30th Regiment Co. A "Sampson Rangers" Newspaper articles





THE SAMPSON RANGERS
COMPANY A, 30th N.C.R.

Fayetteville Observer, Monday, April 4, 1864

Messrs Editors:

I have been intending for a long time to give you a condensed history of Company A, 30th Regiment 
N.C.T., the company to which I belong, not with a view of extolling the deeds we have done but to 
do justice to the “noble dead”.  

The company was organized at Clinton, Sampson Co., N.C. April 20, 1861 under the name Sampson 
Rangers by electing F.J. Faison as captain, R.A. Moseley as 1st Lt., and J.C. Holmes and G.W. 
Marsh as 2nd Lts.  It was the first company organized in Sampson County.

Under this organization we were ordered to Fort Johnson, which post was commanded by Captain 
Jones.  The first three months we spent at this place, during which time the 20th Regiment N.C.T. 
was being organized by electing A. Iverson colonel and Capt. F.J. Faison as Lt. Colonel and ----- 
Toon as Major.  Under this organization, about the latter part of August, we were sent to Fort 
Caswell, as an attack on the fort was daily expected.  Lt. Col. Faison was in command of the fort.  

Our captain having been promoted and Lts. Moseley and Marsh having resigned, 2nd Lt. J.C. 
Holmes was elected captain, W.W. Sillers 1st Lt., C. Patrick and C.T. Stevens as 2nd lieutenants 
of the company.

Here we had a great deal of hard work to do, putting the fort in a better state of defense and 
mounting heavy guns, etc.  We suffered very much at the fort from the hot weather and scarcity 
of good water.  The water in the fort entirely gave out and we were forced to dig wells to get water, 
which was not good, and consequently created thirst. The men not being accustomed to hardship 
and privation, considered this very hard.

Very soon, we were transferred to the 30th N.C.T., which was organized by electing F.M. Parker 
as colonel and Walter Draughen as lieutenant colonel and Jas. T. Kell as major.  The regiment 
was then ordered from Raleigh to Wilmington, N.C., and thence to Smithville, at which place our 
company joined the regiment.  

After remaining at Smithville about three weeks we were ordered to South Carolina; the order 
being countermanded, the regiment was sent to Camp Wyatt, where we built winter quarters 
and remained until the Battle of Newbern came off.  The regiment was ordered to Newbern and 
got as far as Wilmington, but could not get transportation in time to partake in the fight, 
consequently, the order was countermanded and the regiment went into quarters at Camp Lamb.  
From there we went to Camp French, thence to Camp Holmes, and thence to Camp Saunders in 
Onslow County, where, on the 1st May, 1862, the regiment was re-organized, by electing F.M. 
Parker as colonel, J.T. Kell as lieutenant colonel, and W.W. Sillers as major. The company 
re-elected J.C. Holmes as captain, G.F. Williams as first lieutenant and S.(?) T. Stevens and L.M. 
White as 2nd lieutenants.

From Camp Saunders we were ordered to Wilmington and about June 11, 1862 we were ordered 
to Richmond and became one of the regiments of G.B. Anderson’s Brigade

About the 21st June we had a sharp skirmish with the enemy on picket near Seven Pines in which 
Private A.A. Lewis was seriously wounded in the left arm.  About the 26th June we were under a 
heavy fire of shot and shell at Mechanicsville.  On the 27th we pursued the retreating enemy to 
Cold Harbor.  In this engagement we lost two killed and Sergeants R.M. Crumpler and H.S. Royal 
and Private Nevil Royal wounded.  

About the 1st of July at Malvern Hill we again met the enemy in deadly conflict.  At this place we 
lost three killed and Wm. H. Johnson and Privates R.G. Cox and T.M. Howard wounded; also 
others were slightly wounded and two captured by the enemy.  We very soon went back to 
Richmond to recuperate and rest.

August 19, 1862 we were ordered to report, together with our division, D.H. Hill’s, to General 
Jackson.  We reached the main army under General Lee near the Potomac and crossed over into 
Maryland on Sept. 5.  Our division fought in the Battle of South Mountain Sept. 14 and then 
marched to Sharpsburg and engaged on Sept. 17.  We lost one killed and Sgt. A. Hobbs and 
Privates F.H. Howard, J.R. Holland and Willis Lee wounded.  The company stood firm and 
immovable, assisting in repulsing onset after onset of the heavy columns of the enemy.

The night of the 18th the Potomac was re-crossed and we remained in the Valley until the middle 
of November and then marched to Fredericksburg.  The 13th (?) December the company was 
carried into the Fredericksburg fray, but fortunately none were seriously wounded.

We had nothing but picket duty to do during the winter and spring until the 27th April, when the 
enemy came across the Rappahannock and thanks be to God Hooker was defeated. The brigade, 
headed by the gallant Ramseur, on Sunday morning May 3, attacked the enemy in their 
entrenchments and drove them from two lines of breastworks and sent them howling into the 
Wilderness.  

Our loss was severe.  The company went into the fight 38 strong and came out five killed and 
eighteen wounded.  At Chancellorsville the following were wounded:  Sgts. R. M. Crumpler, H.S. 
Royal, H. Williamson, Corp. J.M. Crumpler and Privates J.M. Kelly, Jas. Williamson, W.J. 
Taylor, J.M. Parker, E.N. Butler, Joseph Butler, G.W. Rackley, A.H. Brewer, H. Butler, J.A. 
Weeks, mortally, C.W. Duncan, mortally, J.C. Walker, Corp. S. Boon and N. Godwin.

After the battle of Chancellorsville, we returned to our old camp near Fredericksburg and remained 
until the 10th June when the advance into Pennsylvania commenced.

The company did its noble duty in the taking of Berrysville and Martinsburg.  Our brigade was the 
first to cross the Potomac and to occupy Williamsport, Maryland.  Several places were taken 
and hard marching done in Maryland and Pennsylvania until at last we reached Gettysburg.  
The company was in the three days fight and acted well and fortunately none killed and only
two wounded—Sgt. J.W. Merritt and A.H. Brewer, who were taken prisoners.

Soon we re-crossed the Potomac and our march commenced to the Rapidan.  At Manassas Gap, 
we had a sharp skirmish with the enemy.  We reached Orange Court House on August 2 and 
remained near this place until September 8 when we assisted in driving Meade to Centreville.  
Then we re-crossed the Rappahannock and camped near Kelly’s Ford; and on Nov. 7, our regiment 
being in reserve on picket near Kelly’s Ford to support the 2nd Regiment N.C.T., was ordered to 
the river to reinforce the 2nd N.C.T.

The enemy being in strong force and having taken advantage of a strong position poured a deadly 
fire of musketry into our ranks while we were going into the river.  Soon after reaching the river, we 
were ordered to fall back; the regiment fell back to the woods about a half mile from the river, 
under a tremendous fire of shot and shell.  

About that time, Lt. Col. Sillers, commanding the regiment, was ordered by Col. Bennett, 
commanding the brigade, to deploy the regiment on a hill near by and hold the enemy in check 
at all hazards, this being done but the position was maintained with difficulty.  

Late in the evening Lt. Col. Sillers received a mortal wound. At 11:00 that night, we drew off.  The 
company lost one killed and the following wounded:  Sgt. R.M. Crumpler, O.B. Cobb, Jas. 
Williamson, T.J. Warrick, M. Dove, J. Frizeland; also we lost 13 men as prisoners.  We soon 
re-crossed the Rapidan and camped near Morton’s Ford.  Our regiment was under heavy fire at 
Mine Run and Morton’s Ford.  

We have been in various skirmished too tedious to tell.

A Member

List of Deceased of Company A, 30th N.C.T.

M.S. Dudley, Wilmington, N.C. November, 1861
Marshall Royal, Sampson County
Neil Lewis, Richmond, August, 1862
W.D. Strickland, Guinea Station, Va., Jan. 9, 1863
Corp. L.H. Pipkin and J.W. Baggot, killed, Malvern Hill, July 1, 1962
Corp. Sherman Royal, of wound, Richmond, Va., July 9, 1862
Blackman Taw and Jas. T. Goodrich, killed, Cold Harbor, June 27, 1862
George E. Brown, killed, Sharpsburg, September 17, 1862
Willis Gilbert, Lynchburg, Oct. 15, 1862
George H. Draughton, Clinton, Dec. 26, 1862
Owen Page, Richmond, Dec. 29, 1862
J.W. Jackson, Richmond
R.M. Bradshaw, Palmyra, March 17, 1863
W.K. Bradshaw, of wound, May 5, 1863
J.R. Holland, Ransom Naylor and Daniel R. Underwood, killed at Chancellorsville May 3, 1863
H.R. Robinson, Martinsburg, June 19, 1863
Wm. Autry, Gordonville, Dec. 18, 1862
J.R. Butler, Lynchburg, Jan. 2, 1863
C.W. Duncan, of wound, Richmond, May 26, 1863
C.H. Reynolds, Guinea Station, January 11
J.L. Faircloth, Richmond, January 16
Jno. Faircloth, Feb. 10
Henry Mitchell, Feb. 14
E.M. Register, Feb. 15
Sgt. J.M. Thrailkill, Fredericksburg, Feb. 21
Martin Weldon, Royal, March 8
J.A. Weeks, of wound, Richmond, May 16, 1863
Thomas N. Clarkson, Mt. Jackson, November 14, 1862
W.H. Boswell, killed, Kelly’s Ford, Nov. 7, 1863
Wiley Tew, Lynchburg
Tobias McLemore, missing since August, 1862




Transcribed by Christine Spencer August 2007

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