Collection (1862-1865) including photocopies of correspondence, military orders, loyalty oaths, an invoice, a voucher, and a medical certificate related to the Civil War in North Carolina.
Rufus Greenleaf Norris was born on March 4, 1839, in Epping, NH. At the age of 22, he enlisted into the Union Army on April 10, 1861. On October 24, 1861, he was enlisted into Company B, Connecticut 11th Infantry Regiment and was later promoted to Full Private on August 15, 1862. In November of 1862, he was discharged from the army due to a disability. Norris passed away on April 8, 1873, at the age of 34.
The 1st United States Colored Infantry Regiment served the Union Army during the Civil War and comprised of African American men. The regiment was first organized on May 19, 1863, in Washington, D.C. and took part in several military campaigns before disbanding on September 29, 1865.
The 42nd Regiment was a regiment of the North Carolina Infantry. The regiment was organized in April of 1862 in Salisbury, NC. The troop consisted of at least 2,747 men from various counties in North Carolina. The regiment surrendered on April 26, 1865, alongside the Army of Tennessee.
Written April 2024
These chiefly unrelated papers comprise an artificial collection. The collection centers around military life and action in North Carolina during the Civil War. Most of the material pertains to Union troops. A calendar of the collection follows.
CORRESPONDENCE
1. March 3, 1862. From a Union solider at Croatan Sound to his wife. The letter is of a personal nature, but comments are made on chasing rebels without horses and military payrolls.
2. June 5, 1862. From Rufus G. Norris, a Union soldier at New Bern, to his brother, Albert Norris. Norris discusses personal and financial matters.
3. October 3, 1862. From George B. Dowell, a Confederate soldier at Camp Badger, to his father. Dowell discusses the yellow fever epidemic in Wilmington, He warns that anyone coming into North Carolina should not go through Wilmington. He also mentions sickness within the camp.
4. April 3, 1863. From a Confederate soldier of Company J, 42nd Regiment of N.C. State Troops stationed at Weldon, N.C., to his sister. The letter pertains to the morale and personal affairs of the writer.
5. May 19, 1863. Kinston, N.C. Most of the letter is not legible, but what can be read is of a personal nature.
6. May 22, 1863. From a Union soldier at New Bern, N.C., to his brother. The soldier comments on the good rations he and his company received while in Washington. He also describes the weather conditions and insect problems along with camp life in general. He gives an account of the capture of two hundred rebels by troops from New York during an engagement near New Bern. There are comments made by white men on gathering Black men from the surrounding area to send to Washington as a work force to build breastworks. The soldier also mentions the "1st Regiment of N.C. Colored Infantry".
7. March 11, 1865. From a soldier of the 71st Regiment of Michigan Light Artillery at British Cross Roads, N.C., to his wife. The soldier describes in detail an engagement with Confederate troops near Kinston. He discusses the wounded and dead.
8. March 22, 1865. From a soldier of the 71st Regiment of Michigan Light Artillery at Goldsboro, N.C., to his wife. He mentions the abundance of provisions and briefly discusses the battle of Bentonville.
9. March 23, 1865. From a Union soldier at Mt. Olive to his sister. This letter pertains to soldiers' morale and how correspondence helps it.
10. March 26, 1865. From a Union soldier at Mt. Olive to his sister. The soldier discusses personal affairs.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Petition. May 3, 1864. From James S. Hall to the Confederate government, asking that he not be conscripted into the military so that he can continue to farm.
Invoice of subsistence stores of Fort Fisher, N.C., Dec. 4, 1862.
Voucher to William Antes for travel expenses. March, 1864.
Medical Certificate of furlough for J.S. Segler. April 14, 1865.
Loyalty Oaths, 1865.
Gift of Mr. J. Craig Young
Processed by A. Cavenaugh, January 1983
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Descriptions updated by Ashlyn Racine, May 2023
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.