MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES ABOUT
CONFEDERATE
VETERANS OF
UNION COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
GREENSBORO PATRIOT (Guilford County, N.C.), April 6, 1866
-THE LAST PRISONER. – We are informed that Payton DAVIS, the last of the Confederate prisoners who had been in
confinement at Fort McHenry, reached Petersburg, Monday last. He served through the war as a member of BARKSDALE’S brigade of the army of
Northern Virginia. – He lost his leg in the battle of Cedar Creek, October,
1864, and was there captured. He was
detained by the nature of his wound, and speaks in the most grateful terms of
the kind treatment received from the U.S. officers and soldiers at the
Fort. The Index says he left for his
home in Anson County, N.C., the next morning.
[Note: I have not located a Payton
Davis, but I did find a Hampton Davis who lost his leg during the war
and filed for a Confederate pension from Anson Co. in 1885. He had served in Co.
I, 17th Mississippi State Troops and was POW at Fort McHenry.]
THE LANDMARK (Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina) April 21, 1882
-Monroe Enquirer, 13th: On last Monday, Dr. RAMSEY took from the body of Mr. James E. HUNTLEY, an ounce lead ball, with which Mr. HUNTLEY was wounded at Hatcher’s Run, seven miles south of Petersburg, 17 years and five months ago. Mr. H. says that he has suffered considerably lately on account of the ball, and had been, to a considerable extent, incapacitated for work.
THE LANDMARK (Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina) April 24, 1890
-The Monroe correspondent of the
Charlotte Chronicle says E. W. GRIFFIN, a farmer of Union county,
was wounded in the hip during the war, and as the ball remained in his body,
has been lame ever since. While lifting
some heavy objects a day or two ago, the ball was dislodged, and with a small
piece of bone was cast out by the sore.
THE MONROE JOURNAL (Union
County, NC) Tuesday, June 30, 1903,
-“Here’s a picture which Col. Frank BEASLEY sent me,” said Mr. J. H. GRIFFIN the other day. Mr. GRIFFIN belonged to the 71st North Carolina Regiment, Junior Reserves, of which Col. W. F. BEASLEY was a lieutenant colonel.
Any mention of Col. BEASLEY by an old soldier is always coupled with a remark about his goodness to the men and their fondness for him – beardless boy that he was then. So Mr. GRIFFIN’S story was but to illustrate the same general statement, and also showed that Mr. GRIFFIN himself, now the famous joker of his section, was full of pranks when a youngster among the other boys of the Junior Reserves. At the time of the story he was a color sergeant.
“I tell you, he got me out of a fearful bad scrape once,” continued Mr. GRIFFIN, “and one that would have been a big sight of trouble to me if he hadn’t. I killed Gen. KIRKLAND’S horse, and you can see that an offence of that kind was likely to bring an unpleasantness for a fellow.
“We had finished drilling one evening and the boys had dropped down on the ground to rest. Across the hill in front of us Gen. KIRKLAND’S servant was riding the general’s horse in a gallop, when some of the boys shouted, “Shoot that nigger!” I jumped up and said, ‘Gimme a gun!’ and some one handed over one with the remark that there was a good load in it but no cap on. I glanced at the gun, and seeing there was no cap on it sure enough, thought there was no danger, and put it to my shoulder to scare the negro. I pulled the trigger, the gun fired, and the general’s fine horse dropped as dead as a mackerel and the negro turned a somersault. A piece of fuse had been left in the gun and this caused it to fire. The men roared in laughter, and I noticed that Col. BEASLEY, who was sitting on a stump not far off, pulled his hat down over his face a fairly shook.
“I was scared nearly to death and was for getting away to another command. Just as I was getting ready to slink out, our captain told me that Col. BEASLEY said to keep quiet and he’d get me out of it. I was summoned to trial, and the colonel got himself, Capt. WELLS and Capt. NELSON as the only witnesses. I was in three engagements, but I was never scared half so bad as I was that time. Never mind what the testimony was. At the end of the trial Gen. HOKE asked me a question. He said:
“ ‘Did you aim at the negro or the horse?’
“ ‘The negro, general.’
“ ‘Gentlemen,’ said the general, ‘that was according to tactics. The men are required to aim at the object in front of them.’
“ ‘Well,” continued Mr. GRIFFIN, “that was the end of the trial, and I went back to mess walking on air, but I wasn’t yet done with the matter. A day or two after that I was summoned to headquarters with instructions to bring my musket loaded and in shooting order. I fixed it up that a man was to be shot and I was one of the detail to do the shooting and I felt mighty sad about it. I reported to my officer. ‘Go over to headquarters,’ he said, ‘the general has some shooting for you to do.’ I was surer than ever that I’d have to shoot at a man bound to a stake, and I waited with anxiety for orders. At last the general said:
“ ‘Are you the man who shot Gen. KIRKLAND’S horse?’
“ ‘Yes, sir.”
“ ‘Well go out yonder and try your hand on that mule, ‘and out there tied to a stake they had an old plug of a mule nearly dead with gangrene. But I was mighty glad to pocket the joke and put the old fellow out of the way.”
July 28, 1903, THE MONROE JOURNAL
-On the Field of Gettysburg. Capt. T. J. CURETON of Winnsboro, S.C., who was captain of Co. B, 26th North Carolina Regiment, attended the reunion at Gettysburg, lately held, and writes his old friend, Mr. John R. SIMPSON, of it as follows:
Yours received, and I wrote Col. LANE as near as I could recollect about your being killed at the Wilderness, buried, etc.; but still was able to be with me at Appomattox, and still living, etc. We had a splendid time at Gettysburg.
The Baltimore Tar Heels at Baltimore met us at Baltimore with our old surgeon, Dr. T. J. BOYKIN, at their head, and they and the ladies of Baltimore took charge of us. Col. LANE, Col. W. H. S. BURGWYN, Dan DORSETT and myself went to Gettysburg, where we were welcomed by the citizens of Gettysburg, and escorted to a stand at the Bloody Angle by two G. A. R. bands playing “Dixie,” “Maryland, My Maryland,” “The Old North State,” etc.
We were met by Charles H. McCONNELL, who was a member of the 24th Michigan, who fought on 1st July, 1863, in the McPHERSON woods. He is the man who shot Col. LANE.
We went over the ground we fought over the 1st and 3d of July, 1863. He says the 26th regiment, North Carolina troops, was the best regiment in either army, and he intends erecting on the battlefield of Gettysburg a monument to the 26th regiment, N.C. troops, on one side, and 24th Michigan on the other side, to cost $100,000 or over, to be unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the battle.
Our dead has all been removed to Richmond several years ago and buried in Hollow cemetery. I pledged Mr. McCONNELL every living member of Co. B would be at the unveiling of the monument when erected. I went over the field and could mark the spot where Col. BURGWYN, Capt. WILSON, Capt. McCRERY and others were killed.
I stayed at Gettysburg three days and promised the citizens of Gettysburg, Pa., it should not be forty years before I visited them again, and hoped never to receive such a hostile reception as they gave us in July, 1863. Give my best regards to Mrs. SIMPSON; tell her she must take good care of herself, and hope she will be soon well again. I often think of her as when we were at school together, when she was Sally WALKUP and I was Bad Tom CURETON.
If you have any public meeting in August let me know, as I would like to run over and spend a day or two seeing the boys of Co. B and all my friends. Remember me to R. A. MORROW and all the old company.
Yours truly,
T. J. CURETON.
MONROE JOURNAL, (Union County, NC) March 27, 1923
-At a meeting of the Camp Walkup U. C. V. last Saturday, arrangements were made for members to attend the Confederate veterans reunion which is to be held in New Orleans April 10th to 13th. It is expected that about 25 veterans from the local camp will attend the reunion this year… Commander S. E. Belk, of Camp Walkup, assisted by Major W. C. Heath, is making arrangements for the trip, looking forward to the comfort and pleasure of the soldiers who compose the party from Camp Walkup. The Union county commissioners, as will practically all the counties in the State, will furnish free transportation to the old soldiers. Those who have signified a desire to attend the New Orleans reunion are: David Starnes, A. W. McManus, W. G. Long, W. M. Perry, Conder Stinson, J. C. Hggins, J. S. Smith, A. Plyler, J. B. Broom, J. W. Byrum, Thos. F. Willeford, W. P. Plyler, Wm. McWhorter, Jas. A. Griffin, J. L. Yontz, S. E. Belk, B. A. Benton, R. M. Dry and Major W. C. Heath…
MONROE JOURNAL, (Union County, NC) Tuesday, May 8, 1923
-“Fifty-nine years ago on Saturday
and Sunday,” said Col. William McWHORTER, “we fought the Battle of the
Wilderness. I remember very well seeing Prof. Ray FUNDERBURK’s
grandfather shot down and dying. We
began fighting about two-thirty on Saturday evening and held GRANT’s army
in check. At day light next morning the Yankee’s began to charge up and kept up
their assault till nine o’clock, for GRANT was determined to annihilate LEE
that day if possible.” “Did he do it?” the old veteran was asked? “Lord, no,” shouted the Colonel and his old
comrade T. F. WILLEFORD who was with him. “Our right line was pushed back but LONGSTREET
came up and drove the Yankees off.
From the Wilderness GRANT followed LEE to the court house
and LEE outgeneralled him there….”
MONROE JOURNAL, (Union County, NC) Friday, May 11, 1923
-The Thin Gray Line Grows Yet Thinner on Memorial Day – Once again the Daughters of the Confederacy have placed flowers in honor of the dead and given the living old soldiers a dinner. But yesterday only 19 soldiers attended!… The veterans who were present yesterday were, S. E. BELK, commander, Henry B. SHUTE, J. W. BYRUM, James GRIFFIN, William McWHORTER, J. C. HUGGINS, J. R. LATHAN, Thos. E. WILLIAMS, B. H. BROOM, P. P. PLYLER, Thos. F. WILLEFORD, B. H. BENTON, Philip WHITLEY, J. P. BROOM, McCombs WINCHESTER, A. W. McMANUS, W. G. LONG, J. M. DOUGLAS….
-Company A, 48th regiment, made up of union county men, had 204 men in it and surrendered nine at Appomattox. Since then the ranks have grown thinner. Today, John H. WINCHESTER is the last living member of the company, unless James LOWRY, another member is yet alive in Georgia. Squire WINCHESTER has not heard from him in a long time and is not certain whether he is yet living.
-Capt. Bartley BENTON shaved himself before coming to the old soldiers dinner yesterday with a razor that cost him forty dollars, but it was a cheap razor at that, considering that he paid for it in Confederate money and has been using it ever since the battle of Bentonville in 1865. Three of his men were on picket duty at Bentonville and they killed a Yankee soldier, and as has been the custom since war began, they took what the soldier had. John SMITH got a five dollar bill, Evan HELMS his boots, and J. P. BROOM got his razor. HELMS and SMITH are dead now, but BROOM and BENTON were here yesterday and were talking about the incident, and recalled that Capt. BENTON bought the razor from BROOM for forty dollars.
-Two of the old soldiers here yesterday had rather interesting experiences in the matter of surrendering after the end of the war. They were Capt. Bartley BENTON and one of the members of his company, Mr. Philip WHITLEY. When they were returning after the surrender of JOHNSTON’s army near Durham, they decided to leave the train at Salisbury in order to avoid the Federal garrison at Charlotte. In getting off the train Mr. WHITLEY hurt his ankle and had to go on to Charlotte. The Yankees didn’t get him and he walked from there to Monroe and hasn’t surrendered yet. Capt. BENTON walked home from Salisbury and pretty soon he was reported as an officer who had not yet surrendered and taken the oath of allegiance, and so he walked to Charlotte and signed up.
MONROE JOURNAL, (Union County, NC) July 31, 1925
-There were four companies from this county in the historical and gallant 48th regiment. of Co. A there are now only three living members. These are Lieutenant James A. LOWRY of Mont Verde, Fla., Sherwood L. MULLIS and John H. WINCHESTER of this county. Lieut. LOWRY, who is visiting this county, has been to see both his old comrades and talked over war memories. These three remnants of their historic company stand a bit lonesome and necessarily are happy to see each other. Mr. LOWRY is 81, Mr. MULLIS is 87 and Mr. WINCHESTER is 93.
MONROE
JOURNAL, (Union County, NC) Fall
1947
Praise for soldier now long dead -
Mrs. Edna V. Funderburke of Dudley,
S.C., who used to write for the Monroe Journal, wrote an article in 1915 about
a Confederate soldier, John W. Threatt,
who had just died. The article is
republished as follows:
All deaths are sad but we attended a
burial on last Sunday afternoon that touched our hearts in a way not common to
all such occasions. Mr. John Wilson Threatt was born in the northern part
of Chesterfield County (S.C.) on March 24, 1836, died July 9, 1915, and was
buried July 11th at Zoar church.
The war record of Mr. Threatt is peculiarly interesting. If there ever was a man who laid his life on
the alter of sacrifice for our beautiful Southland without expecting any
reward, that man was John W. Threatt. He didn’t possess a foot of land, he never
owned a slave, and I reckon he never expected to own one, but when the call
came for volunteers, he forgot everything and fought for the land that he
called home as bravely and as heroically as did the man who had his thousands
at stake.
At the beginning of the War between
the States, he enlisted in Company 3, 8th South Carolina Regiment, under
Captain M. J. Hough at
Florence. He was in the following
battles: both battles of Manassas, Gettysburg, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Petersburg,
Harper’s Ferry, Cold Harbor, Gravel Hill, Deep Bottom, Spotsylvania, Battle of
the Wilderness, Seven Days Fight around Richmond, and in an encounter near the
Armstrong house in Virginia, where he was shot in the face.
There was one occasion that proved
the mettle of which he was made and showed him to be one of the bravest of the
brave. It was Berryville, Virginia. The flag was in the hands of Aaron Plyler when a Yankee shot broke his
wrist, but the flag did not fall. Just
as it was halfway down, John W. Threatt
caught it, and rushed up to where the shot was raining down like hail stones,
and shouted, “Rally to your flag, boys, follow your colors!”
Follow them they did, and captured
the Yankee breastworks, putting them to flight.
There were 18 holes through that flag in 15 minutes, as was learned
afterward by actual count. At the war’s
beginning, his regiment numbered 1,350 but it was reduced to 107.
Threatt
was married March 11, 1862, to Miss Emiline
Arant, who died 42 years afterward, leaving a son, J. S. Threatt, of Belleville, Georgia, one
daughter, Mrs. Minor Melton of Union
County. He married a second time to Miss
Rebecca Munn, who, with his
children, survive him. He joined the
Methodist Church in 1866 and Died in the Christian Faith.
The following Confederate veterans
attended the burial, the first seven acting as pallbearers: W.H. Funderburke, J.M. Funderburke, Willie Jenkins,
Moses Horne, Elic Osborne, H.H. West, James Cox, V.T. Chears, and Thomas Rorie.
As we stood there and saw those old
soldiers place the still, cold form of their comrade beneath the sod, we did not
wonder at the tears they shed as they thought of the hard days, and the dreary
nights they had spent together away from home and loved ones in their fight for
“The Lost Cause.”
We believe that if ever a man deserved a monument erected to his memory, J.W. Threatt was one of them, and some sweet day, when the Hills of Heaven shall bear on our sight, we expect to see the brave true spirit of John W. Threatt there resting in the light and the love of the God who never forgets.
Stash of Confederate Shoes Found in Monroe
Note: If you’re
looking specifically for Civil War information from this area,
be sure to check
out my newspapers
on this website.
Keep in mind that Many
Civil War stories were later published as the
veterans were aging,
attending reunions, passing away, etc.
More Union County, NC History!
More Union County, NC Civil War History!
This page originally created May 26, 2003 – Last updated January 24, 2009
ă2000 - 2009 - Julie Hampton Ganis
The data contained here may be used by non-commercialentities, as long as this message remains on allcopied material. These pages may NOT be reproducedin any format for profit or for presentation by otherpersons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the site owner.