Inventory of the Henry T. Bahnson Papers, 1890s, 1917

Collection Number 5035-z

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Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
block Descriptive Summary
block Administrative Information
block Online Catalog Headings
block Biographical/Historical Note
block Collection Overview
plus Detailed Description of the Collection
block Related Collections
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
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Descriptive Summary

Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Creator
Bahnson, Henry T. (Henry Theodore), 1845-1917.
Title
Henry T. Bahnson Papers, 1890s, 1917
Call Number
5035-z
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: 4
Abstract
Henry Theodore Bahnson was born in Lancaster, Pa., the son of George Frederic Bahnson, a Moravian bishop. In 1849, the family moved to Salem, N.C. Bahnson pursued theological studies at the Moravian Theological Seminary at Bethlehem, Pa. In 1862, Bahnson returned to North Carolina, where he served in the 2nd North Carolina Infantry Battalion until his capture at the Battle of Gettysburg. After six months of captivity divided between the Baltimore City Jail and Point Lookout, Md., he was exchanged and began service with the 1st North Carolina Sharpshooters Battalion. He served with this unit until his capture in the course of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, Va. After a brief internment in Virginia, he was released and made his way back to Salem, N.C. After the war, Bahnson studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; he spent the balance of his life practicing medicine in Salem, N.C.
The collection consist primarily of a series of notebooks that appear to have been produced by Henry T. Bahnson in the early 1890s. The notebooks are mostly devoted to details of Bahnson's service in the Confederate Army with the 2nd North Carolina Infantry Battalion until his capture at the Battle of Gettysburg and with the 1st North Carolina Sharpshooters Battalion after his release. They document various aspects of military life, including extensive discussions of foraging, picket duty, and the experience of battle. Included are anecdotes drawn from Bahnson's everyday military experiences. The notebooks also contain an account of Bahnson's time as a prisoner in the Baltimore City Jail, during which he was removed from solitary confinement in order to make room for the Confederate spy Belle Boyd. There is brief mention of his transfer to the Union detention camp at Point Lookout, Md. The notebooks contain accounts of the Confederate retreat from Petersburg, Va., to Appomattox Court House; a brief encounter with General Robert E. Lee; details of Bahnson's capture; and a brief exchange between Bahnson and the Union cavalry general Philip Sheridan as Bahnson was being led away from the battle to prison. Also included is a program from Bahnson's funeral in 1917.

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Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions.
Alternate Form of Material
Microfilm copy (filmed 2005-2006) available.
Reel 1: Entire collection
Acquisitions Information
Received from Archie H. Davis of Savannah, Ga., in July 2000 (Acc. 98689).
Processing Information
Processed by: John Foster, November 2000
Encoded by: John Foster, November 2000
Revisions: Finding aid updated in May 2005 by Nancy Kaiser.
Funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., supported the microfilming of this collection.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Henry T. Bahnson Papers #5035-z, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Appomattox Campaign, 1865.
Bahnson, Henry T. (Henry Theodore), 1845-1917.
Boyd, Belle, 1844-1900.
Confederate States of America. Army--Military life.
Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Infantry Battalion, 2nd.
Confederate States of America. Army. North Carolina Sharpshooters Battalion, 1st.
Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863.
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Soldiers--Confederate States of America.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives, Confederate.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons.
Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
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Related Collections

Virgina and North Carolina Construction Company Record Book (#5030-z).
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Biographical/Historical Note

Henry Theodore Bahnson was born on 4 March 1845 in Lancaster, Pa. His father, George Frederic Bahnson, was a Moravian bishop. In 1849, the family moved to Salem, N.C. Henry Bahnson attended Salem Boys' School before transferring, in 1858, to Nazareth Hall in Pennsylvania, a prominent Moravian institution. He then undertook theological studies at the Moravian Theological Seminary at Bethlehem, Pa.

In 1862, Bahnson returned to North Carolina and enlisted in the Confederate Army. He served in Company G of the 2nd North Carolina Infantry Battalion until his capture at the Battle of Gettysburg. After six months of captivity divided between the Baltimore City Jail and Point Lookout, Md., he was exchanged and returned to service with the Confederate Army. After his return, he was assigned to Company B, 1st North Carolina Sharpshooters Battalion. He served with this unit until his capture in the course of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, Va. After a brief internment in Virginia, he was released and made his way back to Salem, N.C.

After the war, Bahnson studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and several European universities. He spent the balance of his life practicing medicine in Salem, N.C., participating in various civic and corporate bodies including service on the board of directors of the Virginia and North Carolina Construction Company. He died after an illness of several months on 16 January 1917.

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Collection Overview

The papers of Henry T. Bahnson consist primarily of a series of notebooks that appear to have been produced in the early 1890s. The notebooks are mostly devoted to details of Bahnson's service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War with the 2nd North Carolina Infantry Battalion until his capture at the Battle of Gettysburg and with the 1st North Carolina Sharpshooters Battalion after his release. They document various aspects of military life, including extensive discussions of foraging, picket duty, and the experience of battle. Included are anecdotes drawn from Bahnson's everyday military experiences. The notebooks also contain an account of Bahnson's time as a prisoner at the Baltimore City Jail, during which he was removed from solitary confinement in order to make room for the Confederate spy Belle Boyd. There is brief mention of his transfer to the Union detention camp at Point Lookout, Md. The notebooks contain accounts of the Confederate retreat from Petersburg, Va., to Appomattox Court House; a brief encounter with General Robert E. Lee; details of Bahnson's capture; and a brief exchange between Bahnson and the Union cavalry general Philip Sheridan as Bahnson was being led away from the battle to prison. Also included is a program from Bahnson's funeral in 1917.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Papers, 1890s, 1917.
4 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder 1
Notebook
Folder 2
Notebook
Folder 3
Notebook; funeral program, 1917

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