Historical Sketches Seventh North Carolina Troops 1861—65: By Captain James Sidney Harris, Company B

By Kearney Smith Ph.D.

Company B had on its rolls, from first to last 151 names, and with the regiment took part in nearly all the great infantry battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia. Its death loss was; 17 killed in action, 15 mortally wounded, 28 died from disease and one accidentally drowned. Forty-eight were wounded and recovered, many of them maimed for life; three deserted and one enlisted in the Federal army while in prison. It surrendered May, 1, 1863, at Greensboro N. C.: Two commissioned officers and twenty-six enlisted men. For gallant conduct on the field, and heroic endurance of physical discomforts; in loyalty to country and cause, this Company was not surpassed by any from the good county of Cabarrus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514427125

Kearney Smith Ph.D.

Kearney Smith, Ph.D. is the editor of this reprint. In the research that he conducted, he realized the need to have this piece of history republished. At least two American University Libraries confirmed that there is no other copy that exists nor a republication was ever done on Historical Sketches Seventh North Carolina Troops 1861—65...

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Copyright © 2015 by Kearney Smith, Ph.D.

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Rev. date: 11/20/2015

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Contents

Foreword

To The Reader

Historical Sketches, Seventh Regiment North Carolina Troops.

Roster of Co. B, 7th N. C. Troops, 1861-’65.

Foreword

In 1893 Historical Sketches of the Seventh Regiment North Carolina Troops,1861-65 was first published by Captain James Sydney Harris who described the contents as daily memorandum sketches of the location, marches, and battles in which my command, Seventh Regiment North Carolina troops took part. The author’s note To the Reader which appears in this reprint of the book tells more about his decision to publish these sketches.

The roster at the end of the book says Harris was from Cabarrus County although his note to the reader gives Mooresville as his home at the time of publishing. Apparently he settled in Mooresville after the war. The roster also says the author entered the Confederate Army as an enlisted man and rose in rank to Captain by the end of the war. He was wounded in three battles: Frazer’s Farm, Chancellorsville, and Anderson’s Turnout.

Captain Harris was in Company B of the Seventh Regiment for the duration of the war. That is the same company in which the following Allmans (Almons) served: Calvin, Francis, Green, Nathan, Leonard, and Richard. Like Harris, the Allmans were from Cabarrus County. Nathan is the Great Grandfather of Kearney Smith. Francis was Nathan’s brother, and Richard was their father. Francis was killed in the battle of Frazier’s Farm. Nathan was wounded at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

Kearney Smith, Ph.D.

Green Mountain, North Carolina

To The Reader

From the time of entering the Confederate service in June, 1861, to the close of the war in April, ’65, I made daily memorandum sketches of the location, marches and battles in which my command. Seventh Regiment North Carolina troops took part. These notes were embodied in letters to my father with request to preserve.

Recently I concluded for my own benefit, and also at the request of quite a number of the surviving members of the regiment, and others interested in war history, to write them out in connected form, as an aid to memory in recalling the stirring events of the Sixties, now rapidly fading from the minds of those who were actors in the historic struggle for Southern Independence. With this end in view, the following imperfect sketches, touching the history of the gallant Old Seventh, have been given to the public.

J. S. HARRIS.

Mooresville, N. C., May. 1893.

HISTORICAL SKETCHES,

Seventh Regiment North Carolina Troops.

Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-one will ever be memorable in the history of this country as the year that ushered in the great Civil War between the North and the South.

For generations there had been serious differences of opinion on the slavery question, which deepened into feelings of hostility when the right of the South to acquire new territory was called in question, and the breach widened with each succeeding year. The presidential contest of the previous year (1860), was bitter, and attended with unusual excitement, extending to all classes and conditions; and inconsequence of the unnatural divisions then existing in the dominant party, the control of the Federal Government passed into the keeping of a new party for the first time successful in establishing its claims to supremacy in national affairs. Impelled by the belief that the policy of the forthcoming administration to be placed in power on the 4th day of March 1861, would be hostile to the South and her Peculiar Institutions, a number of the Southern States withdrew from the Federal Union, as Free and Independent Sovereignties. On the first of January 1861, the Legislature then in regular session declared by an Act, that in its opinion the condition of the country was so perilous that the sovereign people of the State should assemble inconvention to affect an honorable adjustment of the difficulties whereby the Federal Union is endangered, or otherwise to determine what action will best preserve the honor and promote the interest of North Carolina. On the 30th of January an election was ordered by the General Assembly for delegates, and also for the purpose of ascertaining the will of the people as to whether there should be a convention or not.

North Carolina always conservative was slow in adopting the Federal Constitution, and entering the compact of States, and she was equally cautious in renouncing allegiance to it, for at the election on the 28th of February the will of a majority of her sons was recorded against calling a convention to take the State out of the Union. In the meantime delegates from the seceded states had assembled in convention at Montgomery, Alabama, and framed a provisional government for the Confederate States of America, adopted a constitution, and elected Hon. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as president, and on the 9th of February, in the presence of assembled thousands, he was solemnly inaugurated to that high office, and, thus freighted with the destinies of the new born nation the Confederate ship of state was officially launched upon a turbulent, political sea. On the 12th of April, Fort Sumpter in Charleston harbor was bombarded by Southern troops, and its commander and garrison compelled to surrender. President Lincoln immediately, by his proclamation called for troops to disperse combinations too-powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings. In reply to the demand of Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, United States, for two regiments: Governor Ellis said, I can be no party to this wicked violation of the laws of the country, and to this war upon the liberties of a free people. You can get no troops from North Carolina The Legislature was called to meet in extra session, and it passed an act, calling a state convention to meet in Raleigh, and on the 20th of May, an Ordinance of secession was passed by the convention, to be submitted to the people for approval at the coming August election. It is a significant fact that this election was not held. All the while public sentiment was rapidly growing in favor of armed resistance to Federal encroachments, and troops from sister states were daily hurried across our borders to the Seat of war, and events big with destiny followed each other in rapid succession. Every where, the greatest anxiety prevailed in regard to public affairs, and thoughtful people began to realize that the long dreaded crisis was at hand. In city, town and hamlet, meetings, both public and private were repeatedly held, in which the orators of the day, aided by the press, urged the people to stand for the sacred rights guaranteed our fore-fathers by the Federal constitution, if need be, fight to the death for Constitutional liberty, homes, wives, and little ones.

Wrongs real and unreal were prominently kept to public gaze. Soon the war became a real, living issue, and under the impulse of the madness that ruled the hour, thousands eagerly enlisted for Three years, or The Period of the War, and went forth with strong arms and brave hearts to the unequal contest.

On the 7th of June 1861, the writer of these lines enlisted for the above mentioned Period of the war, and thence forward by word and deed espoused the confederate cause to its bitter end.

YOUNG’S COMPANY ORGANIZED.

On Monday July 8th, 1861, a volunteer company (Infantry), was organized in Allison’s Grove, Concord, N. C. familiarly known as Young’s Company, composed mainly of Cabarrus men from the laboring classes—the bone and sinew of the country, and destined to do yeoman service in behalf of the ‘Lost Cause. Major R. S. Young was elected Captain; Samuel E. White, 1st Lieutenant; Dr. Solomon Furr, 2nd Lieutenant, and Henry R. Shinn, Brevet 2nd, Lieutenant, John P. Young was elected 1st Sergeant, W. W. Harris 2nd Sergeant, James M. Shinn 3rd, Robert F. Shearer 4th, and Alfred M. Coleman 5th Sergeant, Jackson Linker, Hirim Stallings, Franklin H. Furr, and Hampton C. Howell were elected Corporals.

The company was daily, and persistently drilled by Lieutenant White, who had previously acquired a knowledge of military tactics. While here, the company was the recipient of a beautiful little silken flag, the handiwork of a number of the patriotic young ladies of the town.

On Thursday morning July the 25th, Young’s Company numbering 85 enlisted men, boarded the 6 o’clock train and reached Camp Mason, near Graham, on the N. C. R. R. at 2 p. m. and was assigned as company B, to the Seventh Regiment North Carolina State troops then in process of organization. Ruben P. Campbell of Iredell county, was Colonel, Ed. Graham Haywood of Wake, Lieutenant Colonel, E. D. Hall of New Hanover, Major and 1st Lieutenant John E. Brown of company D, Adjutant. Dr. Wesley M. Campbell of Iredell, was regimental Surgeon.

Before commissions were issued, the following changes occurred in our company officers. Brevet 2nd Lieutenant Henry R. Shinn, waived his right to a commission, and 1st Sergeant John P. Young became Brevet 2nd Lieutenant, W. W. Harris 1st, or Orderly Sergeant, and Shinn accepted the 2nd, Sergeant’s place. On Monday July 29th, Young’s and ¹*Robbards’ companies under command of Capt. R. S. Young were dispatched by rail to Davidson county to aid the civil authorities of that county in suppressing an insurrection headed by a preacher and one or two other persons. The command arrived at the High bridge near Lexington about midnight and bivouaced until morning. It turned out, however, the services of the military were not needed, as the civil authorities had succeeded in arresting the ring-leaders and lodging them in jail, and Capt. Young’s command returned to camp on the first train. Our time was wholly occupied by camp duties, and the various daily drills. Colonel Campbell was a professional soldier, a graduate of the military Academy at West Point, and had served with distinction in the Mexican war, was possessed of fine administrative abilities, and he introduced and practically enforced the discipline of the regular army.

On assuming command of the regiment, Colonel Campbell remarked to his officers that he was not confident of his ability to control a thousand men, but said he, I think I can govern forty officers. The Lieutenant Colonel was a man of fine personal appearance, possessed of a brilliant intellect, and fine voice. As a tactician, he was skilful, and under his training the regiment rapidly acquired proficiency in the various evolutions of battalion drill. Two of the companies, A and F, were armed with rifles, the others were armed with the improved Springfield musket.

THE SEVENTH REGIMENT NORTH CAROLINA STATE TROOPS MUSTERED

INTO SERVICE.

On the 21st of August 1861, the seventh regiment was regularly mustered into the military service of the state of North Carolina, and each soldier was paid a bounty of fifteen Dollars. Captain Abraham