30th
Company K,
Colonel Francis Marion Parker Civilian
September-October
Remember
these Dates:
October 3 &
4, Jeb Stuart/Laurel Hill,
October 7th,
Joint 30th NCT/CFMPCA Meeting
October 17-18,
Cedar Creek Event
November 7-8,
From the Captain
July and August were typical summers months for the company, a light schedule and a cook out. We want to
thank the Lewiss for allowing the company to use their home and pool for the summer cookout. The food was great
and those that went swimming had a great time, and those that watched were entertained.
Several of our members went to
Ben Tart who made the opportunity to view the flags happen. As an additional treat, Ben was also able to allow us to
see and hold the flagstaff that was surrendered with the flag. The fingerprints of the men who held the staff could still
be seen in the stain on the staff. After a short discussion at the August meeting, weve decided to start a preservation
project for the flag, see below for more details.
I want to take a moment to welcome new members into the company. Monroe Weathers III joined in July after
having attended Bost Grist Mill.
the company is Darin and Sherry Haskell, son Tanner and daughter Marissa; in addition is Robert Stransky and
Jackie Greer, all of whom joined us at the
Please look at the schedule for the remaining events in
2009. We already have a good crowd going to
and the registration is $10, due to me by September 25th walk on is $15. Jeb Stuart is another event that looks like
well have a good attendance at, walk on fee is $10.
Doug Wright, Captain
30th NCT Co K
30th NCT Flag Preservation Project
During August several members of the 30th NCT and the CFMPCA
traveled to
which are stored at the North Carolina Museum of History. The flag of the 30th NCT that was surrendered at
never used in service. At our joint meeting in August the LHANC has decided to move forward with preserving the
company also made the decision to donate a portion of the proceeds to the flag preservation fund that was received
from the Bost Grist Mill event. I hope you all will consider a donation to the flag fund as this is a part of our history
and preserving this flag is saving of piece of what those men touched, saw and fought under, and we have an
opportunity to make a statement to them through this project. All donations will be tax deductible as the LHANC is
incorporated as a 501c3 organization.
2009 Events
oriented event hosted by our sister company the 21st NCT and Longstreets Corp. Registration is $10 walk-on.
October 7, 2009 Joint 30th
NCT/CFMPCA meeting. Ryans,
(http://www.cedarcreekbattlefield.org/ Cedar Creek is an anniversary event and therefore the event will likely be well
attended.
Nov 7-8, 2009 Ft Branch,
http://www.fortbranchcivilwarsite.com/ Earthen civil war fort with the original cannons from the Fort still on the
property in a museum on display. This event was one of the best we attended in 2008. Registration is $10 due by
September 25th . Make check payable to Doug Wright. Walk on is $15. The typical schedule is a battle on Saturday
afternoon and a tactical on Sunday morning. (Lee Gordon has requested the 30th NCT bring our blue uniforms in the
case we need to galvanize. If you recall, the 11th NCT galvanized for us at Bost Grist Mill.)
Anyone can attend, a good opportunity for meeting the battalion staff and socializing.
Eat at
http://www.goldsboroughbridge.com/ Event held on the original battlefield. Our organization has contributed to the
erection of a monument that is to be placed on this battlefield.
2010 Events
The schedule for the coming year is beginning to take shape. Please contact me if you have any events in 2010 that
we need to consider for attendance. Bentonville has already been made a Division and Regimental event.
January 2010 Winter Encampment, Bost Grist Mill
February,
http://www.bentonville145.com/ Registration is $8.00 per
individual (Mil & Civ) until
Walk ons (under 12 are free, but must register).
April 2010 Cold Harbor-Appomattox (anticipated)
July 17-18, Latta
Plantation,
Member in Armed Forces
We continue to remember
his fiancι, Ginger, will be wed in
a Civil War ceremony in
Spc. Dee Kimmer
Cop Meade Bravo
Taskforce 1/113 FA 30 HBCT
KINDRED SPIRITS
The Robert E Lee Heritage Association meets the 2nd Thursday of each month. Contact person for the group is John Ellis,
Phone: H 704-847-4812, W 704-839-6576
The Civil War Roundtable meets the 3rd Thursday of each
month at the
0165. The CWRT often has interesting speakers on various topics of the civil war.
I printed part one of this series in the Nov-Dec issue of our newsletter. This part has some
interesting seqways of the daily life of a soldier on the march.
Detailed Minutiae Of Soldier Life
In The Army Of
BY
Private of Second company Richmond Howitzers, Cutshaw's Battalion.
Paper No. 3. --On The March
It is a common mistake of those who write on subjects familiar to themselves, to omit that
particularity of description and detailed mention which, to one not so conversant with the matters
discussed, is necessary to a clear appreciation of the meaning of the writer. This mistake is all the more
fatal when the writer lives and writes in one age and his readers live in another.
And so a soldier, writing for the information of the citizen, should forget his familiarity with the
every day scenes of soldier life and strive to record even those things which seem to him too common
to mention. Who does not know all about the marching of soldiers? Those who have never marched
with them and some who have. The varied experience of thousands would not tell the whole story of
the march. Every man must be heard before the story is told, and even then the part of those who fell
by the way is wanting. Orders to move! Where? when? what for? --are the eager questions of the men
as they begin their preparations to march. Generally nobody can answer, and the journey is
commenced in utter ignorance of where it is to end. But shrewd guesses are made, and scraps of
information will be picked up on the way. The main thought must be to "get ready to move." The
orderly sergeant is shouting "fall in" and there is no time to lose. The probability is that before you get
your blanket rolled up, find your frying pan, haversack, axe, &c., and "fall in" the roll call will be over,
and some "extra duty" provided. No wonder there is bustle in the camp. Rapid decisions are to be made
between the various conveniences which have accumulated, for some must be left. One fellow picks up
the skillet, holds it awhile, mentally determining how much it weighs, and what will be the weight of it
after carrying it five miles, and reluctantly, with a half ashamed, sly look, drops it and takes his place
in ranks. Another having added to his store of blankets too freely, now has to decide which of the two
or three he will leave. The old water bucket looks large and heavy, but one stout hearted, strong armed
man has taken it affectionately to his care.
This is the time to say farewell to the bread tray, farewell to the little piles of clean straw laid
between two logs, where it was so easy to sleep; farewell to those piles of wood, cut with so much
labor; farewell to the girls in the neighborhood; farewell to the spring, farewell to "our tree" and "our
fire" good bye to the fellows who are not going, and a general good bye to the very hills and valleys.
Soldiers commonly threw away the most valuable articles they possessed. Blankets, overcoats,
shoes, bread and meat, all gave way to the necessities of the march; and what one man threw away
would frequently be the very article another wanted and would immediately pick up. So there was not
much lost after all.
The first hour or so of the march was generally quite orderly -the men preserving their places in
ranks and marching with a good show of order; but soon some lively fellow whistles an air, somebody
else starts a song, the whole column breaks out with roars of laughter, "route step" takes the place of
order, and the jolly singing, laughing, talking and joking that follows none could describe.
Now let any young officer dare to pass along who sports a new hat, coat, saddle, or anything new,
or odd, or fine, and how nicely he is attended to.
The expressions of good natured fun, or contempt, which one regiment of infantry was capable of
uttering in a day for the benefit of passers by, would fill a volume. As one thing or another in the dress
of the "subject" of their remarks attracted attention, they would shout, "Come out of that hat! -you
can't hide in thar" "Come out of that coat, come out -there's a man it it" "Come out of them boots!!"
The infantry seemed to know exactly what to say to torment cavalry and artillery.
If any one on the roadside was simple enough to recognize and address by name a man in the
ranks, the whole column would kindly respond, and add all sorts of pleasant remarks, such as, "Halloa,
John, here's your brother!" "Bill!!, oh Bill!!!, here's your ma!" "Glad to see you! --How's your
grandma?" "How-dye do!" "Come out of that 'biled(boiled-clean) shirt'!"
Troops on the march were generally so cheerful and gay that an outsider looking on them as they
marched would hardly imagine how they suffered. In summer time, the dust, combined with the heat,
caused great suffering. The nostrils of the men, filled with dust, became dry and feverish, and even the
throat did not escape. The "grit" was felt between the teeth, and the eyes were rendered almost useless.
There was dust in eyes, mouth, ears and hair. The shoes were full of sand, and penetrating the clothes,
and getting in at the neck, wrists and ankles, the dust, mixed with perspiration, produced an irritant
almost as active as cantharides. The heat was at times terrific, but the men became greatly accustomed
to it, and endured it with wonderful ease. Their heavy woollen clothes were a great annoyance. Tough
linen or cotton clothes would have been a great relief; indeed, there are many objections to woollen
clothing for soldiers even in winter. The sun produced great changes in the appearance of the men.
Their skins were tanned to a dark brown or red, their hands black almost, and, added to this the long,
uncut beard and hair, they too burned to a strange color, made them barely recognizable to the
homefolks.
If the dust and the heat were not on hand to annoy, their very able substitutes were. Mud, cold,
rain, snow, hail and wind took their places. Rain was the greatest discomfort a soldier could have. It
was more uncomfortable than the severest cold with clear weather. Wet clothes, shoes and blankets;
wet meat and bread; wet feet and wet ground; wet wood to burn, or, rather, not to burn; wet arms and
ammunition; wet ground to s]sleep on, mud to wade through, swollen creeks to ford, muddy springs,
and a thousand other discomforts attended the rain. There was no comfort on a rainy day or night
except in "bed" -that is, under your blanket and oilcloth. Cold winds, blowing the rain in the faces of
the men, increased the discomfort. Mud was often so deep as to submerge the horses and mules, and at
times it was necessary for one man or more to extricate another from the mud holes in the road.
Marching at night, when very dark, was attended with additional discomforts and dangers, such as
falling off bridges, stumbling into ditches, tearing the face and injuring the eyes against the bushes and
projecting limbs of trees, and getting separated from your own company and hopelessly lost in the
multitude.
Of course, a man lost had no sympathy. If he dared to ask a question, every man in hearing would
answer, each differently, and then the whole multitude would roar with laughter at the lost man, and
ask him "if his mother knew he was out?"
Very few men had comfortable or fitting shoes, and less had socks, and, as a consequence, the
suffering from bruised and inflamed feet was terrible. It was a common practice, on long marches, for
the men to take off their shoes and carry them in their hands or swung over their shoulder.
When large bodies of troops were moving on the same road the alternate "halt" and "forward "
was very harassing. Every obstacle produced a halt and caused the men at once to sit and lie down on
the road side where shade or grass tempted them, and about the time they got fixed they would hear the
word "forward!" and then have to move at increased speed to close up the gap in the column.
Sitting down for a few minutes on a long march is pleasant, but it does not always pay. When the
march is resumed the limbs are stiff and sore, and the man rather worsted by the rest.
About
that a well was not far ahead, and start off in a trot to reach it before the column. Of course another
followed and another, till a stream of men were hurrying to the well, which was soon completely
surrounded by a thirsty mob, yelling and pushing and pulling to get to the bucket as the windlass
brought it again and again to the surface. Impatience and haste soon overturn the windlass, spatter the
water all around the well till the whole crowd is wading in mud, and now the rope is broken and the
bucket falls to the bottom. But there is a substitute for rope and bucket. The men hasten away and get
long slim poles, and on them tie, by their straps, a number of canteens, which they lower into the well
and fill, and, unless, as was frequently the case, the whole lot slipped off and fell to the bottom, drew
them to the top and distributed them to their owners, who at once threw their heads back. inserted the
nozzles in their mouths and drank the last drop, hastening at once to rejoin the marching column,
leaving behind them a dismantled and dry well. It was in vain the officers tried to stop the stream
making for the water, and equally vain to attempt to move the crowd while a drop remained accessible.
Many who were thoughtful carried full canteens to comrades in the column who had not been able to
get to the well, and no one who has not had experience of it knows the thrill of gratification and delight
which those fellows knew when the cool stream gurgled from the battered canteen down their parched
throats.
In very hot weather, when the necessities of the service
allowed it there was a halt about
an hour or so, to rest the men and give them a chance to cool off and get the sand and gravel out of
their shoes. This time was spent by some in absolute repose but the lively boys told many a yarn,
cracked many a joke, and sung many a song between "halt" and "column forward!". Some took the
opportunity, if water was near, to bathe their feet, hands and face, and nothing could be more
enjoyable.
The passage of a cider cart (a barrel on wheels) was a rare and exciting occurrence. The rapidity
with which a barrel of sweet cider was consumed would astonish any one who saw it for the first time,
and generally the owner had cause to wonder at the small return in cash. Sometimes a desperately
enterprising darkey would approach the column with a cart load of pies "so called." It would be
impossible to describe accurately the taste or appearance of these pies. They were generally similar in
appearance, size and thickness to a pale specimen of "Old Virginia" buckwheat cakes, and had a taste
which resembled a combination of rancid lard and crab apples. It was generally supposed that they
contained dried apples, and the sellers were careful to state that they had "sugar in 'em" and "was
mighty nice." It was rarely the case that any "trace" of sugar was found, but they filled up a hungry
man wonderfully. Men of sense, and there were many such in the ranks, were necessarily desirous of
knowing where or how far they were to march, and suffered greatly from a feeling of helpless
ignorance of where they were and whither bound --whether to battle or camp. Frequently, when
anticipating the quiet and rest of an ideal camp, they were thrown, weary and exhausted, into the face
of a waiting enemy, and at times, after anticipating a sharp fight, having formed line of battle and
braced themselves for the coming danger, suffered all the apprehension and gotten themselves in good
fighting trim, they would be marched off in the dryest and prosiest sort of style and ordered into camp,
where, in all probability, they had to "wait for the wagon," and for the bread and meat therein, until the
proverb, "Patient waiting is no loss," lost all its force and beauty.
Occasionally, when the column extended for a mile or more, and the road was one dense moving
mass of men, a cheer would be heard away ahead and increasing in volume as it approached until there
was one universal shout. Then some general favorite officer would dash by, followed by his staff, and
explain the cause.
At other times, the same cheering and enthusiasm would result from the passage down the column
of some obscure and despised officer, who knew it was all a joke, and looked mean and sheepish
accordingly.
The men would generally help each other in real distress, but their delight was to torment any one
who was unfortunate in a ridiculous way. If, for instance, a piece of artillery was fast in the mud, the
infantry and cavalry passing around the obstruction would rack their brains for words and phrases
applicable to the situation and most calculated to worry the cannoneers who, waist deep in the mud, are
tugging at the wheels.
Brass bands, at first quite numerous and good, became very rare and the music very poor in the
latter years of the war. It was a fine thing to see the fellows trying to keep the music going as they
waded through the mud. But poor as the music was, it helped the footsore and weary to make another
mile, and encouraged a cheer and a brisker step from the lagging and tired column.
As the men became tired, there was less and less talking, until the whole mass became quiet and
serious. Each man was occupied with his own thoughts. For miles nothing could be heard but the
steady tramp of the men, the rattling and jingling of canteens and accoutrements, and the occasional
"close up, men, --close up!" of the officers. As evening came on, questioning of the officers was in
order, and for an hour it would be, "Captain, when are we going into camp?" "I say, lieutenant! are we
going to or to blank?" "Seen anything of our wagon?" "How long are we to stay here?" -"Where's the
spring?" Sometimes these questions were meant simply to tease, but generally they betrayed anxiety of
some sort and a close observer would easily detect the seriousness of the man who asked after "our
wagon," because he spoke feelingly as one who wanted his supper and was in doubt as to whether or
not he would get it.
Many a poor fellow dropped in the road and breathed his last in the corner of a fence, with no one
to hear his last fond mention of his loved ones. And many whose ambition it was to share every danger
and discomfort with their comrades, overcome by the heat or worn out with disease, were compelled to
leave the ranks, and while friend and brother marched to battle, drag their weak and staggering frames
to the rear, perhaps to die, pitiably alone, in some hospital, and be buried as one more "Unknown."
An accomplished straggler could assume more misery, look more horribly emaciated, tell more
dismal stories of distress, eat more and march further (to the rear), than any ten ordinary men. Most
stragglers were real sufferers, but many of them were ingenious liars, energetic foragers, plunder
hunters and gormandizers. Thousands who kept their place in ranks to the very end were equally as
tired, as sick, as hungry and as hopeless as these scamps, but too proud to tell it or use it as a means of
escape from hardship.
Source: Southern Historical Society Papers. Vol. III.
2009 30th NCT Military Staff
Captain: Doug Wright: Commanding Officer, Registration, Treasurer, and Newsletter... .
1st Lt. Daniel Honeycutt: Unit Historian, Website, Recruiting ...
1st Sgt: Rob Weltner: Personnel, Ordinance, ... . ..
2nd Sgt. Aaron Lawing: Squad Leader, Quartermaster, Recruiting.. ..
Cpl Chris Wright: Squad Leader
Cpl Corey Ours: Squad Leader ..
Cpl Jason Porter: Squad Leader ..
2009 Board of Directors: Chairman: Shaun Gibson. Board members: Slade Parker and Bob Weltner
Colonel Francis Marion Parker Civilian Alliance 2009
Staff
Co-Chair/Treasurer: AnnaLuree Wright Co-Chair: Pat Hilderman
Quarter Master: Cliff Grimsley
E -Communications:
Commanding Officer, Doug Wright . dbwright15@email.com
Chairman, Board of Directors, Shaun Gibson sgibson26@carolina.rr.com
30th NCT Website Information . dannyd0279@aol.com
30th NCT Website . www.30thNCT.org
1st Division Army of Northern Virginia website www.bonnieblue.net
4th Regiment ANV (1st NC Battalion) www.1stncbattalion.org
9th
Note: For the purpose of insurance coverage, the "Future Events" listed in this newsletter constitute the official schedule for the Living History
Association of North Carolina, Inc. (30th
N.C.T.,
the Army of Northern Virginia is
covered by insurance which is coordinated by Jennifer Haines,
address: rebels49th@yahoo.com. All members are required to have coverage to participate with the LHANC at events. Capt Steve Hall is the
coordinator the 4th Regt ANV. The appearance of "30th NCT", "1st NC Btn." and/or "ANV" in parenthesis after each Future Event indicates that one or
more of these organizations has designated that event to be a maximum effort event for that organization. Registration: This newsletter will list the
sponsors or host units registration deadline date for each event. You must have your registration fees to our EVENT REGISTRAR prior to his/her
deadline; otherwise you must register directly with the event sponsor.
It is history that teaches us to hope
Gen R.E. Lee