Blood and War at My Doorstep

By Brenda Chambers McKean

"Between these pages the reader will learn that North Carolina citizens did not idly stand
by as their soldiers marched off to war. The women worked themselves into “patriotic
exhaustion” through Aid Societies. Civilians with different means of support from the
lower class to the plantation mistress wrote the governor complaining of hoarding,
speculation, the tithe, bushwhackers, unionism, conscription, and exemptions.
Never before had so many died due to guerilla warfare. Unknown before starving
women with weapons stormed the merchant or warehouses in search for food. Others
turned to smuggling, spying, or nature’s oldest profession.
Information from period newspapers, as well as mostly unpublished letters, tell their stories."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456894726

Brenda Chambers McKean

Brenda Chambers McKean has been an independent researcher and collector of ante-bellum and Civil War history for twenty-five years. This book is a compilation of ten years work. Ms. McKean is a retired nurse anesthetist, a graduate of Duke University. Presently she lives in Timberlake, North Carolina with her grandson.

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Copyright © 2011 by Brenda Chambers McKean.

ISBN:          Ebook                                      978-1-4568-9472-6

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Front Cover photo by L.A. Jackson

Back Cover photo by Ann Kalata

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my late parents—

Faye Reynolds Chambers and Burl A. Chambers of Tennessee.

They would have been proud.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One Fanatics And Fire-Eaters

Chapter Two Making Flags

Chapter Three Benevolent Scavengers And Patriotic Exhaustion

Chapter Four Gearing Up… Yankees, Look Out, We Are Coming!

Chapter Five Fleeing And Federal Occupation Down East Massa Runs One Way And Dey De Other.

Chapter Six Roll Of Honor

Chapter Seven Nurses, Female Soldiers, Spies, Smugglers, And Soiled Doves

Chapter Eight Taxes, Impressments, Inflation, Shortages, And Poverty

Chapter Nine Speculation, Extortion, And Riots Sir Hear The Crys Of The Pore I Beg You…

Chapter Ten Conscripts, Substitutes, Exemptions, Deserters

Chapter Eleven Questionable Allegiance, Unionists, And Inner Strife

Appendix

Endnotes

List Of Abbreviations

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Author’s Biography

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Lipe Contract

2. The 37th Regimental flag

3. North Carolina contract made flag

4. Frozen Charlotte in wax thimble used to raise money for troops at a bazaar

5. Caldwell County Ladies’ Gunboat Fund

6. Concert for the benefit of the soldiers

7. Gus Rich advertisement

8. The Dismal Swamp

9. Rebel Gunpowder poem

10. Holt’s Cotton Mill, Alamance

11. Fries Woolen Mill, Salem

12. Pettigrew Hospital, Raleigh

13. Pottery hospital cup used at Pettigrew Hospital

14. State Saltworks at Morehead

15. POW letter

16. Salisbury Prison

17. North Carolina one dollar note

18. John Bull’s neutrality stance

19. Wilmington Daily Journal train schedule

20. General Burnside’s Proclamation

21.4 students at Wesleyan College

22. Negro life on the Trent River

23. Freed Negroes coming into our lines

24. Freemen as Union scouts

25. Sister M.M. Joseph in Beaufort

26. Northern teachers in occupied New Bern

27. The enemy stealing fence rails

28. Aunt Abby, Angel of the Battlefield

29. Miss Mary Ann Buie, Soldiers’ Friend

30. Hospital scene

31. Preparing packets for smuggling

32. Emeline Pigott, Confederate spy

33. Miss Pigott’s buggy

34. Jail in New Bern where Pigott was held

35. North Carolina Confederate cipher code

36. Private Bill Thompson, female soldier

37. Tax-In-Kind receipt

39. Wooden shoes worn during the Confederacy

40. Making homespun cloth

41. Tillinghast advertisement used as a stationery

42. Painting of slave wearing collard leaves for headache

43. Governor Zebulon Baird Vance

44. Mrs. Staton’s ledger of purchases

45. I’m Not Sick exemption

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank all my friends and family who encouraged me to write this book and who stood by me through the end. Accolades go to my two sons, Bernie and Ryan McKean, who helped with computer glitches. Special thanks go to friends and acquaintances who loaned the use of letters, pictures, and material in alphabetical order: P. Ailliot of the CWRT France; George C. Allen; Joel Bailey; Byrd S. Barnes; Carol Banz; Byron Beale; Jennifer Bower Bean; Doris Beck; Tom Belton; Merlin Berry; Glenda Biggerstaff; Greg Biggs; Betsie Bloomer; Jennifer B. Bower; Robert Brewer, Jr.; Myrtle Bridges; Bill Briedenstine; Scott Buie; E.M. Bullard; Judy Bunch; Virginia O. Busby; Victoria Bynum; Susan Carpenter-Smith; Nadean Carter; Kent Cash, Allen Cochran; Bob Cooke; Ron A. Cook; Robert N. Cook, Jr.; Peter Cooper; Joel Craig; Tony Crumbley; Patti Daniels; Robert Doares; Ernie Dollar; Judge Robert Eades; Peter and Karen Edwards; Jean Eno, Greg Field; Lila Ford; Jennifer Fore; Jack Fisherman; Freeman sisters and brother; Franklin Fussell; Julie H. Ganis; Lynn Gantz; Julie Garrison; Randall Garrison; Jodie Gee; Jason Goodnite; Betty Green; Tim Griggs; Ned Gulley; Belinda S. Guerette; Mary Hadley; Rachael Hake; Frances Hanes; Mary Rinck Harbinson; Edward Harding; Michael Hardy; Bill Harris, Elizabeth Harris; Derrick Hartshorn; Dr. Hubert B. Haywood, Jr.; Charles L. Heath; Louise Heun; Scott Holmes; Michael Honey; Gary Hunt; Don and Sue Humphrey; John Humphrey; Greg and Linda Humphries; Earl Ijames; Mary C and Gertrude Jenkins; Sherri Jester; Stacy Jones; Ann Kalata; John L. Kimbrough; Sally Koestler; Denna Larson; Rebecca G. Lasley; Tommy F. Lee; Martha Marble; Betty Marsicek; Greg Mast; Kent McCoury; David McGee; John B. McGowan; Louise McKlveen; John McManus; Virginia Mescher; Sandi Miles; Scott Mingus; Bob Maffitt; Betty Monteith; Claude Moore; Kate Moore; Faye Moran; Dr. Charles Muse; Jane Nardy; Jean Newell; Brenda Normandin; Dan O’Connell; Josephine Osborne; the Page Family of Morrisville; Roy Parker; Barbara Parsons; Guy Potts; Guy Rabb; Clayta Richards; Dave Robinson; Barbara Breece Roesch; Aimee Russell; Stephen Schaufter; Patricia Schiro; Barbara Schmidt; Thomas Schroeder; Russell Scott; Lamont Sible, Jr.; Charles Silver; Elizabeth H. Smith; Tommy Smith; Skip Smith; Walt Smith; Professor Charles T. Smith; Amy Snyder; Emma Sommnerville; Jeff Stepp; Jim Taylor; Jerome Tew; Bernhard Thuersam; Brock Townsend; Clem Trotter; Scott Troutman; Jan Tyler; Ron Vinson; TC Wagstaff; Mary Warshaw; Charles J. Whisnant; Shirlet Whisnant; Dr. Mary Wilson; Thad Wiseman; Jennifer Wisener; Windflash.com; Pam Wood; Richard B. Wood; Kenneth Wooster; Kent Wrench; Maury York; the Tar Heel Civilians; the 26th NCT Re-activated along with the Soldiers’ Benevolent Society; and three anonymous donors of material.

Without the help of the Person County Library, I would have floundered. Interlibrary loan was a God-send. Thanks also to the staff at UNC, Wilson Library; Duke University Manuscripts Department; the North Carolina Department of Archives and History; UNC Wilmington; the Joyner Library at East Carolina University; UNCA, Special Collections; Friends Historical Collections at Guilford College; Appalachian State University; Salem University; Historic Jamestown Society; N.C. State Library; Camp Chase Gazette Magazine; Virginia Military Institute Archives; Western Carolina University—Hunter Library; Wake Forest University; East Tennessee State University; The University of Georgia; The Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville; Museum of the Albemarle; Bentonville State Historic Site; the Bennett Place State Historic Site and the Averasboro Battleground Commission; Carteret County Historical Society; Lower Cape Fear Historical Society; Molly Averitt at St. Mary’s School, North and South Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy; and local libraries throughout the state.

INTRODUCTION

Delving into North Carolina’s history on women during the War of Northern Aggression, I noticed that something was missing—the story of the civilians left at home during the conflict. Very little information has been published on this topic. Wanting to alleviate the matter, a trip to the state archives turned up nothing on organizations such as the Soldiers’ Relief Society or Ladies’ Aid Society. Instead, the files contained information on organizations postwar. One can get a glimpse of these women from books by Mary Elizabeth Massey, Kathleen Smith, or Drew F. Smith.

The book North Carolina Women of the Confederacy, published in 1929 by Lucy Anderson, left me thirsting for more. The small book of one-hundred-plus pages was not documented. I wanted dates, places, and details. I thought it was time to correct the situation; however, there is so much information available now that it would take me two lifetimes to record everything I thought was necessary. This book tells only a part.

At first, I was only going to write about North Carolina Confederate women; but in doing the research, I found that I could not leave out other women (and men) regardless of their allegiance. I tried to stay away from pure military matters since so much has been written about it, but the constant involvement with the military and militia was intertwined with the civilians. Interaction with the local forces led me to include their stories. I tried to avoid politics, but again, those instances popped up.

There is a chapter on slaves and free blacks. These unfortunate people were involved in many different ways with the war, and I found out that some Negroes did not have it as bad as modern scholars would have us to believe. The twenty-first-century populace does not understand the bond between those blacks and whites. Those who were treated well give positive memories. Those abused tell horrendous stories. Both sides need to be recorded.

Patriotic times spawn music and poetry. I have included a few written by North Carolina civilians.

Whenever possible, I used the person’s name and location for genealogical purposes. Communities and individuals donated articles for the war effort. Newspaper editors printed the names and articles of these women in their papers. This was entirely new for the Victorian times. In the past, the only time a lady’s name appeared in the newspaper was to announce her engagement, wedding, or death. In wartimes, the name was printed along with the article the person donated to encourage other women to see what their peers had done so as to foster patriotic fever; however, this was not the only reason. These newspapers have helped the genealogists tracing the female line.

This book is not solely on Southern people. When Northern people of both sexes interacted with North Carolinians and it was a good story, I included it. I could not leave out information left by Northern soldiers as they controlled the eastern part of the state. When Yankee troops entered the mountains from Tennessee, another chapter was written on their forays, skirmishes, and involvement with the civilians.

The names of towns in North Carolina are used without the comma, then NC. All towns from out of state are marked as such. Assume the name of the town to be in North Carolina if there is no state following it. The town of Washington in this book is the one from North Carolina. Washington DC is entered as Washington City, the way it was during the wartimes.

The English language utilized throughout this period was a tad different than what we use today. For instance, the cars refer to railroad cars; go flying or flying around refer to someone dating or sparking. Skedaddled means to run away. Shirker is a soldier who tries to get out of duty for different reasons—such as the one who would insist on staying in the hospital long past his time. Defense was spelled defence at times in both newspapers and letters. Some words used then are not recognized on the computer. Many letters used the ampersand either by itself or with the small letter c next to it as in &c instead of etc.

Politically correct phrases will not be used in this book. Those names didn’t exist in the nineteenth century and would look out of place in this text. The N-word is used in its context. Personally, I would never use the word and don’t condone it; but in historical writings, it was commonly used and was not necessarily condescending.

North Carolinians would spell cities differently such as New Bern, Newbern, New Berne, Goldsborough, Goldsboro, Tarborough, Tarboro, etc. At other times, the writer would spell a person’s name differently in the same letter. The use of capital letters and punctuation was misused quite frequently. Victorian newspapers printed too many words and commas, and they misused capital letters. In the poorly educated writers, sentences ran together without using a period or comma, making the letters hard to read. Most of the common folk spelled phonetically which was hard to decipher. Letters in this book are kept as pure as possible unless they cannot be read easily. For those most difficult, I have rewritten it to better understand, and it will be indicated when this happens. Minimum change was desired. I did add some words in brackets for clarity when I thought the writer left it out.

Federal officers will be identified by preceding their name with Federal or Union except for General Grant, General Burnside, and General Sherman. All Confederate officers are assumed to be such by the simple way of saying Col., Gen. Lee, Major, etc. To make it easier for research, an appendix and index are used to list names of women, free blacks, and others for genealogical purposes.

Famous women such as Rose Greenhow, Mrs. Mary Custis Lee, Mrs. Anna Jackson, Varina Davis, Belle Boyd, and Harriet Jacobs will not be discussed in length because so much has been written about them even though they have a North Carolina connection. Several Northern women are mentioned because of their interaction with the locals.

I want to bring the war to your door, the way the civilians had to deal with it, in their own words; hence, you will read again and again about people’s homes being burned, crops and livestock destroyed, murders, revenge killings, homes used as hospitals, devastation, etc. I was surprised to learn of so many murders. It took away the romantic, flowery legend of the war. The beginning of the war was the romantic part with flags given to young officers, speeches, farewells, and promises made to defend to the last the fair maidens and mothers at home. After a year had gone by, reality set in caused by shortages due to the blockade. Young men were dying of disease and injuries. Military news and death notices appeared daily in the newspapers while civilians sat in the taverns, reading aloud. Poorer women gathered at the post office, awaiting the posting of the latest announcements to see if their loved one was alive or dead. Tears flowed in rivulets. Slaves in town on errands took the formidable news back to the plantations. As the war progressed, the tone of letters to the soldiers changed. No longer were they full of enthusiasm for the cause, but instead, the letters contained doubt as to whether the state should not talk about peace instead. Governor Vance insisted that the state furnish accoutrements and foodstuffs to its troops, putting a heavy burden on the women to fill in the gaps left by state contractors. However, not all people felt this way. There were many who never doubted for one minute that the South would fall. I am in no way belittling the sacrifice of the North Carolina civilians in this great tragedy.

I found many heroes, and I found some despicable scalawags. Too many people died unnecessarily in this war; that’s why their story should be told.

I apologize to the readers whose ancestors are not mentioned. There just wasn’t enough time to include everybody. I apologize to the readers whose ancestors may have been shady characters. Such is history. I apologize to the readers for insisting upon naming people, places, and dates. That was important to me because the war covered four years, and each one was different.

This book will be the most comprehensive work on North Carolina women to date. Please read both volumes for the complete research. I would also like to encourage the readers to help with the preservation of historic sites and to record the history of their families for future generations.

It aught never to be that the past is the parent of the present.

—John C. Calhoun, 1848

CHAPTER ONE

Fanatics and Fire-eaters

The war is on everyone’s lips.

North Carolinians were divided in sentiment over whether to secede or stay in the old Union. W. W. Holden, editor of the Raleigh Standard, said to watch and wait after Abraham Lincoln won the election. [1] Reaction of the Northern people to John Brown’s raid led to a renewal of patriotism in the South. Several counties had formed militia units before the South seceded. [2] As early as July 1860, a meeting held in Goldsboro to petition the legislature to organize the militia came about after hearing rumors of South Carolina’s impending secession. Goldsboro, a railroad hub, was the layover place for members of the Charleston Secession Convention that summer of 1860.

Writing about the assembly later, Council Wooten wrote that a lawyer from Wayne County, Mr. E. A. Thompson, uttered one remark that I will never forget. In speaking of the election of Lincoln, he said it would be a disgrace for the South to submit to him. He declared, I am no fire-eater but I can swallow hot coals of fire as palatable as I can disgrace… [3]

Throughout the state, people voiced different feelings. Caroline Eliza Clitherall penned in her diary on November 6, 1860: The Presidential Election, in favor of Lincoln, has created great excitement… has not Our heavenly Father told us to call upon him that our faith may not fail us. [4] A man from Rockingham County was quoted as saying, If Lincoln is elected, I do not consider that my property is worth one cent. [5]

Dr. John Bellamy at his own expense purchased all the tar barrels procurable in Wilmington… and headed a great torchlight procession celebrating the event of South Carolina’s secession that December 1860. [6] Older citizens in Wilmington appeared devoted to the Union. The city was divided until Mr. George Davis returned from the failed peace conference in Washington City and spoke to the congregation at Thalian Hall. He said the news brought profound silence. [7] Before the formal secession, citizens thought that the Northern fanatics living in the state might attempt to reenforce the forts along the coast. A committee of safety quickly formed to call for volunteers to enlist for service. John Hedrick was elected leader, and this was the group of men that overtook Fort Caswell and Fort Johnson at the mouth of the Cape Fear River on January 10. [8] The Richmond Daily Dispatch reported that the Secession flag, with fifteen stars, was raised here [Wilmington] today by a large and enthusiastic gathering of people. A second meeting was held tonight at the theatre, which was densely crowded. The secession feeling is increasing daily. [9] A similar militia group developed near Morehead City to take Fort Macon. In writing his memories, James Sprunt recalled:

Men too old for service in the field formed a cavalry company… for home defense, and one company of quite elderly gentlemen was known as the Horse-and-Buggy Company and though they did not drill, they held themselves in readiness… . These men did assist in the equipment of companies sent to the field, and many of them aided and supported, during the whole of the war, families of men in the service. [10]

Persons with Union flavors in Rutherford and Polk counties held meetings after Christmas and said, It would be unwise and suicidal to the best interests of North Carolina to secede from the Union for any cause now existing. At least six highland counties in December and January met to denounce their neighbors who were in favor of secession. [11] John W. Stockard recalled that Judge Thomas Ruffin, at a barbeque on the plantation, held up his white handkerchief and told those assembled there that his handkerchief could hold all the blood that is to be spilled in this War as an inducement to volunteer. Stockard, along with other young men, immediately signed up to fight. The Stockard family did not own slaves. Stockard’s kin said he was making a mistake. [12]

One woman said she intended to leave the state if North Carolina seceded, but she later relented. We have some fears that this Union will be dissolved. South Carolina has seceded, the states are making every preparation for War [.] Next Friday is the day set aside for prayer and fasting by President Buchanan, that God would save us from Civil War and blood guiltiness, said Mary Bethall, mother of several sons of military age, who was in agony about future events. [13]

In Halifax County at Looking Glass Plantation, Catherine Edmondston started a diary, writing on January 9 about their trip to Charleston. She and her husband, Patrick, had witnessed the shelling of Fort Moultrie by a Federal steamer. She called it the Star of the West sent to reenforce U.S. Major Robert Anderson at Fort Sumter. Catherine, a vehement secessionist, said that President James Buchanan had lied about reenforcing the fort. Mrs. Edmondston and her family were at opposite ends concerning secession as were other North Carolinians. Her sister Fanny and her mother were against it. Fanny replied, This glorious Union, broken up for the sake of a few negroes! Rather let them go than destroy the Union. This is to me treason against liberty.

Catherine answered, In the first place, it is not a few negroes. It is the country, for I should like to know who could live here were they freed? A few days later, she would write, It gets almost painful to go to Father’s we differ so widely. Mother and Susan [another sister] do go on so about the ‘flag’ [U.S.]. Her father was upset with the South Carolinians for seceding. Susan would not relent until late May when she came around and asked her sister if she could help them sew uniforms. [14]

Sallie Lenoir, after hearing of Lincoln’s election, stated, I dread the dark future. If the South would only keep cool and try him first I think we need not fear much but I cannot hope that.

Thomas I. Lenoir, her brother-in-law, from Haywood County said, This aggressive policy of the Black Republicans will sometime, if they do not now, drive us from a Union once so dear but now so little respected. [15]

One North Carolinian who had grown tired of all the secession talk quipped, "For God’s sake! Let South Carolina nullify, revolute, secede, and be damned!" [16] The editor of the Raleigh Register gave his opinion:

If we do not prevent the Yankees from getting possession of our country, our church edifices, will be of little use to us, as their pulpits will be occupied by puritanical, crop-eared Yankee Abolition parsons, who will teach blasphemy through their noses and compel us to pay for it. [17]

A judge from Martin County felt strong emotions:

How any Southerner, not deprived of his manhood, and spirit of freedom, can be willing to submit to the insolent foe who demands our subjugation at his feet, with his heel in our faces, the confiscation of all our property, with the ignominious and debased condition of becoming the slaves of slaves—is to me distressingly painful and amazing! [18]

Jonathan Worth, a former Quaker, said, The voice of reason is silenced. Furious passion and thirst for blood consume the air. Nobody is allowed to retain or assert his reason. [19] Some had given up trying to convert their neighbors.

Goldsboro’s militia petitioned town officials for money to gather equipment during the beginning of January 1861. The state had sent them rifles without ammunition. Volunteers stepped forward and began training. In April, farmers and citizens crowded the telegraph office, spilling out into the streets, waiting for news about the firing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Since New Bern had no telegraph, people there chartered a train to Goldsboro to seek this information. [20]

Diarist Elizabeth Wiggins from Halifax County wrote on January 15, 1861: What will become of our poor distracted country? [21] She had every reason to be concerned. Before the war was over, Elizabeth would have seven sons to join in the fray. Two were killed. The youngest son, Eugene, ran away from his boarding school and joined the army at fourteen. He was reported to be a wounded veteran at age fifteen.

North Carolina sent five delegates to the Washington Peace Conference in February 1861. Edmondston commented that she would not have such a Peace as they are negotiating, rather patching up. [22] At Montgomery, Alabama, representatives met on February 4 to set up rules for a new government of the Confederate States. In Washington City, those Southern men holding offices in Congress or the military had a decision to make—whether to choose the North or the South filled them with anxiety as never before. Many sought their homelands. Asa Biggs from Martin County chose to go home:

Williamston, N. C., April 23 1861.

To Abraham Lincoln,

President of the United States.

Sir:—I hereby resign my office of District Judge of the United States for the District of North Carolina, being unwilling longer to hold a commission in a Government which has degenerated into a military despotism. I subscribe myself yet a friend of constitutional liberty.

Asa Biggs [23]

Emotions intermingled with vexation and jubilation. While some thought it to be an air of uncertainty, young men saw it with a sense of excitement. The residents of Bertie County sought a wait and see attitude before the state decided to hold a convention for secession; others had a depressing attitude of impending doom from the start. Of those who kept diaries, girls stated that they would have a normal life no longer. [24] Sallie Person shared her thoughts with a friend:

Some predict civil war is inevitable while others say there will be a peaceful cession of the Southern States from the Union. At all events there is bound to be some step taken & let come what [,] well sooner the better. Such a state of affairs should not exist. [25]

Rumors from the North told of President Lincoln’s move to garrison Federal troops at the forts along the coast. Previously mentioned, the local militia, who captured the forts along the beach, was ordered by Governor John Ellis to return the garrisons back to the United States. He felt the impetuous men had jumped the gun. North Carolinians had not yet decided to hold a convention for secession. [26] Lincoln believed—that a majority of the citizens in each Southern state except South Carolina were still loyal to the Union… He thought they would assist his troops to squash the rebellion. [27] This was why he wrote to each Southern state asking for seventy-five thousand troops to put down the rebellious South Carolinians.

Men who had been pro-Union until Lincoln’s call then turned secessionists. President Lincoln’s letters to the states calling for troops actually unified the Southern people. Taking up her pen, Catherine Edmondston wrote, Never was known such excitement as was caused by Mr. Lincoln’s proclamation. The whole South flew to arms! [28] Immediately, Southern states began to leave the Union. Civilians in the Piedmont expressed their views too:

Whereas, we, the people of the counties of Wayne and Duplin, have seen a proclamation from the black republican president, Abraham Lincoln, calling for seventy-five thousand men… for the purpose of subjugating our Southern brethren of the Confederate States, who are asking nothing but for their rights to be respected and their institutions let alone, the interest of North Carolina being identified with the said Confederate States, we… deem it highly necessary to express our views to the world, irrespective of former party ties; therefore

Resolved, That the example of our patriotic forefathers is too plainly set before us to be unmindful of our duty. We know the cause of the Confederate States to be the supreme interest of North Carolina; therefore, we pledge our fortunes, our lives, and our most scared honors in the maintenance of the said cause.

Resolved, That, for the aid and furtherance of said cause and the defense of our homes and our rights, we will form a military company for the purpose of drilling that we may be the better prepared to defend our homes and our country.

Resolved, That we call upon all good citizens to sustain us and give us their aid for the support of our company.

Resolved, That the manly and patriotic courage of His Excellency, John W. Ellis, in ordering our forts taken and held by troops of this State, and his independent denial of troops to Abe Lincoln to sustain him in his diabolical policy, meets the entire approbation of this company and this community. [29]

In Bladen County, Elizabeth Robeson inscribed in her diary on March 1:

How the fate of the nation may be determined is for wise men to say, but we should put our trust in Him… . We should invoke his blessing on us as a nation to avert the impending calamity and not put our trust in a set of feeble men. [30]

She was the sixty-three-year-old widow of Samuel Robeson and had nine children, all of whom died while very young, except for four sons. Two of her sons served in the Confederate Army. R. H. Wills of Plymouth, in a letter to his father on March 1, replied, I understand that some (or at least one) of the Union men are now secessionists. I listened to a secession argument this morning. Writing his brother on April 18, he said his feelings for the Union are poor indeed. [31] A resident near Asheville sent a letter to the editor of a newspaper with his comments concerning secession:

As far as we know the sentiment of the people of this section… are in favor of a perpetual non-intercourse with the North. If they had their choice they would never again buy a dollar’s worth of goods in any Northern state… . If this be so, and it is, is not the Union already virtually dissolved? Why continue it any longer, if we can only remain in it with arms in our hands. [32]

The scholar Boykin confirmed that as the Civil War approached, four distinct groups were perceptible in North Carolina. To the extreme right and the extreme left were the ardent pro-slavery, pro-southern, and pro-secessionist faction, and the ardent pro-Unionist. In the center was the more moderate pro-slavery and pro-southern faction, which loved North Carolina and the South but which was nonetheless anti-secessionist. The fourth was formed of neutrals. [33] In Buncombe County, secessionist David Coleman wound up almost tarred and feathered for his views when he went into Madison County to see who held his beliefs. [34]

North Carolina began preparing for war while citizens were arguing for or against secession. Simultaneous meetings were held throughout different sections of the state and counties both for and against a convention to leave the Union. When the votes were counted that February 28, the majority had voted not to secede. Failure of the peace conference to Washington City and the election of Lincoln as president caused some folks to change their mind in favor of separating. [35] President Lincoln’s blockade of Virginia’s and North Carolina’s ports at the end of April persuaded the borderline voters. The second vote passed, and the state seceded on May 20, 1861.

With brave hearts they bade us good-bye,

With never a quiver of the love-filled eye,

To hastily seek sweet privacy and cry

The tears their heroes must not descry. [36]

Elizabeth Wiggins wrote:

I heard this evening that Fort Sumter had been taken, God be merciful to erring humanity. What trials there is in for hearts at home God only knows. God have mercy on erring creatures. This breaking up of families is so trying… with little hope we shall never see each others faces in the flesh again.

In early April, her sons left for military duty. On April 26, she said, I am called upon to part with Alfred [only son left at home] this morning, not knowing if we shall ever meet again. Seven would serve before war’s end.

The same day, Elizabeth Robeson said, The whole topic of conversation was about the distressing state of the country. I am heart sick. I know not what to do.

R. N. Lenoir recorded in a letter on April 12 to his Aunt Sade, "I have hoped and believed that we would be allowed to depart in peace from the old Union, but so many are desponding [sic] and the news every day seems to be against peace…" [37]

In another part of the state, Sallie Person echoed, What a dreadful time it is to think that the people of the United States is about to be in war with each other. It will be brother against brother. [38]

One unhappy person, Mr. William L. Robinson of Taylors Bridge, sent his resignation to the governor with these words:

I hereby resign my office as one of the JUSTICES of Peace for Sampson County. As for my reason’s for doing, JUSTICE is hard to obtain & PEACE seems to have fled the land. [39]

On April 15, Governor John Ellis wired Captain Craton to take possession of Fort Macon and Fort Caswell since the war had started, but North Carolina had not yet seceded. About this time, a famous correspondent with the London Times was passing through Goldsboro. William Howard Russell jotted down what he saw:

. . . the wave of Secession tide struck us in full career. The station, the hotels, the streets through which the rail ran was filled with an excited mob, all carrying arms, with signs here and there of a desire to get up some kind of uniform—flushed faces, wild eyes, screaming mouths, hurrahing for Jeff Davis and the Southern Confederacy, so that the yells overpowered the discordant bands which were busy with "Dixie Land." Here was true revolutionary furor in full sway. The men hectored, swore, cheered, and slapped each other on the backs; the women in their best, waved handkerchiefs and flung down garlands from windows. All was noise, dust, and patriotism. [40]

One student at the Goldsboro Female College, Mary Hinton Carraway, inscribed in her diary the importance of April 13: The ball is opened. War has commenced… . Oh the horror of civil war. The gentlemen of Goldsboro are collecting funds to provision Fort Macon ere they take possession… Four thousand dollars was quickly raised. Two days later, she would pen:

. . . father came in… and offered to take me to Goldsboro to see the military off for Beaufort. We arrived there about two… the volunteers left amid the cheering of the crowd… the waving of handkerchiefs and good wishes of the Ladies. One Anderson Deans came near being hanged for some treasonable remark concerning Jeff Davis but owing to Mrs. Richard Washington his life was saved. Everything in the greatest excitement…

Ms. Carraway said that her cousin Martha Best told her that the speeches were made, that bells tolled, and that Lincoln was hung in effigy. Her cousin also related that the unionists were turning into secessionists, and the ladies were meeting to sew mattresses while the young women at the college had started a silk flag. [41]

The Carolina Watchman, a Salisbury newspaper, printed on April 23, 1861:

. . . how emotionally wrenching women would find the experience ahead of them but it laid out a theme that would be echoed throughout the mountains in the months to come.

The millions of weeping mothers, wives, and sisters, and the millions of prayers going up from hearts burdened with grief, will not restrain the voluntary human offerings which are to be made in defense of our rights and honors, but rather increase them, and nerve them for conflict.

Mary Ann Hill sent this letter to her son, Joshua:

It gives me comfort this far to see that you have acted like an honourable gentleman for your Country, are even willing to die in defense of it. But Oh! How near and dear are you to my weeping heart. I will try to keep my eyes dry long enough to write… [42]

In the piedmont, women like Mrs. Frances Timberlake must have been looking to the future when she decided to write the governor:

I seat myself to drop you a few lines to beg you to let Francis B. Timberlake off [.] I am a widow and living in a house buy my self and you will do me a great favor if you will let him off [.] I beg you with all the Semethy [sympathy] that is in my Power [.] I wosh to do right if I knew how [.] I hope that you will have compassion on me [.] I am gitting old and I have bin left a widow and have rase my children and have see a great trouble [.] I hope dear Sir that you will have compassion on me and let him off [.] Please direct your letter to Roxboro[1] [43]

Elizabeth Flowers of Fayetteville mailed this letter to Governor Ellis in June:

. . . my husband enlisted and forced a son of mine that is only fifteen years… . This boy has been delicate in health and is now verry weak, he is hardly able to shoulder a muskit, I am doubtful of his being able to stand the fatigue… I am a poor woman… low in health myself, I wish… to beg you… to discharge my little Son James Everit Flowers… . Sir if you was to see him I think you would discharge him. Your unknown friend.[2] [44]

In April of 1861, the adjutant general called for thirty thousand volunteers by order of Governor Ellis. The General Assembly passed the resolution. North Carolina had not yet seceded at this point. After Governor Ellis received the letter from Lincoln requesting North Carolina to send troops, those without any doubt of loyalty chose the Confederacy while those who were reluctant changed their minds, going with the secessionists. The governor wrote Lincoln the now famous lines, You can get no troops from North Carolina. [45] He then sent word to the militia to retake Fort Caswell, Fort Johnson, Fort Macon, the Arsenal in Fayetteville, and the Charlotte Mint. In addition, he had the lens removed from the lighthouses. Numerous folks attributed Lincoln’s act as drawing the state together. Abe’s proclamation in a twinkle, Stirred up the blood of Rip Van Winkle posted the newspaper. [46]

Before secession, Rocky Mount citizens raised a large lone star flag while fifteen cannons fired. [47] The county of Rockingham voted to support families of soldiers and gave twenty-five thousand dollars to outfit the volunteers. [48] The Weekly State Journal reported that the flag of the Confederacy was run up on the state capitol. [49] A small contingent of Union men planned to raise the U. S. flag at the old Alamance Regulator Battleground. Letters were sent to certain individuals to ask them to attend. [50]

Patriotic individuals were sporting secession badges on their lapels or their bonnets. Described as folded blue ribbons, some badges were red, white, and blue ribbons. Others wore a flower posy called a Southern badge, which consisted of a cluster of hyacinths and arborvitae tied with red/white/blue ribbons. [51] Other men preferred a rosette of pinecones. Both men and women wore the blue cockades during secession in Rockingham County. [52] Schoolgirls at the Wesleyan Female College placed small paper Confederate flags in their hair and around their throats. [53] Carrie Fries, a teacher at Salem Academy, told of a student who wore an apron colored like the Confederate flag, only her apron had twelve yellow stars in a circle. She works for thee soldiers in every spare moment she has. [54] Kate Curtis, a student at St. Mary’s School, observed three secession flags hanging on the gate to the school in Raleigh. [55]

At the Select Boarding and Day School in Hillsborough, student Harriet Cobb, along with her friends, raised a Confederate flag over the courthouse. The Nash and Kollock girls sang their songs with fervor… [56]

Annie Darden was making a quilt. She said, I have finished all the squares for my quilt. I think I shall call it a disunion quilt as it will be made different from any I ever saw. [57]

W. S. Ashe of Branchville wrote to Governor Ellis on April 24, 1861, to tell him that the boys are eager for a foray. [58] The proclivity to sign up for the military turned into a feeding frenzy. Young men of all colors began volunteering with gusto. None expected the war to last more than three months. Some voiced fear that the war would be over before they had a chance to fight. Both blacks and whites wanted to sign up. The Salem People’s Press told of fifteen freemen of color that left Salisbury to go to Wilmington to offer their services to the state. Each man wore a hat with a small notice tucked in the hatband that read, We will die for the South. These Negroes from Hillsborough called themselves the Orange Blacks.[3] [60]

At Cape Hatteras, L. D. Starke also wrote to the governor, To-day one hundred and forty free negro laborers arrived, and were immediately put to work throwing up sand. [61]

T. J. Minns of Fayetteville, while in New Bern, wrote Governor Ellis: Fifteen or twenty negroes came forward and volunteered their services as laborers or in defense of the city. [62]

Ellen Mitchell of Rutherford gave a speech to the departing new recruits:

We should never leave the Union on account of South Carolina. We should not follow the example of such a domineering State. If we have to leave the Union, we should not be dragged out by a State whose citizens consider themselves our superiors in every respect. They would want to lead us continually, and we could not get along in peace with them five years. For example think how they shaved North Carolina money, when it was really as good as their own; and yet we are her sister State, and called by the same name. The ladies feel proud of the Sunny South, proud of the Old North State, but prouder still of this glorious mountain county whose sons, at the first sound of the tocsin of war, have rushed to the standard of our insulted country… [63]

Hundreds of college students left school to join with other young men from the community. Judge Asa Biggs contended:

In April 1861 my son William, then about 18 years old, and in his Junior year, was at school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before the secession of the State, he applied to me for permission to join a company who proposed to tender its services to Prest. Davis. I declined to give my consent, advising him to apply himself diligently to his studies, as he might soon be deprived of any further educational advantages, a matter of vast importance to him. The students however became so much excited, that college exercises were partially suspended, and he ventured to visit home. He reached there in the morning… when we were engaged in forming the volunteer companies in the County. He remained in the house but a few minutes, and asked my permission to attach himself to one of the companies, which I promptly granted.

William was elected 3d Lieut. of Capt. Lamb’s company of 12 months Volunteers, called the Roanoke Guards, and started with that company to Cape Hatteras on 20th May. It is remarkable, they carried no guns, no intrenching tools, and for weeks were stationed on the bald sea beach without any means of defence. In August 1861, the garrison at Fort Hatteras were captured by the enemy, carried as prisoners to New York, and from thence to Fort Warren in Boston harbor, and were kept for 8 months before they were exchanged. [64] Perhaps these same young men were the ones described by the enemy as having on civilian clothes, not uniforms.

When Louis Leon joined the Charlotte Grays that boarded the train for Raleigh in April, he said that at every station, the ladies met them with flowers and good wishes. As the troops trained in the Garysburg and Weldon areas, women provided food to them as long as the food held out. [65] Leon’s description of Camp Ellis: Lo and behold! Horse stables with straw for bedding is what we got. I know we all thought it a disgrace for us to sleep in such places with our fine uniforms—not even a washstand, or any place to hang our clothes on. They didn’t even give us a looking-glass. That was written April 25, 1861. [66] North Carolina at this point was still a part of the United States.

Captain Richard P. Paddison recalled that when the war first broke, his comrades went on the train to Wilmington. They objected when told they had to sleep in the Negro jail overnight. A judge paid for accommodations elsewhere, and the young men had a hot time in the old town that night. The next morning, the crew ended up at Fort Johnston. [67] A sixteen-year-old recruit recalled:

From Statesville to Wilmington the wildest and most intense enthusiasm greeted us at every point. The waving of handkerchiefs, the smiles of ladies, the throwing of bouquets and the continuous cheering made the scene a grand ovation all along the route, and was well calculated to inspire us with unbounded enthusiasm. [68]

Five days before the state’s secession, "the young volunteers met at the courthouse which was then in the center of the square at Albemarle. Uniforms had been made, using the sewing machine of Mr. McCain… . It was said that this was the only sewing machine in the county at that time. Dressed in their uniforms and with two fifes and a drum, they marched from the courthouse to the Marshall Hotel on the square. Louisa T. Hearne appeared on the balcony… and sang… The Old North State . . . . The people cheered and threw their hats into the air as the soldiers started their 30 mile walk to Salisbury. Since Bob Carter was the first volunteer, he was chosen to carry the flag to Salisbury. They left on the night train… to Raleigh where they went in training at Camp Ellis." [69]

After South Carolina troops captured Fort Sumter, Mrs. Edmondston wrote in her diary, We are really at War! At home, young men were inspired to join companies for the conflict. On May 13, in her diary, Elizabeth Robeson inscribed:

A long day to be remembered by me and many other sorrowing mothers. Our sons have left us, we know not when (if ever) they will return. We can only commend or commit them to the care of our Heavenly Father… . Not that I would not want them to fight for their country but I sincerely hope that with Divine assistance all grievances may be settled without any bloodshed.

That same day, Mary Bethall recounted in her diary:

All day after my dear son Willie left my soul was over whelmed with sorrow, my heart seems almost to bled. The thought of a bloody war is awful to contemplate.

Mrs. Ruben Jones of Robeson County said to her husband, I know how to live as the widow of a brave man, but I do not know how to live as the wife of a coward. All eleven of her sons volunteered within a week.

In Gaston County, Mrs. McLean told her son, God knows I need you but your state now needs you worse than I do.

Aunt Abby House, the colorful personality of Franklin County, said of her nephews:

I can tell you that not a man of my family would I let stay at home in peace if he was able to tote a musket. I said to them, boys all ‘er you go along to the field whar you belongs, and if any of you gits sick or is wounded, you may depend on your old Aunt Abby to nuss and to tend you. For so help me God if one of you gits down and I cant git to you no other way, I’ll foot it to your bedsides; and if any one of you dies or gets killed, I promise to bring you home and bury you with yor kin. [70]

Kemp Plummer Battle, among the citizens gathered on the capitol square for the results of the secession convention, said that Congressman Zebulon Vance (later governor) began a speech, Fellow citizens, I died last night a Union man. I am resurrected today a Secession man. [71] It was a festive day filled with excitement as Colonel Stephen Ramseur’s artillery fired a one hundred gun salute. Women were waving their handkerchiefs as the crowd cheered.

David Whiting, though a boy of eight at the time, remembered it well. He said the cannon’s booms broke all of the windows downtown. Throughout town, all the church bells were tolling as he held his ears.[4] [72] Down East, the Wilmington Horse Artillery fired a salute when the state seceded. [73] One man wrote to his daughter: Yesterday, all was quiet, peace, and happiness; today, terror, excitement and confusion. [74]

Jubilation continued throughout the state. In Chatham County, the Beavers brothers rushed into church with the good news of secession. It broke up the service, and the congregation didn’t take it lightly. James and George Beavers were excommunicated from Mount Pisgah Baptist Church for their rowdiness. The young men in the congregation joined up with the Cedar Fork Rifles. [75] In a letter to her sweetheart in Richmond, Cornelia McGimsey from Burke County, wrote: You said that every body was alive with excitement in Richmond [,] so they are here, some are almost frantic, I never hear anything but war mentioned… [76]

A cousin of the Mangums in a letter dated May 29 told of how good the boys looked in their uniforms. My friends up here have all volunteered, she said. [77]

The Volunteers marched in church with their uniforms. It was a solemn sight to see my neighbors’ children prepared for battle, sitting in the church of God, perhaps for the last time, to hear the gospel preached… , wrote Annie Darden. [78]

The Lenoir sisters said that they had been busy sewing for the soldiers and did not think that this time last year of our making military suits. They continued:

Bro’ John [Tillinghast] got home last week, the Seminary broke up for they were kept in such an excited state that study was almost impossible there. Fayetteville has never seen such a May day before… men tearing themselves from their wives and children… presenting them with some elegant flowers from the ladies as a last token of the farm… . Isn’t it sad to think how many such partings are taking place all over our land… [79]

Melinda Ray, a neighbor of the above family, inscribed in her diary:

August 12, 1861, Ma & sister & Mrs. Tillinghast’s people have been busy all day making coats for the cavalry. They are getting up a box and subscriptions to send to the hospital at Yorktown. All the girls are in a mighty humor of knitting socks for the soldiers. [80]

In Fayetteville, Louis Tillinghast sent a letter to his kin, Mame:

I consider myself now fully posted in regard to all preparations necessary for a military company… uniforms… haversacks, canteens, tents & all. The ladies have been exceedingly busy sewing for the companies here… We have had a trying and crying time yesterday when the Lafayette Light Infantry left for Raleigh, destined for Washington citty [sic] . . . . Judge Shepard made a short address to them as they stood drawn up on the [shore] . . . . I never saw such a shaking of hands—so many goodbyes & God bless you’s to be said… the band was playing… tears streamed from the eyes of men and soldiers as well as the women and children as they waved their last adieus… . There are two ladies in town whose husbands are in the northern Army… one sends to his wife saying how much he… missed her, but says they are coming down here to cut all our throats as soon as possible, determined to bring the South to its knees if it takes twenty years. She folds up the letter and writes on the back I want no more of such love neither do I send anymore of mine. [81]

Mary Brown of Davidson wrote a poem, which was widely carried in the newspapers, on May 4, 1861:

NORTH CAROLINA A CALL TO ARMS

Ye sons of Carolina awake from your dreaming,

The minions of Lincoln upon us are streaming,

I wait not for argument call or permission,

To meet at the onset this treacherous invasion,

Defend the Old North State forever.

O think of the maidens, the wives and the mothers,

Fly ye to the rescue sons, husbands, and brothers,

And sink in oblivion all purity and sections,

Your hearthstones are looking to you for protection

Defend, Defend the Old North State forever.

Their name stands the foremost in liberties story,

Round the flag of the South. Oh in thousands now rally,

For the hours departed when freeman may sully,

Your all is at stake then go forth and God speed you,

Onward to victory and glory. [82]

A very similar poem was published anonymously by a person signing the name of Luola in a book about North Carolina songs in 1861. For that and some missing verses from the above poem, see the appendix, chapter 1, #A.

With poems such as these read by the young women to the enthusiastic recruits, how could a man refuse to join? Male hesitation in the face of such preeminent danger was unthinkable, penned a citizen. [83] The act of volunteering was a personal matter, but when neighbors joined up and a man didn’t follow, everyone looked at him with a suspicious eye. Was he of unionist flavor? Was he a coward? Didn’t he love the South? Surely if he did, he would sign up. These attitudes spilled over to the wife. Friends in the community gossiped at sewing circles and quilting bees. What was wrong with her husband? Why hadn’t he gone yet? Is he a Black Republican? Doesn’t he care enough to protect his family from the Northern rogues? A man’s honor was at stake here. The reputation of a soldier was as important as virtue was to a woman. The home became a battleground. Discord prevailed.

After bearing up to these idle gossipers, the wife began to question her husband’s motives for staying home. She then began encouraging her husband to enter the military. Soon, he would leave due to pressure to please her. If he were killed or to die from disease or injury, she would carry a tremendous burden of guilt. This situation became real for the following couple. Controversy abounded in Ashe County when North Carolina chose secession. William M. Norman volunteered in May. He said peer pressure was heavy to join. Shirkers were frowned upon, but how is a man to feed his family if he is away? A great many young men who had nothing to hinder them from volunteering failed to act the part of the soldier, he later recalled. Their cowardice and toryish principles, talked of in every crowd, caused Letitia [his wife] to reconsider and began to think that, if I was to get a substitute or back out, it would affect my standing as well as hers, for she knew a great many would accuse her of providing recreant to my duty. [84]

Perhaps the next lady felt guilty. From Pittsboro, she confessed to her husband, who had volunteered:

I hope you will not think me too forward in telling you for I think you ought to know what I have to hear, and it is this: that I persuaded [?] you off to war. I did not deny it; I was too stout. I only said I don’t care if I did, for I much rather you was there doing your duty than to be walking about like the husbands of those that has such talk… . I know when you and Jan(?) Thomas was going to muster, you both asked my advice, and I told you both that if I was a man, I would volunteer, and I think that is as much as I ever said about it. I have never been ashamed to tell where you was, and I don’t think I ever will be, unless there is a great chance. [85]

Women would be shunned by their community if their husbands, sons, or fathers held back. Young men would be shunned too. Twenty-one-year-old Laura Norwood declared that unless a man served, she and her girlfriends would not marry one who did not join. [86] Some married women were jealous that other married women in the community had not sent their husbands to serve. Mary Bell, in Macon County, said she hoped a draft would come and get their husbands. [87] Other ladies were afraid they would be left unprotected with Union sentiment so strong in their area.

Chapter 1 Joseph S Lipe Agreement.jpg

Joseph S. Lipe Agreement

Lipe Family Papers. Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-CH

In Iredell County, when Joseph Lipe decided to enlist, he wrote down a contract with his neighbors. He asked them to aid Margaret and the children. His neighbors also promised to aid his family in their farming operations. [88] Those who chose to stay home fought ridicule to the point of newspaper announcements:

Home Guard Rumor is busy, and I hear that some are trying to form a band in this city under the above title. Will you be kind enough to inform the energetic ones who are engaged in this movement, that we desire no such company. Tell them to go where they are needed. The Father of the fatherless and Husband of the widow will protect us, while for their safety this prayer shall hang on our lips. Thous who colorist the raven’s wing burnish the swords of our precious friends, and shield them in the thickest fight. A Lady [89]

Other men felt it would be a disgrace to stay home when their beloved southland was being invaded. Richard T. Daugherty wrote on July 10, My Great Father fout in the revolution to gain our freedom. I shall fite through to pertect it or die. Victory or death is my aim… . I resign, to stay would be a dishonor to my ancestors, who fought for freedom of speech and honorable council between leadership and the public. [90]

Another recruit voiced: I hope Mother is not much pestered about my leaving for I hate leaving bad enough any how; I hope she will become reconciled, for it is my duty to go to war, and do the best I can. [91]

Other men chose a wife instead of the army, thinking that would save them from volunteering. Polly McCall… stopped her lover from going to war… by marrying him. [92] That may have worked at first, but would not continue.

Women of North Carolina were also quick to show support for their state. Most chose the feminine way of sewing flags and uniforms while others preferred the scandalous position of Home Guard soldiers as noted in the Winston Sentinel:

Application has been made at this office to know whether there are any means, public or private, by which ladies can get hold of sufficient number of light arms, such as repeaters or small rifles, suitable for the use of females. Some thirty to forty of the patriotic ladies in one of the two adjoining counties have formed themselves into companies and determined, if possible, to secure arms, and in the event of a necessity, defend their homes and fight for the cause of liberty. [93]

Numerous ladies of Murfreesboro were learning to shoot, and some had become quite skilled in the use of fire arms. [94] In Halifax, Mrs. Edmondston recorded in her diary on June 1: He is teaching me to shoot. What more significant fact of change in our country, when a husband gives his wife a parting present of a pistol. Two weeks later, she would write:

The women many of them wept, sobbed, nay even shrieked aloud, but I had no tears to shed then [on men departing for camp]. The sentiment of exulted patriotism