12/16/2024: Added author’s notes on the third anniversary of The Honor of the State’s publication
2/7/2024: posted a letter written by Willis Holland and uploaded the original transcript of the letter
11/30/2024: added obituary for George Beasley; updated service records for George Beasley, Richard Bell, William Blue, Joseph Breece, Simeon Garner, Wiley Porter, Ichabod Quinn, and Joseph Whitfield; added two new sources to References page.
11/23/2024: uploaded seven transcripts of letters written to Governor Zebulon Vance during the war.
11/17/2024: posted a transcript of a letter from Samel Guy to Governor Vance requesting a discharge for health reasons
11/12/2024: uploaded a transcript of a letter written by Gerome FormyDuval to Governor Vance; updated service records for Coval Formyduval and the six Guy brothers: Amos, Charles, John A., Lewis, Samuel, and William
10/26/2024: added seven new sources to the References page; added hometown for Thomas F. Walters; updated service records for Ichabod Quinn, William H. Strickland, and Thomas F. Walters
10/11/2024: added post about Somerset Place, an antebellum plantation in Creswell, NC
10/5/2024: Posted a letter written by General Thomas Clingman, explaining why he thinks the South must never quit
9/25/2024: added obituary of Giles Thompson
9/14/2024: updated service records for Alexander Elliot, John James, Lemuel Sullivan, and Benjamin Whitfield
9/8/2024: uploaded documents pertaining to Company B
9/5/2024: added burial places for James Francis and William Benjamin Byrd
8/3/2024: posted a letter from William H. Grady written from Chimborazo Hospital in May 1864
7/25/2024: uploaded five letters written by William H. Grady of Company C
7/14/2024: uploaded a letter concerning the death of Lt. Alexander Elliot at Cold Harbor
7/7/2024: uploaded letter written by Cpl. James Byrd, Co. A, to his cousin in 1863
6/30/2024: added William Grady’s burial place and updated his service record; updated References
6/23/2024: posted a short, whimsical letter-to-the-editor from a Tar Heel soldier complaining about the poor quality of the clothes being issued by the State
6/12/2024: updated the obituary for Private Albert O. Smith with the full content of the newspaper column
6/2/2024: uploaded a chart showing the regiment’s officers’ monthly availability from 1862 to 1864
5/20/2024: published article about the 51st North Carolina’s officer corps
5/5/2024: discovered six more soldiers who served in the Duplin Rifles. Updated service records for William Grady, Thomas Herring, George Stanford, Andrew Sullivan, David Turner, and Jesse Williamson. Also updated records for James Taylor, John Vann and Washington Walker. Added burial place for John Vann.
4/30/2024: posted diagrams of the structure of an infantry regiment in line of battle
4/21/2024: posted photos and info about Goldsboro Bridge Battlefield
3/31/2024: published the final (hopefully) article about the confusion in the field officers ranks in early 1863.
3/24/2024: added Malcolm Wilkerson’s obituary
2/11/2014: posted an article explaining the difference between the ranks of second lieutenant and third lieutenant
2/3/2024: published letter from Clingman’s ordnance officer, Lieutenant Samuel Maurice
1/7/2024: posted transcripts of James D. Williams letters and uploaded images of the same
12/23/2023: transcript of report from General Clingman to Governor Vance about activities in Charleston
12/16/2023: final article in Dugald Hammonds story
12/10/2023: part 4 of 5 of the court-martial of Dugald Hammonds
12/3/2023: part 3 of 5 (this series has changed from 3 parts to 5 parts) of Dugald Hammonds court martial
11/28/2023: part 2 of 3 of the Dugald Hammonds saga
11/20/2023: part 1 of 3 of the tale of Dugald Hammonds, who was sentenced to death for something he said
11/13/2023: article describing the arrest of Lt. John McAllister
11/5/2023: post about an expedition to round up deserters in Robeson County and scans of reports of the expedition.
10/21/2023: Wrote article about the “rations row” in November, 1864, when the 31st North Carolina rioted because of poor rations.
10/16/2023: added transcripts of the John J. Wilson letters to the Download Library page and uploaded images of documents related to Walter R. Bell.
10/8/2023: posted summary of an inspection report from 8/31/1863.
9/30/2023: Added Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Guards muster rolls to Download Page. Completed posting materials gathered during my trip to the NC State Archives.
9/24/2023: blog post concerning a power of attorney signed by former members of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Guards. Added burial locations.
9/17/2023: second post about guarding the Wappoo Cut bridge. This time, Lt. Charles Guy gets arrested.
9/10/2023: posted story about the issues the 51st North Carolina faced while guarding the Wappoo Cut bridge in Charleston
9/3/2023: added article about Private Joel Atwood’s arrest in Charleston
8/27/2023: published height data for the Fifty-First’s soldiers.
8/20/2023: posted an article about the daily prayer required at Camp Mangum
8/13/2023: Added hometowns for Claiborne Fields and Charles Weaver; added gravesites for William Caison, Sabastion Crossland, John W. Jackson, Monk Jackson, Hector McEachern, Thomas Walters, and Franklin Yopp; updated service records for Samuel Browning, William Caison, Claiborne Fields, John Hussey, Monk Jackson, and Thomas Walters; added two new sources to References.
8/6/2023: posted the fourth and final letter from the John G. Hall collection; added four new hometowns and two new gravesites
7/30/2023: posted letter from Henry Rockwell concerning John G. Hall; added James F. Byrd’s, James F. Ennis’ and Moses B. Farmer’s hometowns
7/23/2023: posted second John G. Hall letter; updated two service records; added John Duncan to the regiment’s roster; added two new references
7/16/2023: added 1st of 4 posts containing letters written by Pvt. John G. Hall, Company G
7/9/2023: updated 35 service records.
7/2/2023: added 122 home towns, 8 burial places, 4 diseases to the glossary, and 4 new references. Added one new name (Nathan Roberts) to the service records and updated 19 other records.
6/25/2023: New article: Payton Mathis applied for a pension three times before he got one.
6/18/2023: post about the esteemed citizens of Clinton, NC trying to get their shoemaker sent back home
6/11/2023: Post about equipping the new companies
6/4/2023: Scan of a requisition for food for the regiment and a report of spoiled meat that was condemned.
5/28/2023: Posted a transcript of Private Alman Jacson’s recollections of his time with the 51st North Carolina.
5/21/2023: Scan of receipt for Enfield rifles signed by Colonel Cantwell.
5/15/2023: Posted two dispatches sent by Colonel McKethan at Charleston in July 1863.
5/7/2023: Posted the third and final part of the series about the feud between Hector McKethan and William Allen
4/29/2023: Posted Part 2 of the three-part series about the feuding between Major McKethan and Lt. Co. Allen
4/24/2023: Began a three-part series on the feud between William Alle and Hector McKethan.
4/16/2023: Post about the service of Private Lewis Smith, who enlisted, received a conditional discharge, then enlisted again.
4/9/2023: Find of the Week: photo of a petition signed by the officers of the Fifty-First, requesting Reverend Colin Shaw as the regiment’s chaplain.
4/2/2023: Posted a scanned image of Private William Adams’ pay voucher. This is the first in a series of the Find-of-the-Week articles. A new item will be posted every week while I sort through the mountain of new information I now have access to.
3/21/2023: Updated service records for William Batten, Archibald Baxley, Samuel Chinnis, John Hall, Marsden King, Samuel Stanford, David Summerlin, John Summerlin, Levi Summerlin, and Alfred Walter.
3/15/2023: Updated the Evans’ letters post and the regiment’s Chronology page.
Based on a casualty list in the Wilmington Journal of June 16, 1864, updated service records for John Brooks, Isham Cribb, James Fields, Coval FormyDuval, John Ganus, William Huggins, Delancy Jernigan, David J. Jones, James Meares, Saunders Millican, William Penny, William J. Penny, Daniel Pierce, Daniel Prince, James Shepherd, John Sibbett, and Wiley Taylor.
2/5/2023: Added post summarizing information contained in the Anchram and Elizabeth Evans letters. Updated service records for Anchram, Jacob and John Evans. Click HERE to read the post.
1/5/2023: published article containing summaries of letters written by Private John J. Wilson, Company B. Click HERE to read the post.
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