More on the bridge burners

A few days ago I advanced a theory on the bridge burnings in east Tennessee as being an impetus behind the formation of the Mitchell Rangers. I spent some time at the library reading through North Carolina newspapers trying to find a public reaction to the event. I found almost none, mostly just reprints from out of state newspapers.

The burning of the railroad bridges in east Tennessee was the idea of Rev. William B. Carter, a Tennessee native. Carter took the idea to the commanding generals in Kentucky, including Sherman and Thomas, and then on to Washington, where he received the blessings of McClellan, Cameron, and Lincoln. Carter then returned to Kentucky, and then east Tennessee.

The idea was to organize small bands of east Tennessee loyalists into groups that would burn nine railroad bridges between Bristol, on the Virginia-Tennessee line, to Bridgeport, Alabama. Then, a Federal force would march to Knoxville and capture the city and gain control of the railroad, a vital link between Virginia and the deep South.

November 8, 1861, was the date set for the attacks. Just hours before the attack, Gen. William T. Sherman, whose support for the operation had been tenuous, pulled his support and ordered General Thomas not to advance. Of course, word could not be sent to Carter and his bridge burners. They proceeded to destroy five of their nine targets.

Unaware that the Federal soldiers had abandoned them, large numbers of loyalists turned out in different counties. At Elizabethton, not too terribly far from Mitchell County, an estimated 1,000 loyalists gathered, organized themselves into companies, elected officers, and stockpiled supplies. Confederate re-enforcements quickly arrived and the loyalist bands dispersed. Several of the actual bridge burners were arrested, tried, and hanged.

On November 18, 1861, North Carolina Governor Henry T. Clark sent a note to Secretary of War J. P. Benjamin, stating that he had two regiments on hand that were asking to be sent to the area to protect their own families. One of those regiments was the 29th North Carolina Troops, under the command of Col. Robert B. Vance.

As far as North Carolina reaction, there was an article in the newspaper from Asheville, stating that Confederate forces in east Tennessee had driven 500 (or 1,000) loyalists out of Tennessee and into Madison County, North Carolina. The folks in Asheville were obviously concerned, even though the loyalist figures were greatly exaggerated.

So, while I have no hard proof that the Mitchell Rangers were organized as a direct response to the bridge burning episode, I do think that there is a substantial circumstantial case.

Your thoughts?

A full day

I really enjoy being a writer. Yesterday, I left out about 9:30 am, onmy way to the Caldwell Historical Museum in Lenoir. I had to sign booksfor a group of teachers (the Broyhill Scholars) who were touring themuseum. I then had a wonderful lunch with them before darting off toWilkesboro. In Wilkesboro, I spent three hours going through the papersof the Lenoir family. I was particularly interested in the letters anddiary of Walter W. Lenior. Walter was an unofficial member of the 25thNorth Carolina and then helped recruit a company for Vance's Legion. After the Legion failed, that company joined the 58th North CarolinaTroops. However, right before the regiment's organization, Walter waselected lieutenant, then captain, of Company A, 37th North CarolinaTroops. Six weeks later, Walter lost a leg at Ox Hill. The diary that heleft behind is a important piece of North Carolina history.

After three hours in Wilkesboro, I went to Boone and ASU to do alittle research. I wanted to know just what North Carolina's opinion was regarding the east Tennessee bridge burnings. The conclusion I reached after two hours of reading microfilm was not what I had hoped: not much reaction by the press (save Asheville) whatsoever.

I got home last night a little after 8:30. The only downside to anotherwise great day doing what I love: with drive time, I logged in 11 hours yesterday. But some days are like that, and it's great to do whatI love, even for longs days!

bridge burning in E. Tenn. and the Mitchell Rangers

Ok - question of the day. Did the bridge burnings in east Tennessee have a direct influence on the formation of the Mitchell Rangers? The bridge burnings, one as close as Carter County, Tennessee, disrupted an important link between the deep South and Virginia. These burnings were led by local (east Tennessee) men in mid-November 1861. Six weeks later, the Mitchell Rangers were formed, with the mission of providing protection to the Toe River Valley area. The Mitchell Rangers would become Company A, 58th North Carolina Troops. The 58th NC, after its formation, was sent to east Tennessee (August 1862-September 1863) to help garrison the highly pro-Union area.

Maybe a little look into North Carolina’s reaction to the bridge burnings in east Tennessee is in order...

Civil War enthusiast identifies three soldiers buried in Raleigh

Good morning folks! - I found the below story on my morning internet hunt. It was found on a TV station’s web site in Minnesota.

Civil War enthusiast identifies three soldiers buried in Raleigh

A Civil War enthusiast has identified the remains of three soldiers buried in Raleigh - including one Minnesota Yankee resting among Confederates.

Charles Purser spent thousands of hours scrutinizing hospital logs, regimental rosters and cemetery records to put names to the headstones at the Oakwood cemetery in RALEIGH, North Carolina. He recently identified Drury Scruggs, who marched to the Civil War from his home in North Carolina's mountains and later died at Gettysburg. There's also William P. Wallace, a farm boy from Montgomery County. Both had been resting under anonymous headstones.

Purser also spent time working with New York-based historian Glen Hayes. Comparing notes, the researchers decided that John O. Dobson from North Carolina didn't exist. They agreed that John O. Dolson - a Yankee from Minnesota - had been shipped to Raleigh in his place.

Purser, 67, plans to hold a ceremony in September to honor the three soldiers with new headstones."It's three American soldiers getting their identity," Purser said. "That's what tickles me."

Purser, an Air Force veteran and retired postal carrier living in Garner, first helped rescue the Confederate cemetery from neglect in the early 1980s.

He now has names for all but five of those buried at Oakwood, save 14 unknowns in a mass grave.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Asheville

Last week was another busy week. I had book signings in High Point (Tuesday) and Albermarle (Thursday). Wednesday was a research day.

This past Saturday, I had the distinct privilege of leading a group of people on a tour of Civil War-related sites in Asheville/Buncombe County. We started out at the Vance Birthplace near Weaverville. It is a beautiful place with several restored cabins. If you are in the area and get a chance, please visit. After a picnic at the Birthplace, we headed to the campus of UNC - Asheville. We visited the breastworks used on April 6, 1865, to ward off an attack by the 101st Ohio Infantry.
This was followed b

y a trip to Riverside Cemetery to visit the graves of Gov. Zebulon B. Vance, Brig. Gen. Robert B. Vance, Brig. Gen. Joseph G. Martin, Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Clingman, and Col. Stephen Lee 916th NCT), along with many others.

Finally, a few of us visited Newton Academy Cemetery. There are 29 unknown Confederates buried here, along with five Federals who died during the reconstruction days. There is a monument to the Confederate soldiers dedicated by the UDC in 1903.

It is interesting to note that Asheville has a remarkable Confederate history - Governor Vance was from Asheville, the town was headquarters for the Department of Western North Carolina, the town was a training ground for new soldiers, had a armory that manufactured rifles, had a hospital, has a cemetery with three generals and many others officers, and had a battle, but does nothing to capitalize on this history. How sad...

This week is almost as busy. I’ll be speaking tomorrow night in Lancaster, South Carolina, and Thursday night in Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina. I’m going to try and sneak in some more research time also.

The picture above in the 1903 Confederate monument in Newton Academy Cemetery in Asheville.

Civil War Trail Markers

The Civil War Trails signs meeting last Thursday went well. The money for two markers has been appropriated, and we put together a small committee to finalize which two markers we would like to erect.

I’ve been a fan of the Civil War Trail Markers program for some time, even though at times when traveling, those signs in Virginia with arrows get me terribly confused. I end up following those signs and get totally confused as to where I am. Thankfully, those confused days are usually free days, and I really don’t mind.

There are already markers in Wilkes, Caldwell, and Yancey Counties here in the western part of the state, and I look forward to Avery County joining the group.

Has anyone thought of making Stoneman’s Raid a tour?

Civl War Trail markers in Avery County

Thanks to the Civil War Interactive web page for the mention of this blog.

I’m off to two meetings this afternoon. The first is our regular monthly meeting of the Avery County Historical Society and Museum. I’ve been on the board of directors for about three years now. This afternoon, I’ll be discussing the Civil War Trails marker program in Avery County. There are four sites that I’ve recommended:

First, the site of Colonel John B. Palmer’s (58th NCT) house. The home was burnt by Kirk’s raiders in June 1864. This is also the site of Camp Martin, where portions of the 58th North Carolina Troops were mustered into service, possibly even trained.

Second, a marker on Keith and Malinda Blalock. While their graves are accessible, there is no good place to park. I am thinking about Grandfather Mountain for this marker. The Blalocks hid out on Grandfather, and their underground railroad ran across the northern portion of the mountain.

Third, a marker in Cranberry dealing with the Cranberry Iron Ore deposits. This site employed a couple dozen men during the war. The iron was transported via wagon to Morganton. Some was taken to Asheville to be used by the Asheville Armory.

Fourth, a marker in Banner Elk, where the escaped Salisbury POWs and other dissidents arrived, often under the care of the Blalocks. Usually, one of the other scouts met them (like Dan Ellis), and they continued on their journey to Kentucky and Tennessee.

That second meeting begins a hour after the first and involves the Avery Heritage Council. The markers are one of the items on the agenda.

The article about Vance’s Legion is shaping up. I’ll post more information soon.

Missed Materials

Eric Wittenburg wrote on June 3:

The primary source material from the Civil War that continues to surface never ceases to amaze me. It also makes me wonder what else like it remains out there, unknown and languishing…. He goes on to detail the mostly unpublished materials of Pennock Huey, a federal cavalry officer.

That has led me to this line of thinking for aspiring authors.

When Bob Krick reviewed my first book, on the 37th North Carolina Troops, he wrote
Michael C. Hardy's The Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia (McFarland & Company, Jefferson, N.C., 2003, $45) mines such hidden riches in gratifying detail. The author unearthed dozens of accounts, from a wide range of locations, by the soldiers in a regiment that fought steadily at center stage throughout America's Civil War. He also constructed a first-rate roster of the 37th by scouting cemeteries, digging out obituaries and tracking down descendants.

Finding those primary sources is an uphill battle. As most of you know, I’ve been working on a regimental history of the 58th North Carolina. They were one of just four North Carolina Infantry regiments that fought with the Army of Tennessee. While I have been collecting information for the past ten years, the real hunt has been on for the past couple of months. This hunt has led me to read/browse dozens of family histories and county heritage books for the little details that I want to make the project as complete as possible.

Also, I’ve started to post the names of the hundreds of men who served in the 58th North Carolina on online family discussion groups. This gives me access to an untold amount of materials, like photographs, documents, and stories, that are not in books or public repositories.

I once got an email from someone writing a book on a particular North Carolina regiment - a project that I myself had hoped to eventually undertake. This author has written several books on the war, most of which have not garnered positive reviews. I prepared a list of sources and dissertations and people to contact in response to this author’s request for information. This author basically responded, "I do not have time to go through all of this material." Instead, this author is willing to write a book with only a few easily accessible sources. Why bother writing something about the war if you are not willing to go through every possible source or at least make the effort to find material? This is not to say that my research methods are perfect, but I do make the effort to run down as much information as I can to give readers and scholars the most complete text possible.

The sad thing is that no publisher will be willing to tackle a new history of this regiment for quite some time, and readers and scholars will be stuck with a less-than-thorough resource.

My advice - go through everything: archives, newspapers, family histories, county histories, everything. And even when you think that you have been through it all, there will be items that have been missed.

As historians, we have a responsibility to leave behind us the best tools possible for others.

Saving the South

What a great weekend. The Avery County Heritage Festival was good. I had a chance to talk to quite a few people about the old 58th NCT.

On Sunday, we went to the reenactment in Jonesville, Virginia. The local SCV Camp - the Wise County Rangers (I think), had a booth set up and I went to ask about one of my Wise County relatives. (Louis Roberts, Co. B, 7th Battalion, Confederate Cavalry). The gentleman manning the both was Allen Thomas, a descendant of men who had fought in both the 37th NCT and the 58th NCT. It was nice to have a few minutes to talk to Mr. Thomas about well known places.
I’ve not had a chance to work on article about Vance’s Legion since I last posted.

Today, I am working on proposals for Civil War Trail Marker signs in Avery County.

This evening, I’m speaking with the SCV Camp in Yadkinville.

Another busy weekend

Well folks, another busy weekend is upon us. I’ll be at the Avery County Heritage Festival tomorrow. The festival is being held in Crossnore this year, about a mile and a half from where I live. Then on Sunday, I’m off to the reenactment in Jonesville, Virginia.

For the past couple of days, I’ve been researching Vance’s Legion. It’s not easy researching a organization that never really existed. Parts of the Legion became companies E and H of the 58th North Carolina Troops. Another group became Company A, 4th North Carolina Cavalry.

Has anyone ever come across any other company that was a part of Vance’s Legion?

Confederte Monument in Wadesboro

I got home from out rambling in the Sunshine State late Saturday night. There has been plenty of catch-up work on Sunday and Monday. Last night found me in meeting with the SCV Camp in Wadesboro, North Carolina - a fine group of folks.

I took these two photographs of the Confederate monuments in Wadesboro. The first is the monument to Women of the Confederacy, dedicated on September 22, 1934. It is on the courthouse grounds.

To its right, is the second, older monument, dedicated on January 19, 1906. The bronze soldier on the top is made in the likeness of John Richardson of Ansonville.

I was informed last night of a third monument, this one inside the courthouse. We’ll see if we can’t get more information on this marker.

I had a very good question last night that I could not answer - what percentage of the Confederate markers in North Carolina have soldiers crowning them? A little research should provide an answer.

I had another good question a couple of weeks ago, a question that I’ve not yet been able to answer - when was the first Iron Cross placed on a Confederate grave? (North Carolina or otherwise). I know that Iron Crosses were prevalent prior to the US Government-issued tombstones. If you have an answer for me, drop me a line at mchardy@michaelchardy.com

Rambling in the Sunshine State

I’ve been on vacation for the past week – we started out by spending a weekend in Savannah, then came on down to Florida to visit with my folks. I am once again reminded of all of the people who made Florida what is, after they were soldiers in the War. Many of them were North Carolinians.

Here in Greater Orlando, we have Capt. Bluford M. Sims. He was in Thomas’s Legion and came to the area west of town, and basically created the town of Ocoee and is buried there.

Col. John B. Palmer of the 58th NCT came to what is now Winter Park and bought a number of acres of old orange groves on Lake Maitland. Palmer Ave, the main thoroughfare through old Winter Park, is named for him, and the canal where the boat tours are run was once called Palmer Creek.

The founder of the newspaper in Apopka (whose name escapes me right now – hey, I’m on vacation) was a former soldier from Haywood County.

And, there are many others. Zellwood was named in honor of Lt. Col. Thomas Ellwood Zell of the 121st Pennsylvania Infantry (Not sure where the Lt. Col. rank came from as he is only listed as a captain in NPS).

St. Cloud, south of Orlando, was founded as a home for Union Veterans.

Yesterday, while out rambling, I came upon the grave of “Col. John L. Moore 3rd Ga. Regt.” in the Umatilla Cemetery I wonder what his story is?

To go a little further afield, if I remember correctly, both Maj. Ellis of the 20th Maine and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon died in Miami.

There are hundreds of these little stories all across the state.

So many stories, so little time….

I should be back home in a day or so.

Captain Pearson

I had a great time speaking to the groups in Bessemer City and Greensboro. However, all of this zipping around the state has me tired.

I’ve spent the morning researching the Captain Pearson I alluded to a couple of days ago. I believe that this is Isaac A. Pearson, born ca. 1815 on Silver Creek, Burke County. He appears in the 1850 and 1860 Yancey County census. In the latter, he is a 43 year old merchant residing in Bakersville. John W. McElroy mentions him in a letter to Vance on February 5, 1861. McElroy writes: "I do not know who will Run as a candidate in this County but I suppose Pearson, Broyles or old Sam Byrd, as I understand that they all want to be elected to that Body. I Suppose a disunion man will be elected." I would take this to mean that Pearson was a Union man.

It appears that Pearson moved to Catawba County after the war, and is listed in the 1870 census as a revenue officer, and in 1880 as a farmer. He was remarried to a widow from Virginia. He is not in the 1900 census, so we can assume that he passed on between 1880 and 1900.

Can I say that the Pearson living in Bakersville is the Pearson who was trying to recruit a local company in January 1861? No, not yet. If it is not, then I’ll have a lot of research on Isaac A. Pearson from Bakersville. Maybe this afternoon I should ride over to the Mitchell County historical society and see if I can find anything else.

All of this work for something that will probably just appear as a footnote in the 58th NCT book.

NC Ordinance of Secession back in Capitol

Sure wish I could go and see this, but alas, I already have plans. If anyone makes it, please drop me a line.


North Carolina Secession Observance Date: Friday, 18 May 2007, through Sunday, 20 May 2007 T

he original North Carolina Ordinance of Secession will be on display for three days only in the House Chamber of the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh NC. A special legislative session convened on 1 May 1861 and called for the election of delegates to a convention. The convention met at the Capitol on 20 May 1861, and voted to secede from the Union, launching North Carolina into the War for Southern Independence. The Capitol building will be open to visitors on Friday from 8AM to 5PM, on Saturday from 10AM to 4PM, and on Sunday from 1PM to 3PM. The Capitol is located at 1 E. Edenton Street in Raleigh. For further details or directions, please call (919) 733-4994 or send e-mail tostate.capitol@ncmail.net

To Gaston and beyond

Off yet again. This evening, I’ll be speaking to the SCV Camp in Bessemer City, and tomorrow, to the SCV Camp in Greensboro. Hoping to get by the Hollybrook Cemetery in Lincolnton, NC, this afternoon to photograph the grave of Capt. Frederick A. Tobey, Co. A, 58th NCT.

On a side note, anyone know anything about a Captain Pearson who was recruiting a company for local defense in Mitchell County in January 1861? If so, please drop me a line at mchardy@michaelchardy.com

Confederate Memorial Day

Greetings folks! - Here is a copy of the talk I will be giving this evening at the Old Bakersville Cemetery in Mitchell County, North Carolina. The known Confederates buried there are:

Private James W. Bailey,
Co. C 58th North Carolina

Private Theodore P. Baker,
Co. I 29th North Carolina

Private Albert N Blaylock,
Co. G 58th North Carolina

Captain Jacob Bowman,
Co. B 58th North Carolina

Private William G. Bowman,
Co I 29th North Carolina

Lieutenant John H. Flemming,
Co. A 49th North Carolina

Captain John Wilson Gudger,
Co. C 29th North Carolina

Sergeant Berry Stewart
Co. B 58th North Carolina

Today is Confederate Decoration Day, or Confederate Memorial Day in North Carolina. This special day was first observed in North Carolina in Raleigh 140 years ago today. A group of ladies, many of them widows of Confederate soldiers, met at the capital, walked over to Oakwood Cemetery, and decorated the graves of the Confederate dead that had been recently moved from the old burial ground at the Rock Quarry Cemetery.

For the past week, all across the state, people have gathered to commemorate the Old North State’s Confederate soldiers. From a large observance last Saturday in the state capital to wreath laying ceremonies like the one in Salisbury, from the countless flags placed on graves in large and small cemeteries to the flying of the Confederate and state colors on the grounds of the courthouse in Yancey County, we have met to honor the state’s Confederate soldiers.

The greatest fear of the old soldiers, especially as they grew aged and gray, as other conflicts and current events bypassed their moment on the pages of history, was that they and their deeds might be forgotten. Sadly, that terrible fear has become reality for most of these men as they have slipped beneath the surface of our nation’s memory.

We should all be sad, we should all shed a tear, that so many of the South’s valiant sons lie in forgotten graves, with only the green sod as their marble monument.

We should all be sad that the deeds of the old soldiers are no longer passed down from father to son, that the heartache that once was born in a woman’s bosom for a lost husband or son or father, has been forgotten.

Ms. Anna Smith, grand daughter of Pvt. Abner Smith of the 37th North Carolina, once spoke these words during a reunion of old soldiers not too far from where we are.

The world will always wonder at and admire the valiant deeds of the men who followed Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and those other matchless leaders of the Southern cause. No army ever fought as they did; they battled against overwhelming odds and their many victories were only achieved by death-defying courage and devotion to duty equal to that of the soldiers of ancient Rome.

Well Ms. Smith, I am sorry to say, almost one hundred years after you spoke, the world no longer wonders and admires the valiant deeds of the men who followed Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and those other matchless leaders of the Southern cause.

We few are here this beautiful spring evening to remember a handful of old soldiers. None of these perished in strife, none paid the ultimate sacrifice, but they served; they answered the call when the Tar Heel state bade them come.

We, the descendants of the old soldiers buried here, or in other cemeteries across the South, have a responsibility. That responsibility was laid before us by Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee in 1906, when he committed to us, the descendants of Confederate soldiers,

the vindication of the cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish.

Tonight, as we close our service of remembrance, let me, a descendant of Confederate soldiers, challenge you, to go back to your homes, learn about the deeds of your Confederate ancestors, and then pass those stories down to sons and daughters, you grand children, and the members of your community. These men, former Confederate soldiers, earned the right to be remembered.

Virginia

I had a great time at my numerous events this past weekend. On Sunday afternoon, we were out putting up flags on the graves of Confederate soldiers who lie in cemeteries in Avery County. In the cemetery in Cranberry, we came across the grave of John J. Bateman, a member of the 51st Virginia. Why did he (and his wife), come to Cranberry? Did they work in some capacity for the mining company? Why put him on the blog? Maybe someone out there on the world wide web is looking for Bateman, and can fill in the details of his life or use this information on his final resting place.

I’m off this evening to speak at the Stonewall Brigade Camp 1296 Sons of Confederate Veterans in Lexington, Virginia. I am really looking forward to spending a couple of days in the Valley.

Two Programs this Weekend

Folks - I have two really exciting events coming up this weekend, and everyone is invited. On Saturday afternoon (1-4pm), we are having a Watauga County History Day at the Public library in Boone. Lots of good speakers, including yours truly, who will be speaking about the rise of the Confederate veteran movement in the area.

On Sunday evening, at the Aaron Baptist Church in historic downtown Montezuma (that’s in Avery County), I’ll be doing a program on gravestone art (or cemetery iconography). Program starts at 7:00 pm

Both of these events are free and open to the public.

Hope to see you there.

A Tar Heel Warning for Stonewall

Working with the public, I often come across family stories that simply are not true - I could not count the times that the "my ancestor held General Lee’s horse at Appomattox" story has come up. And after a little research, we find out that this ancestor finished out the war at Elmira, or Point Lookout, or was in the Army of Tennessee, and was not in a position to have Traveller or anyone else’s horse at Appomattox. But sometimes, I get a story that does have interesting possibilities.

When working on the book about the Thirty-seventh North Carolina, I got an email from a descendant, stating that his ancestor, Thomas Lowery, had told Jackson on the night of May 2, "I wouldn’t go in there now. It’s too dark, and your men may take you for the enemy and shoot you." My first response was, Yeah right! How many men from Lane’s brigade would not have claimed they had uttered those words after the events that would soon transpire?

Wanting to use the story in the book, I did some research. James Thomas Lowery was born on May 10, 1843, in Union County, North Carolina. He was a farmer and enlisted in the North Carolina Defenders on September 16, 1861. He was mustered in as a private. The North Carolina Defenders became Company H, Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops, on November 20, 1861. Lowery was captured at the battle of Hanover Court House, Virginia, on May 27, 1862. He was exchanged on August 5, 1862, and returned to duty by November 1, 1862.

On the night of May 2, 1863, Lowery’s Company D was in the position of the second company, or the company on the far left side of the regiment. (The first company is on the far right, and the third company is in the center. Confusing, huh?). They were in position on the Orange Plank Road. The rest of the regiment was to their right. Lowery was acting second sergeant that day. So, he was the last man in line, standing on the Orange Plank Road, or very near it. The rest of the regiment was to his right. So, as Stonewall Jackson rode down the Plank Road on his reconnaissance, then there was no better person to say to Jackson "I wouldn’t go in there now. It’s too dark, and your men may take you for the enemy and shoot you." So, while we can’t verify that the family story is absolutely true, it is a real possibility.

Lowery was wounded the next day and did not return to duty until September of that year; in November, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He was with his regiment for the rest of the war, surrendering at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. He died on February 18, 1901, and was buried in the Mt. Olive Church Cemetery, Anson County, North Carolina.

Something that I notice while typing this - Lowery celebrated his twentieth birthday on the day that Jackson died - May 10, an eerie coincidence.

Off yet again

Well, I’m off again. Tonight, I’m speaking to the Gen. James B. Gordon SCV Camp in Wilkesboro. Tomorrow night, I’ll be with the Piedmont Civil War Round Table in Charlotte.