Q: My ancestor received a commission as a Second Lieutenant, but he is listed as a Third Lieutenant on muster rolls. Why? A North Carolina infantry company was led by four commissioned officers: a captain and three lieutenants. Among the lieutenants were a first lieutenant, a second lieutenant, and a third lieutenant (also referred to… Continue reading The Difference Between 2nd and 3rd Lieutenants
Tag: Scanned Confederate Documents
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
Guarding the Wappoo: Lt. Guy Gets Arrested
After the inspection incident at the New Bridge over Wappoo Cut (described in my previous post), General Clingman sent his Adjutant General to find out what was really going on with the guard detail at the bridge. On April 19, 1863, a week after the first inspection, Major T. Brown Venable sent a report to… Continue reading Guarding the Wappoo: Lt. Guy Gets Arrested
“Lend Them Brave Hearts in the Day of Battle”
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”
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…
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
Colonel Cantwell’s Requisition for Rifles
When the 51st North Carolina organized on April 30, 1862, the regiment was almost fully equipped. Training camps had been established the previous year, and the army had adequate supplies of food. The volunteer companies comprising the regiment brought enough clothing with them to make do until the soldiers were issued uniforms. The most critical… Continue reading Colonel Cantwell’s Requisition for Rifles
Colonel McKethan’s Dispatches from Charleston, July 1863
On July 10, 1863, Union troops seized the southern tip of Morris Island. The island was crucial to the defense of Charleston Harbor. General Beauregard, commanding the port city’s defenses, made a frantic call for reinforcements. Clingman’s Brigade was ordered to proceed to Charleston immediately. The 51st North Carolina was the first of Clingman’s regiments… Continue reading Colonel McKethan’s Dispatches from Charleston, July 1863
Chaos in Command, Part 3: The New Field Officers
In an earlier post, “Feuding in the Officers’ Ranks,” I described the squabbling among the Fifty-First’s officers that left the regiment with only one field officer for almost four months. In this three-part series I add further details gleaned from documents contained in the NARA compiled service records of some of the officers involved during… Continue reading Chaos in Command, Part 3: The New Field Officers