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1st NC at Bethel Church

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  • 1st NC at Bethel Church

    Greetings everyone,
    Right now I am currently researching the 1st NC Regt. in an effort to obtain a substantial knowledge of their history and involvement at the Battle of Big Bethel for a local interpretation at the end of January. So far what I have is a basic understanding in that the unit was raised from a variety of counties and elected D.H. Hill as their colonel on May 11 of 1861. 9 days later the state seceded from the Union and, recognizing the lack of uniformity in their troops, created a council on the 23rd of the same month. This council then issued General Order No. 1 on May 27, which stipulated the regulations for the new uniform.

    Regulation for the Uniform Dress and Equipment of the Volunteers and State Troops of North Carolina, May 27, 1861

    The uniform coat for all enlisted men shall be a sack coat of gray cloth (of North Carolina Manufacture) extending half way down the thigh, and made loose, with falling collar, and an inside pocket on each breast, six coat buttons down the front, commencing at the throat; a strip of cloth sewed on each shoulder, extending from the base of the collar to the shoulder seam, an inch and a half wide at the base of the collar, and two inches wide at the shoulder; this strip will be of black cloth for Infantry, red for Artillery and yellow for Cavalry.
    In particular I am currently researching the uniforms seen at the time the unit was sent to Hampton, where they were sent to Bethel Church to guard the bridge leading into York County. I can not find any information from what I have here and what I can find online as to the equipment they had at the time. I hesitate to believe they already had the uniforms described by the guidelines, seeing as how the battle was fought on the 10th of June and the order is dated the 27th of May.
    There is an image in the book Still More Confederate Faces(Serrano) on page 57 of an officer from the Lafayette Light Infantry (a pre-war militia unit which later became Co. F of the 1st NC) in which he is wearing a dark blue untrimmed double-breasted frock coat with shoulder scales. His trowsers are of the same color and have no evidence of a stripe along the outer seam. on the table next to him is an M1851 shako with a plume of ostrich feathers (red and white) and brass (or other metal) letters LFLI inside a brass wreath. This image has no date along with it but is said to belong to the Greensboro Historical Museum.
    This leads me to ask, did the company still have their prewar uniforms when they were sent to Virginia, were they wearing civilian garments, or perhaps a mix of prewar uniforms minus the resented shakos? This is of course only one company, but if anyone has any information on any of the companies of the 1st NC it would be of great help.

    Patrick Smith
    Last edited by LonestarRifles; 12-30-2006, 05:41 PM. Reason: mispelling
    W. Patrick Smith

  • #2
    Re: 1st NC at Bethel Church

    Patrick,

    Perhaps this will at least spur some useful discussion of your question - Have a look at the reference book produced by Greg Mast, entitled "State Troops and Volunteers: A photographic record of North Carolina's Civil War Soldiers". Vol 1 was published in 1995, by the NC Div of Archives & History.

    Therein are many early images of 1st NC soliders and officers. Mast indicates that a Charlotte NC newspaper, 'the "Charlotte North Carolina Whig" published on 19 March 1861 contained a synopsis of a recently passed law of the NC assembly in February 1861 - the law directed that state militia units uniforms should be made of "cadet gray", but simultaneously allowed militia units to also wear their extant uniforms - (which photo evidence bears out varied a great deal in both pattern and cloth) unless they were called into state service. As if that is not as clear as mud...

    Point is, you will see many images of early NC vols wearing a mix of locally tailored militia uniforms, some attempting to conform with US army regulations of the
    1850's - as well as a few more creative, ornate ones - note that soliders from several volunteer companies that became the 1st NC are shown in Mast's book (1995) wearing a wide range of gray and blueish hued uniforms and patterns. I am not aware of any extant data demonstrating the 1st NC received the "state" uniforms before the battle at Big Bethel, but would like to see it -

    Just as an interesting side bar, check this example out if you can get the book: cf - p.12 (Mast, 1995) - a young fellow by the name of Meshack F. Hunt, who served with the Rowan Rifle Guards (Rowan County) is found wearing what appears to be a dark blue single breasted frock coat, with hooks for shoulder scales, as well as a dark blue forage cap - similar style to the soldier you mentioned. The Rowan Rifles would go on to become Co K of the 4th NC infantry.

    Consider this - in a letter from one of the 1st NC soldiers, L t. Cary Whitaker, to his brother Lawrence Whitaker who was at home in Enfield, NC. (original document is held in the Southern Historical Society collection at Chapel Hill NC, dated 31 May 1861 - sorry, I am unable cite the entire document here - this is from my bad memory- but it was apparently written while the 1st NC was camping at Yorktown,VA, near Bethel Church). Cary Whitaker indicates they were still wearing blue uniforms at Yorktown - and having a great deal of difficulty drawing state uniforms from the Raliegh depot - back home, his brother Lawrence was trying to raise money to buy new clothes and supplies for the Enfield Blues company. If this letter can be considered to generalize, I doubt the regiment had the state supplied uniforms before June 1861 if companies were scrambling to buy new clothes for themselves.

    Hence, the exact pattern and ornamentation of their uniforms on or about 22 May 1861 I cannot stipulate, but Whitaker's letter suggests that his company still wore their blue uniforms - possibly those shown in the early photos in Mast (1995) - my guess is that they were wearing a variety of blue and gray colored and locally made clothing they had brought into the field as volunteer companies.

    I know there are many other NC sources out there for you to read - As a rule, NC sought to uniform and equip their own troops from the begining, but most information I have read suggests that NC regiments didnt consistently begin to receive the state coats etc. until mid June 1861 - probably those that were still training near Raliegh.

    You may also try getting in touch with the NC state archives and see if one of the staff there can offer you some insight - Its just a start, food for thought. Please let me know what you find out - I have been interested in this question for some time now.

    Phil "Grinch" Hatfield
    Phil Hatfield

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 1st NC at Bethel Church

      Patrick,
      Attached is a photo is an unknown member of the Enfield Blues of Halifax County (became Co. I, 1st NC). I do not have any more information then that. I saved the photo from an Civil War antique dealer several months back, but lost the link when I had to reformat my computer.

      The soldier wearing his militia uniform and is most likely taken right around secession. Now did the Enfield Blues wear them at Bethel, that I can not say, but if they did this is how Co. I would have been dressed as.

      If the photo will not upload, it can be found in the link in my signature, under "ID Confederate Soldiers" on page #2.

      Hope this helps,
      Attached Files
      Last edited by NY Pvt; 12-31-2006, 01:28 AM. Reason: photo may not upload check website
      Dane Utter
      Washington Guard

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 1st NC at Bethel Church

        In Craig Chapman's "More Terrible than Victory;North Carolina's Bloody Bethel Regiment, 1861-1865", he talks about how some volunteer groups disliked having to sleep in horse stables when they got to the COI at Raleigh because of their fine militia uniforms. He also states that some volunteer units had to do away with their militia uniforms to comply with state regulations, and this while in Raleigh. Does that mean they all wore state uniforms when they got to Richmond and Yorktown? Not really, and the pictures of the 1st soldiers I've seen (Egbert Ross, Charles Cook, John T. Jones, Henry Lawson Wyatt) have been with them in their militia uniforms. Heck, Col. Hill had already dispatched Companies F, H, and K to Richmond on May 20, so if you take that literally with the information available, there's no way those companies would have been wearing state issued uniforms. Hill did say that marching into Bethel, they were in heavy marching order. "It was a trying one, as it was made in heavy marching order, with knapsacks, haversacks, canteens, loaded cartridge boxes, often a Bible in the knapsack, and with a tin cup and extra pair of shoes dangling from either corner of the boxy affair," he wrote. He also stated they had muskets, and not rifles.

        I know this isn't much, but hopefully it helps.

        Regards,
        Tim Blackmon
        Hedgesville Blues
        SHOCKER MESS

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 1st NC at Bethel Church

          Patrick, as to the uniform regulations from General Orders #1, there is also an often overlooked line item that will shed some more light on this subject.

          [B][I]"#58: Articles not in accordance with the above prescribed unifrom, but already contracted for, or furnished to tropps, may be used until exhausted."[I][B]

          I would highly recommend going to the North State Rifles website and reading our research articles. You can see them here:



          Regards,

          Mark Berrier
          North State Rifles
          combinations@northstate.net
          Mark Berrier

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