Below is an excerpt from a family history written by Samuel Stanford shortly before he died in 1902. The full history, with much more information, is at Geneanet.org, Samuel McGee Stanford record: https://gw.geneanet.org/slschrat?lang=en&n=stanford&oc=0&p=samuel+mcgee
Background
Samuel McGee Stanford, a 23-year-old attorney in Duplin County, enlisted in 1st Co. C, 2nd North Carolina Volunteers, on April 15, 1861. He served as 2nd Sergeant until the company disbanded on November 11, 1861. In early 1862, he applied for a lieutenant’s appointment, which North Carolina granted on February 12. He joined Captain William Allen’s company, which became Company C of the 51st North Carolina.
On April 30, 1864, the 51st North Carolina organized in Wilmington. Captain Allen was elected Lieutenant Colonel. As a result, Stanford was promoted to captain of the Company C. He was frequently sick and in September 1864, after a three-month absence, he resigned. Stanford later joined the 5th Florida Cavalry Battalion.
History
“Thos. Jefferson Stanford, my father was the third son, a man of fine presence, a little over six feet high, straight as an arrow, deep blue eyes, dark brown hair inclined to curl, well educated and a great talker, fond of books and perhaps would have made his mark as a professional man, but he married young and having inherited a large tract of land, turned his attention farming, but the land being poor and he with more love for books than crops, a failure was the result , never like most men, laying all the blame on the land. When I, the fourth child and son, was about 7 years old [he] sold out and came to Ala. to engage in cotton growing. He bought a large tract of land on Choctaw Creek in Henry County and began to open up a large farm but died in the prime of manhood at 46 years old. I spent a good many years of my boyhood there, sometimes going a short time to a piney woods school, but for the greater part of my time was spent following the hounds. One of my brothers was my guardian. He was a lovable, easy-going good fellow and let me do as I pleased for a long time, and although after a while I went to a good school and received a fair education, many of those old habits and inclinations have stuck to me all through life. I had energy enough left to go to North Carolina and graduate in law and was doing a fair practice when the war broke out, when like most of the hot-headed youth of the South I volunteered in the first Company raised in my County and went immediately to the front. Capt. Keenan, a cousin of mine, got up the Company, the “Duplin Rifles”. I was made 2nd Sargent. We got to Richman Virginia the first of May, 61 and were put in the 2nd N.C. Reg. I served there six months then got up 25 men and was put in the 51st N.C. Reg. I served in that capacity a few months and was made Capt. and commanded the Company until the latter part of September 64 when I had a long spell of fever, and being unfit for service I resigned and came home where, with good care, I got able by the first of February 65 to do duty again, my company having been killed and captured and naturally seeing the end was close at hand, I joined the 5th Fla. Battalion of Cavalry stationed in West Florida where I had a sort of a military frolic until the 25th of May 65 when we all came home.”