flags because of their background?

After we completed the Burgess Mill flag of the 26th NC, we decided to first focus on the other flags from the Pettigrew-Kirkland-McCrae Brigade...our second flag was going to be the 11th NC's but, once we got started our friends in the 1st NC came forward and asked to be able to take care of that flag...we were very happy to turn that over and shifted gears to the 52nd NC's flag...once that flag was complete we went after the 47th NC's...once the fundraising for this flag was complete our goal of taking care of the brigade's battle flags was complete...we then looked at the list of flags the Mus. has and decided to work on the 58th NC's flag as this is a unit we portray from time to time...as to the process of picking our flags, we have a )committee that looks at the list of flags and by working with the Mus. we simply select one...

Tell us about your newest endeavor, the restoration of the flag of the 22nd North Carolina Troops.

This year's project, the battle flag of the 22nd NC, came in a different way...two years ago the Greensboro newspaper ran an article on the Adopt-an-Artifact program that the NCMOH had started...in this story they used the battle flag of the 22nd NC as the focus because there was a company from Guilford County in the 22nd NC...several people responded to the story by sending in donations to restore the battle flag of the 22nd NC (about $500)...in talking with the Mus. last year about our 2010 project, we started talking about the fact that this money might sit there for a while and we just did not feel this was right for those people that had sent in their donations...thus, we decided to make it our next project....we have trifolds and posters at each State Historic Site to not only raise awareness to our project but to also encourage others to adopt a flag to restore...at this time there are five organizations working on other flags!!!

What can people do to help?

To help with the restoration of the 22nd NC's battle flag, people can visit our website www.26nc.org and click on the link at the bottom of the homepage...