James G. Martin, Adjutant General for the State of North Carolina, was responsible for the organization and training of new Tar Heel regiments at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh. Martin ensured the recruits were housed, clothed, fed, trained, and properly equipped before sending them off to war. But Martin also realized that the soldiers’ spiritual well-being… Continue reading “Lend Them Brave Hearts in the Day of Battle”
Author: Kirk
Application for Retirement to the Invalid Corps (Hall Letters #4)
Private John G. Hall, Company G, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops, was wounded at Petersburg on July 17, 1864. He was hospitalized in Richmond with a severe gunshot wound in the right shoulder. On August 5, 1864, Hall was sent home from the hospital on a medical furlough. By December, the wound was showing no… Continue reading Application for Retirement to the Invalid Corps (Hall Letters #4)
“It Would Revive Him Up” (Hall Letters #3)
Private John G. Hall, Company G, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops, was wounded at Petersburg on July 17, 1864. He was hospitalized in Richmond with a severe gunshot wound in the right shoulder. Captain Henry C. Rockwell, brigade Assistant Quartermaster, sent the following letter to Private Hall’s father. Petersburg Va July 26th 1864 Mr. W.… Continue reading “It Would Revive Him Up” (Hall Letters #3)
“One of the Most Awful Battles that Has Ever Been Fought” (Hall Letters #2)
John Green Hall enlisted as a private in Company C, 35th Regiment North Carolina Troops on September 12, 1861. He served with the Thirty-Fifth until May 31, 1864, when he transferred to Company G, 51st Regiment NCT. On the day that Private Hall wrote this letter, Union troops made an ill-advised frontal assault on dug-in… Continue reading “One of the Most Awful Battles that Has Ever Been Fought” (Hall Letters #2)
Private John G. Hall’s Account of the Fight at Drewry’s Bluff (Hall Letters #1)
John Green Hall enlisted as a private in Company C, 35th Regiment North Carolina Troops on September 12, 1861. He served with the Thirty-Fifth until May 31, 1864, when he transferred to Company G, 51st Regiment NCT. On the day that Private Hall wrote this letter, Confederate troops were pushing Benjamin Butler’s men out of… Continue reading Private John G. Hall’s Account of the Fight at Drewry’s Bluff (Hall Letters #1)
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
Private Payton P. Mathis Payton P. Mathis enlisted as a private in Company C, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops on March 28, 1862. The 22-year-old farmer stood five feet, eleven inches tall. He was fair-complected with dark hair and brown eyes. Private Mathis served with Company C until he was wounded in the hand at… Continue reading If at First You Don’t Succeed…
We Want Our Shoemaker Back!
Note: James C. Rogers is listed in North Carolina Troops and in his NARA compiled service record as J. E. Rodgers. Background James C. Rogers was a 46-year-old shoemaker living in Sampson County. He managed to avoid military service until October 16, 1864. On that date, he enlisted at the Conscript Camp in Raleigh. Upon… Continue reading We Want Our Shoemaker Back!
Equipping the New Companies
Equipment Requisitions I have located the initial equipment requisitions for seven of the 51st North Carolina’s ten companies. The documents reveal a lot about the process for equipping an infantry company. Here’s what I learned. Equipment Required by an Infantry Company There appears to have been no standard guidelines for what and how much clothing… Continue reading Equipping the New Companies
What’s for Dinner? Feeding a Regiment
In late June 1862, the 51st North Carolina moved to Fort Johnston, near Southport. Conditions at the fort were much better than those at the camps the regiment had previously occupied. The men were housed in barracks. They had a ready supply of good drinking water. All the regiment needed to do was feed the… Continue reading What’s for Dinner? Feeding a Regiment
Private Alman T. Jackson of Company I Remembers the War
Alman T Jackson enlisted as a private in Company I of the 51st North Carolina on February 10, 1863. He fought with the regiment at Battery Wagner and New Bern. Private Jackson was captured at Drewry’s Bluff. He was imprisoned at Point Lookout for nine months before being paroled in March, 1865. In January 1905,… Continue reading Private Alman T. Jackson of Company I Remembers the War