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 Carolina.
James Sinclair was a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister residing in Robeson County. Soon after the war started, he was appointed chaplain of the 5th North Carolina. He distinguished himself during the Battle of First Manassas and was later elected colonel of the 35th North Carolina. The Thirty-Fifth performed poorly during the Union attack on New Bern. Sinclair was accused of poor leadership, and a board of inquiry was convened to investigate the regiment’s failure during the Yankee assault. Although Sinclair was found innocent of any wrongdoing, the incident tarnished his reputation. He failed to win reelection as colonel of the Thirty-Fifth when it reorganized in April 1862. Sinclair returned to his home in Lumberton.
In September 1862, Colonel Cantwell and the 51st Regiment moved to Kinston. The regiment was assigned picket duty in the area between Kinston and New Bern, guarding against Yankee incursions. Then on October 19, Cantwell unexpectedly resigned for “Circumstances of an imperative & personal character, requiring my personal attention….” Cantwell immediately returned to his home in Wilmington, not waiting for his resignation to be accepted.
A week after Cantwell left, James Sinclair wrote a private letter to Governor Vance. [A full transcript of the letter is HERE.] In his letter, Sinclair informed the governor that “a friend” told him the reason for Cantwell’s sudden resignation. Cantwell “for five consecutive days was unfit for duty by reason of drunkenness and that of the most beastly character.” Fearing court martial and dismissal from the service, Cantwell resigned. Reverend Sinclair went on to state that the second-in-command (William Allen) was unfit for command due to “excessive indulgence in ardent spirits” and lack of military experience. Sinclair dismissed the major simply as “a young man of the name of McKethan, a son of the carriage maker at Fayetteville of that name.” Sinclair finished his letter with a plea to be appointed to the colonelcy of the 51st North Carolina. Vance ignored the request.
Lieutenant Colonel William Allen assumed command of the Fifty-First. But before he could be promoted to colonel, he was brought up on charges for being extremely intoxicated in camp, verbally abusing Major McKethan, and challenging the major to a duel. Allen resigned in January 1863 to avoid a court martial. McKethan was promoted to colonel a few months later.
James Sinclair never received another command. After the war, he became a notorious “scalawag,” serving as a Republican representative for Robeson County.
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