Monthly Archives: June 2011

10 June 1861: “The Only Correct and Reliable Map of the Battle of Bethel!: From a Survey and Drawing”

Posted on 10 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Map of the Battle of Bethel (Va.), a battle fought on 10 June 1861. Many historians consider the Battle of Bethel (also known as the Battle of Bethel Church, or Big Bethel) to be the first land battle … Continue reading →

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9 June 1861: “John, I must tell you now about the fight our Company had yesterday.”

Posted on 9 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Letter, 9 June 1861, from William Porter, of the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment, to his brother John Porter, Swannanoa, N.C. Writing this letter from a Confederate encampment at Bethel Church, Va., Porter details a skirmish that occurred … Continue reading →

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8 June 1861: “His pistol a purchase of his own, a blanket, a skin to sleep on which could also answer to keep his knapsack dry.”

Posted on 8 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Grimball comments on the enlistment of her cousin, Lewis, and his subsequent departure for the battlefront in Virginia. Item citation: From the Margaret Ann Meta Morris Grimball Diary #975-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North … Continue reading →

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7 June 1861: “But if I was a whole crowd of fellows I could scarcely do all the things that they talk of setting me at.”

Posted on 7 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Letter, 7 June 1861, from Edward Porter Alexander to his wife Bettie. The letter describes Alexander’s activities at the beginning of the war including details on his responsibilities as an engineer and as organizer of the Confederate signal … Continue reading →

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6 June 1861: University of North Carolina commencement ball invitation and photograph of graduation marshals

Posted on 6 Jun ’11 by

Item 1 description: Invitation to the University of North Carolina commencement ball, 6 June 1861. Item 1 citation: From “University of North Carolina commencement, ball programs and other invitations,” catalog #VC378 UL, North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, University of North … Continue reading →

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5 June 1861: “…jurisdiction…is hereby ceded to the Confederate States of America, for the purpose of maintaining and erecting therein Arsenals, Magazines, or other necessary buildings…”

Posted on 5 Jun ’11 by

Item description: “An Ordinance Vesting in the Confederate States of America Jurisdiction Over Certain Tracts of Land in the Town of Fayetteville and County of Cumberland” No. 2. Item Transcription: [No. 2.] AN ORDINANCE VESTING IN THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF … Continue reading →

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4 June 1861: “Authority be given to purchase the three (3) boats.”

Posted on 4 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Telegram from Walter Gwynn, Norfolk, Va., to North Carolina Gov. John W. Ellis asking Ellis to authorize the purchase of three warships. Item citation: From folder 11 of the John Willis Ellis Papers, #242, Southern Historical Collection, The … Continue reading →

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3 June 1861: “We wanted a change of diet, but there were strict orders from Col. D. H. Hill that we should not go out foraging.”

Posted on 3 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Entry from the published diary (Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier, copyright 1913) of Louis Leon describing his experiences on 3 June 1861 around Bethel Church, Va. Item transcription: We changed camp several times, until about the … Continue reading →

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2 June 1861: “When I penned my last entry in March, we did not think we would have war, but we are mistaken.”

Posted on 2 Jun ’11 by

Item description:  Jesse Bernard recounts the state of the nation as it headed for war. He views war as increasingly inevitable. Item citation: From folder 3 in the Overton and Jesse Bernard Diaries #62-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of … Continue reading →

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1 June 1861: “There was a large meeting held in the Church…on account of the Orange Light Infantry Co. going to leave Chapel Hill…”

Posted on 1 Jun ’11 by

Item description: Minutes, 1 June 1861, of the University Baptist Church of Chapel Hill, N.C., with a note on the departure of the Orange Light Infantry Brigade from Chapel Hill. Item citation: From Volume 1 in the University Baptist Church … Continue reading →

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