Intro Because of a letter written by a soldier’s sister, I was able to collect six new nuggets of information. I discovered these new facts almost by accident. This is what makes research fun! John G. Hall Letters I’ve been busy organizing the many letters I have collected. Last week, I was going through the… Continue reading The Thrill of Discovery: Why I Love Research
Category: 51st North Carolina
Rebuilding a Life After the War: Colonel Cantwell’s Job Search
Colonel John L. Cantwell was the 51st North Carolina’s first commander. He only led the regiment for six months before resigning for personal reasons. A year later, he reentered service as captain of Company F, 3rd Regiment North Carolina Troops. In May 1864, Cantwell was captured at Spotsylvania and imprisoned at Ft. Delaware, where he… Continue reading Rebuilding a Life After the War: Colonel Cantwell’s Job Search
Attending the “Battle at Bost Grist Mill” Reenactment
This past weekend (September 20-21), Bost Grist Mill, near Concord, NC, hosted reenactors and living history participants. The high point for me was meeting some of the members of Company B, 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops. I think this is an annual event that doesn’t commemorate any specific battle. The proceeds help support the mill,… Continue reading Attending the “Battle at Bost Grist Mill” Reenactment
Duel Down Main Street: The Battle of Smithfield (part 2)
My previous post recounts the events that led up to the Battle of Smithfield. The situation at dawn on February 1, 1864: Captain Lee and his men were trapped in Smithfield. They were positioned at the end of main street near Pagan Creek, hoping a gunboat would arrive soon to support them. Their hopes were… Continue reading Duel Down Main Street: The Battle of Smithfield (part 2)
Ode to an Ironclad Battery: Poetry from the 51st North Carolina
Shortly after the 51st North Carolina organized, Company D was sent down the Cape Fear to construct an ironclad battery. The battery was close to Wilmington’s Lazaretto. Eventually, the fortification would be named Fort Strong. Private John D. McGeachy, an aspiring poet, composed the verse below while he was laboring on the battery: [May 18,… Continue reading Ode to an Ironclad Battery: Poetry from the 51st North Carolina
Private John David McGeachy Remembers the War
John David McGeachy, a Robeson County farmer, enlisted in Company D of the 51st North Carolina on April 26, 1862. He served with the regiment until April 1865, when the company disbanded and went home. Among his papers in the David Rubenstein Library at Duke University, are three journals. One, a pocket-sized notebook, contains the… Continue reading Private John David McGeachy Remembers the War
Latest Discovery: The Catherine McGeachy Buie Papers
I recently discovered the Catherine McGeachy Buie Papers online. As usual, my discovery was by accident. The collection is hosted by Duke University on their “Libraries” website. The collection contains scans of hundreds of documents, mostly letters sent to ‘Kate’ McGeachy. As I skimmed through the documents, I found letters written by soldiers in the… Continue reading Latest Discovery: The Catherine McGeachy Buie Papers
The Real Reason Colonel Cantwell Resigned?
When North Carolina seceded from the Union, Wilmington resident John L. Cantwell, a Mexican War veteran, was commanding the 30th North Carolina Militia. Cantwell resigned from the militia and attempted to be elected colonel of two different regiments. He failed both times. Finally, on April 30, 1862, he was elected colonel of the 51st North… Continue reading The Real Reason Colonel Cantwell Resigned?
Company B Casualties from May to October 1864
[Wilmington Journal, November 10, 1864] ON THE LINES NEAR RICHMOND, VA, November 1st, 1864 To the Editors of the Journal: You will confer a great favor to the families and friends by publishing the following list of killed, wounded and prisoners of Co. B, 51st N. C. T.: Sergt Calvin Tucker, died July 12th, 1864,… Continue reading Company B Casualties from May to October 1864
Sarah Ketchum’s Pension Woes
The previous post contains a short biography of Captain David W. Ketchum, Assistant Commissary of the 51st North Carolina. The unexplained gap in his service record between 1863 and the end of the war became a problem for his widow 25 years after his death. This is the story of Sarah Ketchum’s three-year wait to… Continue reading Sarah Ketchum’s Pension Woes