Deaths From Diseases, Fall, 1861 | |
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These pages are dedicated to the memory of all the men from North Carolina that fought in the Civil War. 14th Regiment North Carolina Volunteers Deaths From Diseases, Fall, 1861 North Carolina Standard Raleigh October 9, 1861 A friend sends us the following extract of a letter from a member of the 14th Regiment N.C. Volunteers— We are in great trouble. By the mismanagement of Generals Floyd and Wise, we have been without sugar and coffee for a week and are now called upon to leave our baggage and part of our tents. They had a fight at Gauley(?) Ganley(?) on the 10th – repulsed the Yankees with great loss and then retreated. We should have been with them and secured a glorious victory (for several hundred of the enemy were killed), but for General Floyd’s orders to remain behind. As it was, we marched 21 miles in one day to reinforce him and then were stopped and walked back seven miles to this place where we entrench and I hope will give them battle if they dare to advance upon us. Ector of Georgia and our colonel will fight them if they have any chance—but God deliver men from broken down politicians with their jealousy and stupidity; we have Wise and Floyd both!! Our regiment elicits universal praise and are daily more attached to our colonel in whom we have entire confidence. I have no fears of their not behaving well in battle. Our state furnished us nobly and now from mismanagement of Virginians we are to be stripped of all. The Manassas line seems to absorb all attention and we are left un-noticed. North Carolina Standard Raleigh October 16, 1861 Colonel Clarke’s Report Letter from Camp Defiance October 8, 1861 14th N.C. Regiment We are encamped now two weeks in the presence of the enemy without tents or a change of clothing and three days out of five it has rained as I never saw it rain. On the 24th last, we were ordered to march to this place without tents or baggage and with 24 hours provisions in our haversacks for the purpose of relieving General West who in consequence of disobeying General Floyd’s orders to fall back to Meadow Bluff and was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy under General Rosencranz—and but for our timely aid would have been totally routed. The next day was spent in throwing up breastworks and preparing to receive an attack from the enemy who was supposed to number 10,000 to 20,000. The 14th was eager for a fight and if we would have been attacked we would have given the Federals a repetition of Manassas. As day after day and night after night of drenching rains passed by our fellows began to clamor for an attack. They demanded to be led against the foe. The 14th N.C. and the 13th Ga., who are commanded by Colonel Ector and brigaded with us, volunteered to take the batteries but for some reason General Lee would not give battle. The position of the enemy on the summit of Sewell was known to be very strong by nature and was supposed to be fortified and the general hesitated perhaps, to take it with the comparatively undisciplined forces under his command. We have remained inactive and our numbers were daily diminished by the terrible exposure to which we have suffered. Meanwhile, we were joined by troops from Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi until our force was supposed to be equal to if not superior to the enemy. Still, beyond some scouting and a great deal of riding around by the cavalry, nothing was done but to fall sick and die. The game now seemed to be which army could outwait the other. Separated by scarcely two miles, and in full sight of each other, we ate, drank and slept as if we were two divisions of the same army, waiting for the approach of the common enemy. This was the position of things when at daybreak last Sunday morning our scouts discovered that the enemy had broken up their camp and were in full retreat. Now we expected to be ordered forward and were anticipating battle and with the aid of Ganley(?) River, swollen by the recent rains, a complete victory. But this is the third day and we are still in the mud, deeper than ever, while it rains so hard as to destroy all our fires. We cannot move for we have no transport. Our hopes of wintering in Charleston are growing smaller by degrees and the dreary land of backward march to Sulphur Springs and Jackson’s River Depot seems to be our destination. I begin to feel the 14th will never see a fight. C.D. North Carolina Standard Raleigh October 30, 1861 We are requested to state that a special messenger will leave this city in a few weeks for the camp of the 14th Regiment of (Col. Clarke’s), now in western Virginia. All persons who care to send boxes to that regiment can have them forwarded by sending them to the care of James M. Towles, Esq., of this city. Let them be carefully packed, properly labeled and all expenses up to their delivery to Mr. Towles. The suffering of this regiment demands immediate attention. North Carolina Standard Raleigh November 20, 1861 14th Regiment, Camp Fisher Near Meadow Bluff, Virginia 250 miles west of Richmond November 5, 1861 Knowing the great anxiety that is felt by many of the people of North Carolina regarding the 14th Regiment I will try to give a true state of our condition believing that the truth, though sad indeed, will fall far short of the reports in circulation. Since the organization of the regiment we have lost by death sixty men, instead of the 250 reported. Of these, nine died in North Carolina. One was murdered there while absent from the regiment. Another was killed at Big Sewell Mountain by mistake when he was on picket duty. Fifty eight men have died of disease out of 813 which is about one in five. We have lost also two officers, out of 39. This is a large mortality but our regiment has not suffered more than others. We have changed climates and mode of living too quickly and this, with other accidental causes, has produced these appalling results. The regiment was organized at Garysburg, N.C. on the 16th July last. It is composed of three from Johnston County, two from Person County, one from Franklin County, one from Cumberland County, one from Robeson County, one from Onslow County and one from Beaufort. This last company, on account of sickness, was detached before we left N.C. and only nine companies marched to Virginia. We were delayed until the 18th August, in consequence of the difficulty obtaining clothing and camp equipage. At that time most of the companies had been eight weeks exposed to the malaria of the Roanoke swamps. About half the men were enfeebled by measles, mumps, and pneumonia. Some 56 were left with one of the surgeons of the regiment at Weldon and about half the same number of convalescents were sent home to recruit their strength and the remainder proceeded to Richmond. It commenced raining on us at Petersburg and we pitched our tents in Richmond in a storm. In consequence of this exposure, several men just out of measles sickened and were left behind when we left that city after a stay of two days. We proceeded to this place leaving sick men at every point we stopped at. Our subsequent service has been in an uncongenial climate during an unusually rainy season. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that we have not at any time until quite recently passed more than three days without rain. On our first advance from this place to Anderson’s beyond Big Sewell (9-11) was a forced march of about 23 miles and a part of this was in rain, to reinforce General Floyd at Gauley(?) but we were unfortunate about 36 hours too late as he had repulsed the enemy and then fallen back. While we were on big Sewell working parties were engaged fortifying a part of the time in the rain. Our march from that place back to this (9-18) was in the night. It commenced raining soon after we started and rained upon us most of the night and for about three hours of the time very hard. The roads were very muddy and we reached camp the next morning very exhausted. The consequence was a rapid increase in our sick list; and when we marched back to Big Sewell to rescue General Wise (9-24) I was compelled to leave behind in camp more than one hundred sick men. We were ordered to march without baggage or tents and while there, from the night of the 24th September to 17th October we were exposed for a part of the time to the weather, without tents. It rained upon us while we had no shelter except such as we could hastily erect in the woods for three days. At first we were short of provisions, having carried only a day’s supply in our haversacks. We had neither coffee or whiskey to stimulate us and part of the time the rain was so violent as to extinguish our fires and this too, in a raw, cold mountain climate. When our tents arrived we could obtain no straw to put in them and until the men could split chestnut logs and floor their tents they slept on the bare ground. During this time the men were constantly exposed, erecting breastworks and standing guard, sentinels or pickets. The latter duty, in addition to the danger, is very unpleasant as no fire or light is allowed. The breast works erected by our brigade at this time would encircle the good city of Raleigh entirely with a wall composed of earth and stone and timber four feet thick and six feet high. A few days after the retreat of the enemy, having a very large sick list and no chance for a fight, I applied to General Lee for leave to fall back to this place, which was granted. Dr. Brown resigned on account of ill health and left us on the 31st ult. Drs. Wilson and Duffy have both been quite sick with the prevailing fever. William J. Clarke, Colonel Commanding 14th Regiment List of Deaths in the 14th Regiment Pte. Frank Frizell, Duffy Co., July 1, Garysburg, N.C. Pte. Thomas Williams, Bloechin’s(?) Co., Aug. 14, Weldon, N.C. Pte. Neil H. McNeill, Love’s Co., Sept. 7, Flo- - College, N.C. Pte. Washington Strickland, Lane’s Co., Sept. 19(?), Johnston Co., N.C. Pte. Simon Wilkins, Lane’s Co., Aug. 19, Johnston Co., N.C. Pte. Ariel Moselwhite, Love’s Co., Aug. 21, Weldon, N.C. Pte. William Capps, Lane’s Co., Aug. 26, Greenwood, Va. Sgt. Lester(?) Ruffin, Lane’s Co., Aug. 28, Johnston Co., N.C. Pte. Maj. P - - - - rton, Lane’s Co., Aug. 29, Johnston Co., N.C. Pte. John Campbell, Love’s Co., Sept. 15, Fl- - al College, N.C. Pte. Simeon(?) Stephenson, Woodall’s Co., Sept. 14(?), Lewisburg, Va. Pte. John Reese, Duffy’s Co., Sept. 21, Lewisburg, Va. Pte. Lewis B. Criswell, Crockett’s Co., Sept. 23, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Larry Dow(?) Dew(?), Blocker’s Co., Sept. 30, Sulphur, Va. Pte. Dillon Horn, Blocker’s Co., Sept. 30, Sulphur, Va. Pte. Alsey(?) Parnold(?), Woodall’s Co., Sept. 30, Meadow Bluff, Va. Sgt. MartinT. Durham, Woodall’s Co., Oct. 1, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Jacob Dougherty, Lane’s Co., Oct. 2, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Morgan Ross, Love’s Co., Oct. 2, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. David Ganns(?) Ganus(?), Lane’s Co., Oct. 4, Mt. Sewell, Va. Pte. Samuel R. Stallings, Spivey’s Co., Oct. 7, Mt. Sewell, Va. Pte. Radford B - - tan, Dillehay’s Co., Oct. 7, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Pinckney Henderson, Duffy’s Co., Oct. 9, Lewisburgh, Va. Pte. William Turner, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 8, Mt. Sewell, Va. Pte. Daniel A. Connly, Love’s Company, Oct. 10, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. James A. Currie, Love’s Co., Oct. 10, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. William Conely, Love’s Co., Oct. 12, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. John Barnes, Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 12, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Richard P. Freeman, Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 13, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. James Edge(?), Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 14, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. George W. Massingill, Lane’s Co., Oct. 18, White Sulphur, Va. Corp. William B. Royal, Woodall’s Company, Oct. 18, White Sulphur, Va. Pte. Robert Burton, Dillahay’s Co., Oct. 16, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Feeny W. Richardson, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 17, Meadow Bluff, Va. 1st Sgt. John R. Shaw, Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 17, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Leonard Faircloth(?), Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 17, White Sulphur, Va. Pte. S.P. Tucaple(?), Woodall’s Co., Oct. 19, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Neil A. Clarke, Love’s Co., Oct. 21, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. James Co - - ter, Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 22, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Lewis N. Frazell, Duffy’s Co., Oct. 24, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. William H. Harnes, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 25, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Daniel Bun(?), Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 26, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. John E. Thompson, Lane’s Co., Oct. 27, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Abner Woodall, Woodall’s Co., Oct. 17, Blue Sulphur, Va. 1st Sgt. John R. Shaw, Bloecker’s Co., Oct. 17, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Lovett Grantham, Lane’s Co., no date given Pte. John R. Hugh, Woodall’s Co., Oct. 29, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Frank Pearce, Lane’s Co., Oct. 30, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Samuel S. Carson, Harris’ Co., Oct. 22, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Samuel Y. Malone, Harris’ Co., Oct. 28, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. John W. Stovall, Harris’ Co., Oct. 30, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. James H. Brown, Duffy’s Co., Oct. 20(?) 30(?), Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. Levi Green, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 26, White Sulphur, Va. Pte. Henry Ellis, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 20, Blue Sulphur, Va. Pte. John Townsend, Dillehay’s Co., Oct. 26, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Thomas J. Edwards, Lane’s Co., November 1, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. James H. Neal, Harris’ Co., Nov. 4, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Oliver M. White, Love’s Co., Nov. 4, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Founer(?) Perry, Spivey’s Co., November 4, Meadow Bluff, Va. Pte. Edward Lewis, Spivey’s Co., Nov. 3, Meadow Bluff, Va. Quartermaster Sergeant Charles D. Clarke, Nov. 13, Blue Sulphur, Va. 3rd Lt. William H. Perry, Woodall’s Co., Oct. 15, Meadow Bluff, Va. 3rd Lt. James H. Young, Crockett’s Co., Oct. 27, Blue Sulphur, Va. |