Caleb Bond Hobson was born in Surry County on January 4, 1831. [NOTE: Hobson’s birthplace became part of Yadkin County in 1850.] He was the sixth child of Stephen Hobson and Mary Bond. Sadly, Caleb’s mother died eight months after her youngest son was born. Stephen Hobson remarried and had one son, John, also known as “Long John.” Long John was nearly eight feet tall. He was listed as an “Idiot” in the 1850 census. John’s mother died just twelve days after his birth. Stephen Hobson married twice more, fathering 11 more children.
Stephen Hobson was a devout Quaker. He was a pacifist and a staunch abolitionist. He made a prosperous living mining and smelting iron ore. He also owned a large farm. Stephen ensured that his children were well educated, and Caleb attended school until his late teens.
In the early 1850’s, Caleb left his family and moved to Duplin County. He and Curtis Oates opened a store in Warsaw in September 1854. In July 1856, the pair dissolved their partnership, and Hobson became the sole proprietor of the store. Meanwhile, Caleb had been courting Curtis’s daughter, Mary, and the two married sometime in 1856.
NOTE: Curtis Oates moved his family to Missouri before 1860. In September 1863, the 51-year-old farmer was imprisoned for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance, although he had never served in the military. He died in prison three months later.
Hobson thrived in his new home. He bought a house in Warsaw and owned a large farm near the town. He also acquired a turpentine distillery near Bear Swamp and owned a cooper’s shop in Mt. Olive. In addition to his properties, Hobson held a financial interest in the Warsaw-Fayetteville plank road.
Mary was a Baptist, and Caleb adopted his wife’s religion. Leaving behind Quaker pacifism, he joined the local militia and was appointed second lieutenant. By 1860, the couple was living comfortably and had added two daughters to their family. Another daughter joined the family in 1861.
In early 1862, Hobson applied to the state for a captaincy and received his appointment on February 10. He immediately began raising a company of volunteers that he named the “Warsaw Sampsons.” Hobson’s first recruit was Walter R. Bell, a fellow merchant with a store a few miles from Warsaw. Soon after, Bell was appointed first lieutenant by the State. The two men began energetically recruiting men, and by the end of March, the company contained 78 soldiers. Thirty-nine of the new recruits hailed from Duplin County, and another 30 lived in Sampson County.
Captain Hobson took his company to Wilmington, and on April 2, 1862, the Warsaw Sampsons were enrolled in military service. When the 51st North Carolina organized a few weeks later, Hobson’s company was designated as Company B of the new regiment.
Captain Hobson performed well as a company commander. He ensured that his soldiers were fed, equipped, and drilled. In April 1863, Hobson was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment. Walter Bell was promoted to captain and assumed command of Company B.
Hobson’s service as a lieutenant colonel was unremarkable. He stayed out of trouble and apparently performed well in the battles the regiment fought. Then in early 1864, he received bad news from home. His house and store burned down on January 24. As soon as Hobson heard the news, he returned home on a 30-day leave of absence, returning to the regiment in early March.
Lieutenant Colonel Hobson continued to perform well, but he was frequently absent sick. In August 1864, brigade commander General Thomas Clingman was badly wounded. Colonel Hector McKethan, commanding the Fifty-First, was given temporary command of the brigade, and Caleb Hobson assumed command of the 51st North Carolina.
On September 30, 1864, Lieutenant Colonel Caleb Hobson was killed while leading his regiment in a failed assault on Fort Harrison. He was initially listed as captured because his body was not recovered from the battlefield. But the Yankees later confirmed that Hobson was not a prisoner. His body was probably buried near Fort Harrison soon after the battle.
Mary Hobson gave birth to the couple’s fourth child and only son, Caleb Bond Hobson, on January 12, 1865. She and her children moved to Missouri to be close to Mary’s family shortly after the war ended.
Copyright © 2021 – 2026 by Kirk Ward. All rights reserved.