Jeremiah Strickland enlisted as a private in Company B, 51st North Carolina, on 29 May 1862. He was a 43-year-old farmer, living in Duplin County at the time of his enlistment. Strickland served with the company throughout the war, although he was hospitalized at least three times for illness. His son, William H., enlisted in… Continue reading Pvt. Jeremiah Strickland Letter to His Sister-in-Law
Tag: 51st North Carolina Soldiers
Has My Sweetheart Been Informed that I Have a Yankee Ball in My Unmentionables?
The William H. Grady Letters Collection in the North Carolina State Archives contains five letters written by Grady during the Civil War. The letter below, written from a Richmond hospital, was written with Grady’s typical tongue-in-cheek style, but it also recounted the tragic deaths of some of the men he knew. All five letters (transcripts… Continue reading Has My Sweetheart Been Informed that I Have a Yankee Ball in My Unmentionables?
51st North Carolina Officers on Duty by Month
I have spent the past few weeks refining PFD (Present for Duty) data for the regiment. The results for the officers are below. My apologies for the small size, but I wanted to publish it as one page. You can open it in a new tab to get a better view of the data. I… Continue reading 51st North Carolina Officers on Duty by Month
“I don’t know what will become of me”: The James D. Williams Letters
An Unexpected Gift On Christmas Day, I received an unexpected and most welcome message from James Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence, a descendant of Private James Daniel Williams of Company I, has several letters written by his ancestor. He graciously sent scans of the letters to me. Notes on Transcription Transcribing the Williams letters took some effort.… Continue reading “I don’t know what will become of me”: The James D. Williams Letters
The Court-Martial of Dugald Hammonds (part 5 of 5)
This is the final post of the Dugald Hammonds series. Below is the trial transcript from Hammonds’ court martial. Other posts in this series: Part 1: Early life Part 2: Confederate service Part 3: Union service Part 4: Court martial and death Transcript of Proceedings in Court Martial of Private Dugald Hammonds Proceedings of a… Continue reading The Court-Martial of Dugald Hammonds (part 5 of 5)
The Court-Martial of Dugald Hammonds (part 4 of 5)
Articles of War ART. 7. Any officer or soldier who shall begin, excite, cause, or join in, any mutiny or sedition, in any troop or company in the service of the United States, or in any party, post, detachment, or guard, shall suffer death, or such other punishment as by a courtmartial shall be inflicted.… Continue reading The Court-Martial of Dugald Hammonds (part 4 of 5)
Snapshot: Condition of the 51st North Carolina on August 31, 1863
The Inspection On August 31, 1863, the 51st North Carolina was camped on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston. Captain W. Gordon McCabe performed a “muster inspection” of the regiment on that date. His inspection measured the Fifty-First’s readiness as a combat unit. Staff Officers On the day of McCabe’s inspection, Colonel McKethan and Lieutenant-Colonel Hobson were… Continue reading Snapshot: Condition of the 51st North Carolina on August 31, 1863
Power of Attorney for Former Members of the Railroad Guards
Cantwell’s Company, Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Guards On December 10, 1861, John L. Cantwell received a captain’s appointment from the State of North Carolina. He resigned his position as commander of the 30th North Carolina Militia and began recruiting an infantry company. The company, referred to as Catwell’s Company of Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Guards,… Continue reading Power of Attorney for Former Members of the Railroad Guards
How Tall Were the Men of the Cape Fear Region?
Height Data I recently gathered height measurements for 783 of the 1,431 soldiers who served in the 51st Regiment North Carolina Troops. The sample size is large enough to apply to the entire regiment. And since the regiment was drawn from across the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, it is probably representative of that… Continue reading How Tall Were the Men of the Cape Fear Region?
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)