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…

Private William Brewer: Killed Twice but Survived the War

After major engagements, North Carolina Regiments submitted casualty lists to their hometown newspapers. Private William Brewer’s name appeared twice in casualty lists, once as killed and again as mortally wounded. Despite being killed twice, Brewer maaged to survive the war. William Brewer enlisted as a private in Company F, 51st Regiment NC Troops on March… Continue reading Private William Brewer: Killed Twice but Survived the War

Mary Eliza Mincey, the Fifty-First Regiment’s Last Widow

Private George Mincey enlisted in Company F, 51st Regiment NCT on March 10, 1862. He only served with the regiment for three months before he was discharged for an unspecified reason. In June 1893, George married his second wife, Mary Eliza Floyd, at Galivants Ferry, SC. “Liza” was only 24 when she married the 53-year-old… Continue reading Mary Eliza Mincey, the Fifty-First Regiment’s Last Widow

What Happened to Samson Hawley?

Sergeant Samson Hawley, Company K, didn’t return from the war. Comrades told his wife, Winiford, that Samson was killed near Malvern Hill (Cold Harbor). In 1885, the North Carolina legislature passed a new law granting widows of Civil War veterans a pension. Winiford applied for her pension right away, but the State put her application… Continue reading What Happened to Samson Hawley?