Civil War Days and
The Folks at Home in Hertford County

  On the 8th of Feb.1862  the Confederates  lost control of Roanoke Island and the Albemarle Sound and the Chowan River! fell to the Feds. under Gen. Burnside. From that time until the end of the war Federal gunboats roamed the Chowan and raided at will the plantations, fisheries,  and villages located along the river -- seizing cotton and food stores and burning all the buildings nearby if any resistance was offered by the owners or the local military (which consisted almost entirely of older men and boys as all able bodied local men were with the CSA Army either in Virginia or at some other battle field).

Winton Exjpedition Feb. 1862
sketch by Pvt. Charles Johnson July 1862

July 1863 at Winton

 Yankees Burn Winton! 20 Feb 1862 

the Union gunboat "Commodore Perry"
participated in raid
photo U. S. Naval Historical Center, Wash. DC

 from  John W. Moore's Historical Sketches of Hertford County [1877]:  
            (page 124 David Powell's reprint.)

 "It is impossible to convey an idea of the alarm and distress pervading the Albemarle region on the reception of the news from the coast. The Federal gun boats were momentarily expected by every one living near the water courses. Lieut. Col. W. T. Williams of Nash with a battalion of six companies of Infantry with Nichols light battery from Petersburg, VA, occupied Winton. On Feb 20th 1862 three Federal steamers passed up the river and were fired upon by Col. Williams command.  They fell back to Barfields, and having shelled Winton to their hearts content, landed a party, who upon approaching the village, found that every man, infantry and artillery, who were sent for its protection, had most ingloriously fled in the direction of Murfreesboro. The ruthless invaders after burning the Court House of the place that it was used as quarters for the troops, proceeded to apply the torch to the Hotel and almost every private house in the village.

 Winton aflame 20 Feb 1862
drawn by Pvt. Charles Johnston of the Hawkins Zouaves July 1862

  This state of affairs produced a change in our condition in eastern North Carolina.  There was a speedy exodus of the free Negroes to Roanoke Island accompanied by a few obscure white men who were either deserters from the Confederate army or fugitives from conscription. Many of these known as Buffaloes, became agents and spies of the enemy, and made frequent midnight visits to the slaves and disaffected whites to procure recruits for the Federal army. By degrees these people became infamous and intolerable. They ran off slaves and plundered smoke houses until summary vengeance made their visits too full of peril to be often indulged in. These miscreants were never numerous in Hertford, and their misdeeds were confined generally to the neighborhood of the Chowan river."

 from  John W. Moore's Historical Sketches of Hertford County [1877]:  
            (page 141 David Powell's reprint.)

He offered this letter from his wife as his only defense.

  " My Dear Edward -
 I have been always proud of you,
 and since your connection with the Confederate army, 
I have been prouder of you than ever before. 
I would not have you do anything wrong for the world;
 but before God, Edward, unless you come home,
  we must die. 
Last night I was aroused by little Eddie's crying. 
I called and said, "What is the matter, Eddie?" 
And he said, 'O mama I am so hungry.' 
And Lucy, Edward, your darling Lucy,
 she never complains but she is growing thinner every day.
And before God, Edward, unless you come home, 
  we must die.  
 Your,  Mary."

Asked what he did on reception of the letter, Cooper replied he had made three separate and ineffectual applications for a furlough and then resolved to visit his home at whatever cost. There his wife was broken-hearted at learning he was absent without leave and "I am here gentlemen, not brought by military power, but in obedience to the command of Mary, to abide the sentence of your court."

As it was the plain duty of the court, Edward Cooper was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to death. 

 But General Lee upon reviewing the case, approved the finding, but pardoned the prisoner and ordered him to report for duty to his battery.

 from an unidentified Bertie County citizens' account to the Petersburg Express contained in the Bower papers; included in Gerald W Thomas "Divided Allegiances"

 "About 9 p.m. several Yankee gunboats came unexpectedly up the Chowan River, and landed 500 men at Mr. Etheridge's near Colerain. They marched at once to Mars Hill." Buffaloes led Maxwell's soldiers marching on back roads. 200,000 pounds of pork had been accumulated at Mars Hill. A twenty-one man detachment from Capt, Jesse G Holliday's company of the 15th Battalion North Carolina Cavalry guarded the pork. Maxwell's troops totally surprised and routed Holliday's troopers. The Federals burned the pork. The Union soldiers marched back to Colerain, confiscating livestock, rescuing slaves and capturing a number of citizens along the way. One citizen reports the Yankees also vandalized homes, destroyed personal property, treated females insultingly, and attempted to "produce a state of starvation" by destroying a gristmill and the grain stored in it as they marched back toward the Chowan River and the waiting gunboats. This expedition proved to be the most destructive of the Yankee raids in Bertie County during the war.
 At Colerain a small band of Confederate soldiers from Bethlehem, Hertford Co having been alerted to the raid attacked Maxwell's force before it could reboard the gunboats. 

the clerk for the 103rd Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry

 "On the 26th an expedition for a simular purpose was sent out under the same officers, the enemy rates the loss this time at about 200,000 pounds, many horses with cavalry equipments, mules, wagons, carts, etc were taken and considerable property of the enemy destroyed. This in Bertie County; both expeditions immensely successful with no loss on our side, but one man wounded and one man missing."

 from letter from Col. James W. Hinton, commander of the 68th Regt. NC Troops, who was responsible for protection and monitoring Fed activity in Hertford and Bertie Counties to Gov. Vance; Gov. Vance's papers at the State Archives in Raleigh; letter included in Gerald W Thomas "Divided Allegiances"]

 written from Murfreesboro, NC 4 Feb, 1864, Col. Hinton  wrote:

 "At the time the meat was burned I had two companies of infantry stationed about four miles from where the meat was stored. The balance of my infantry command which consisted of detachments of companies then being brought across the Chowan & numbering less than 200 men were encamped about two miles from this place. Wynn's Cavalry Battalion was also stationed here doing picket & courier service in conjunction with Griffen's Cavalry as low as Harrellsville. I had also three pieces of artillery stationed here.

 I received a dispatch from Edenton Monday night [Jan. 25] stating that the enemy would in the course of four or five days attempt to burn Mizzell's meat. As soon as I received the dispatch I sent Captain Holliday's company of cavalry below with orders to prep all the team that could possibly be obtained and have Mizell's meat moved at once. The next morning I started below with all the force I had-- Artillery, Cavalry & Infantry. Before I had gotten four miles from Murfreesboro I received a dispatch that the meat had already been burned. When I arrived at Bethlehem about four miles from the place where Mizell's meat was stored I learned these facts: Holliday and his Cavalry company reached the place where the meat was stored 9 o'clock at night. At three o'clock of the same night the enemy 600 strong came upon him by superior force drove him back & burned the meat. Having Buffaloes with them familiar with the whole county they were enabled to march the entire distance from their gunboats without touching the main road.

 I knew not until the day before the burning that there was any considerable amount of meat there. If I had, knowing my inability to protect it I should have..... had it removed.

 It is as much as I can do, with the small force at my command, to protect the meat interest at this point  & if I divide the force neither will be protected. It is fifty-two miles from this place to the mouth of the Chowan & the enemy can land at almost any point they may want to land at. You will readily see that it is actually impossible for me to protect so long a line with so small a force."

from a letter of Dr. Godwin Cotten Moore of Mulberry Grove to his brother in law Turner Westray of Rocky Mount dated 8 Feb 1865.

   "We are kept constantly in a state of apprehension, either by a Yankee advance or a night visit of the Buffaloes. The provisions laid up for a years supply of the family are in constant jeopardy. The visits of robbery to those having provisions and other valuables in this country are almost a nightly occurrence. They came to one of my nearest neighbors on Friday night last and took off a cart load of bacon, clothing, and other valuables. How soon they may rouse me from my chamber & demand my keys, God only knows, but every morning when I awake and find everything safe, I feel that I am under new and special obligations to my divine protector. . . .When my neighbors wife (for he is in the army) was despoiled of at least half of her living, the State had 1000 men between her and the Yankee line (the Chowan River). But these robbers are living in our midst, they know where the troops are stationed, and easily avoid their pickets. They are deserters or fugitive conscripts, outlying in our swamps or pocoson. Dr. Weaver (his son in law) has been robbed of about 400 pounds of his meat, which was probably carried off by a band of these fellows. They did not arouse him from his sleep, but made forcible entrance to his smoke house & helped themselves. Are we to be subjected to this condition of things for much longer? Those in the Yankee lines beyond the river are much better off at present than we are. They are not, robbed, nor are they in constant apprehension of disturbances but I hope as Gov. Vance has at last sent down a force sufficient to drive the Yankees from Colerain, he will keep a part of it at least here until he has also driven beyond the river these robbers.
    Our people are dispirited and not animated by the same determined spirit of resistance as they have ever been before. And these peace men among the politicians, poisoning  mind of the Confederacy and unlettered masses by their violations and harangues, have done much to bring about the present condition of things. They have taught the masses to believe that the Confed. Gov't. is a despotism, having no sympathy with the people, regardless of every other feeling save its own promotion and attainment of its own desires, absorbing gradually the liberties now enjoyed by the people and establishing a military despotism. I think myself if one half of these liberty shriekers were thrown into prison at Salisbury with their dear friends the Yankees, our chances of ultimate success would be greatly increased. I feel confident, we had better stand by our army, and prepare to make effectual resistance if need be than trust the peaceful intentions of the Yankees. They will subjugate us if possible, and will only relax their efforts when compelled under the force of our resistance or outside pressure."

at UNC in Memorial Hall there were four long plaques high up on the wall on either side of the stage listing all of the university alumni killed in the Civil War.  I really had never paid very much attention to them. Over the weekend, I was looking through William S. Powell's "The First State University" published in the Seventies.  These four panels were reproduced in the book, and it was possible to read all of the names. There are a number of family connections.  The soldiers are listed by class.  The very first one is Gen. Leonidas Polk, whose sister married Kenneth Rayner.  Shortly after is Gen. Isham W. Garrott, who married the Major's first cousin Margaret Fletcher. Then there is is second cousin George B. Johnston, Greek tutor at UNC and son of the rector in Edenton. From Bertie County are Thomas M. Garrett, Stark A. Sutton and Thomas Watson Cooper.  Cooper was the
brother of Joseph W. Cooper, who married Dr. Wheeler's daughter Kate.  In the class of 1860, he was in Harvard Law School when the war started.  He was killed at Gettysburg.
 James E Moore's note 18 Feb 2003