North Carolina Civil War Obituaries, Regiments 1 – 46:
A Collection of Tributes to the War Dead and Veterans

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North Carolina sent over 125,000 men and boys to service in the Civil War.  It is estimated that about 40,000 lost their lives through disease, accidents, or on the battlefield during the four war years.  It was a staggering number to deal with.

Previous to the war, death was a more private affair, with family and friends there to comfort the dying and bid him or her farewell.  Burials took place in the community in a churchyard or in a selected place where generations of a family lay.  But with the war, what would happen to the bodies of their loved ones—fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and other relatives so far away from home?

This book, a compilation of obituaries written in NC newspapers, seeks to answer that question—what happened to a loved one?  Thousands never had an obituary written; their bodies never reached home; others were so badly maimed they were beyond recognition; burial sites are long vanished into the landscapes.  Thousands of others had an obituary describing the death and that the body was being sent home.  But not all could be sent home even though an obituary was written and sometimes the writer would include directions where the deceased could be found.

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In North Carolina Civil War Obituaries, Regiments 1-46: A Collection of Tributes to the War Dead and Veterans, E.B. Munson has combed newspapers across the state to compile obituaries for 140 North Carolina Confederates who died during the war.  As Munson notes, “thousands of bodies never reached home and their burial sites in fields and valleys across Virginia and other states have long vanished into the landscapes” (p.3).  Some 35,000 to 40,000 North Carolinians lost their lives during the war in camps and hospitals and on the battlefield.  The lives of these sons, brothers, and husbands are acknowledged and affirmed in these brief but moving tributes.  In an editorial published on November 24, 1862, Raleigh’s Spirit of the Age decries the daily stream of death announcements that filled the columns of the paper: “‘Killed and wounded!’ Every name in that list is a lightning stroke to some heart, and breaks like thunder over some house, and falls a long black shadow upon some hearthstone.”  North Carolina Obituaries (242 pages; paper) is available for $39.95.

— Anne Miller, Historical Research Office, N.C. Office of Archives and History

 

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Many thousands of North Carolinians died during the Civil War, both from battle and disease.  The obituaries presented here are especially poignant.  In his skillfully written introduction, the author describes the importance families place on burial and the pain they endure when their loved ones die so far from home.  Most of the obituaries, found in twenty-two surviving newspapers from that era, appear as originally published.  The book is organized by Regiments, with the obituaries appearing in the order of date published.  In addition to the date and cause of death, many include the place of burial, names of relatives and details of military service.  End notes provide supplemental information about officers and selected others mentioned within the obituaries.  The book also includes, although to a lesser extent, obituaries for those who survived the war.  The author, recently retired from Joyner Library at East Carolina University, was the recipient of one of NCGS’s 2013 Awards for Excellence.

— North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 42.2 (May 2016).

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Obituaries have been reprinted in anthologies like this one.  This compilation is particularly effective since Munson has grouped these obituaries by regiment.

This lets family historians quickly see if obituaries of the soldiers serving with their ancestors contain more insights about the battles and experiences they shared together during the Civil War.

Highly recommended.  Munson’s book is essential for all North Carolina genealogists and military history buffs.  It will be used and relied on in libraries with serious genealogical collections and all libraries with Southern and Civil War collections.  It is a must-purchase.

— Thomas J. Kemp.  GenealogyBank.com.  April 21, 2016.

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In the historic Blanford Church in Petersburg, Va., the North Carolina stained glass window is inscribed “May God Bless North Carolina, R.E. Lee.”  The Tar Heel State supplied more manpower to the Confederacy than any other state. They suffered the highest casualties: over 33,500 were killed in action, mortally wounded or died of disease.

Also, Fort Fisher in Wilmington, N.C., was the last port closed to blockade runners.  The state was the last to surrender to Union forces when Gen. William T. Sherman accepted Gen. Joe Johnston’s surrender at Bennett Place, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.

E.B. Munson’s book pays tribute to the Old North State by taking a new approach to its soldiers’ ultimate sacrifices.  Many of the obituaries are of officers, NCOs or men who were the sons of prominent families back home.  Also, those who gained social status and success long after the war are well represented.

But when I sat down and did some serious reading, I found that there are many interesting stories on the rank and file.  Although I am limited by space, let me provide some examples.  James Briggs, 4th Regiment, was killed when a landslide collapsed a platform he was standing on and trapped him between two rail cars.

Pvt. James King, also of the 4th Regiment, was executed for desertion in June 1864.  Two minutes before he was to die, his only request was that his body be sent to his friends for a proper burial.

First Lt. Archibald McGregor, 18th North Carolina, quit a lucrative business that would have exempted him from military service.  Entering the first company to organize in his area, he was elected corporal.

On July 3, 1863, at Gettysburg, he was part of Maj. Gen. Isaac Trimble’s attaching force when the line began to falter.  With sword raised, McGregor rushed to the front and was said to have exclaimed, “Hurrah for Dixie! Follow me, boys.”  Going only a short distance, he was shot in the chest and died shortly after.

Nathan Brewer, 26th Regiment, survived a serious wound at Gettysburg and was captured near Petersburg in March 1865.  Surviving the war, he was doomed to die a horrible death on his own farm.

While threshing wheat, he caught his pant leg in the machinery, and the revolving rods pulled him in before the device could be shut down.  One leg was broken in several places and the other ripped completely off.  Suffering other wounds to his body, Nathan Brewer lay in agony for three hours before dying.

Another soul who did not have to be in harm’s way was Lt. Robert Small.  As a tutor in the Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Raleigh, he was honorably exempt from military service.  He, however, would not allow his comrades to endure the hardships and dangers of a soldier’s life while he “remained at home in luxury and ease.”

he volunteered as a private in Co. G, 46th North Carolina.  The enthusiastic and zealous Small as soon promoted to lieutenant.  In June 1864 he was mortally wounded in a skirmish near White Oak Swamp, Virginia.  He died in a Richmond hospital.

On page after page there are heart-rending stories.  Munson did an excellent job researching newspapers and other primary sources.  His work will be welcomed by professional genealogists and amateur researchers alike.  Many of the entries are long paragraphs containing useful personal information.

I wonder, however, why the book ends with the 45th North Carolina.  North Carolina regiments were numbered 1 to 68, and there were several special units.

Is another volume coming?  I hope so because Munson’s achievement is a valuable addition to the historiography of the State of North Carolina in the Civil War.

— Michael A. Cavanaugh, author, former editor/publisher of Civil War Book Exchange, now Civil War News (March 2016)

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Munson has gathered together for publication an impressive number of newspaper obituaries for soldiers from the First through Forty-sixth regiments of North Carolina Troops, which included infantry, cavalry and artillery units. “This compilation of obituaries from North Carolina newspapers documents the date and cause of death for hundreds of soldiers, with many providing place of burial, surviving relatives, last words, accounts by comrades and details of military service.” One can imagine that this book would be a must-buy for those conducting serious research into North Carolina regiments and soldiers.
— “Booknotes III: An All-North Carolina Affair”
Civil War Books & Authors.  September 13, 2015.

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“WOW!” — The Lone Star Review