To simply say that someone served in the Civil War (or any war) and leave it at that does that person an injustice, it seems to me. War is an easy word to say, but a terrible thing to experience. When first told that my great-grandfather, Daniel A. Troutman was a Confederate soldier, I was a child filled with romantic ideas about the Civil War from novels, such as Yankee Stranger, by Elswythe Thane. As I matured, I began to wonder what Daniel had experienced during the war. I sent to the National Archives for his service record. From those papers, I learned two significant events: he had been wounded at Sharpsburg and had been a prisoner of war at Point Lookout. What was his wound? What other battles did he see? What were the conditions at Point Lookout prison? From family stories, I knew that one of his brothers had been killed at Reams Station. What effect did that have on him? I found a written account of the 48th North Carolina Infantry's action during the war. Using the muster rolls and the account of the troops' movements from place to place and battle to battle, I began to piece together a timeline showing where Daniel was and when. Here's my timeline.
Daniel A. Troutman
48th
Reg’t North Carolina Infantry (State Troops), Co. C
Confederate
service time line
Daniel’s personal information, black.* (my comments, italics)
Troop
movements and action, grey. **
1862
March 1
Company Muster-in and Descriptive Roll
(CMDR): Enlisted at Statesville, Iredell Co.,
NC, by A. M. Walker. Described as 25 years old (according to his birthdate, 20 July 1835) he was
actually
26), a farmer, and 5’6” tall. (vol.)
April 11
48th NC was
organized with Colonel Robert C. Hill in command. Co. C officer in charge
was Arthur M. Walker, Captain.
April 17
CMDR: On
sick furlough from Camp Mangum, NC
Not stated (“in a
short while”)
Moved to Goldsboro
2nd wk
June
Moved to Petersburg, Va.,
and camped on Dunn’s Hill. Attached to Gen. Robert Ransome’s Brigade.
“one everning”
Took part in skirmish
at City Point with Yankee gunboats on James River. No on injured.
June 24
Marched to Richmond
and camped in the capital square
June 25
Marched to front line, and
about 4:00 PM had first battle at French’s Farm. Ransom
ordered Hill to move forward in
the open through a field on “a brigade of Yankees
behind a fence on the edge of a
the wood.” Virginia regiment to support them on the
right never showed. A Georgia
battalion from the left finally helped them hold their
ground. 21 killed, 46 wounded
of which 19 died. After “unpleasantness”
between
Ransom and Hill, the 48th
was detached from Ransom’s Brigade and placed under
the command of Brigadier
General John G. Walker.
June 26
Marched to
Gaines’ Mill where Stonewall Jackson had driven the enemy away 2 miles.
Camped on
that battlefield.
June 27
Recrossed the Chickahominy
river.
June 30
CMR (Company Muster Roll): Paid by Capt. L. C. Haines
July 1
Rejoined
General Walker at White Oak Swamp, too late for Malvern Hill battle, but
experienced
“severe shelling from gunboats” on the James River.
July 2
Moved to
Drewry’s Bluff.
Mid-July
Returned to
Petersburg where they were in camp until August (Camp Lee west of
Petersburg.
Aug.
Regiment was
“recruited by conscripts”; without time to drill them, the regiment was
Ordered to
march on the Maryland campaign.
Sept. 15
Took part in
the capture of Harper’s Ferry.
Sept. 16
Crossed the
Potomac at Shepherdstown. That night they were placed to guard a ford
on the
Antietam river, about 2 miles south of Sharpsburg.
Sept. 17
Battle
started early. About 9:00 AM Walker’s Division was ordered to the left to
support
Sonewall
Jackson. Arrived at the Dunkard Church,
1-1/2 miles north of Sharpsburg, at
11:00. Jackson’s line had been broken. “Kershaw’s and Hood’s Brigades had been
driven out of
a piece of woods west of the church and the enemy was coming into the
gap.” Walker’s division drove them back and held
the field. 48th NC occupied
“that part
of the line
at the church,” which was at the center of the regiment. They drove the
enemy out of
the woods and charged their line east to the church, but were “cut all to
pieces.” Lost
1/2 of the men killed or wounded. The
48th NC and 30th Va were sent to
the
left. Then about 4:00 PM, Hill was
ordered to the extreme left “where there was
some hard
fighting.” Marched in quick time over a
mile, but when they arrived,
Jackson’s men
had driven back the enemy. They marched back, arriving at Dunkard
Church about
dark where they camped. The 48th lost 31 killed, 186 wounded (Daniel
was one of the wounded).
Sept. 17
Roll of Honor:
Wounded at Sharpsburg (Pvt.)
Sept. 18
Recrossed the Potomac (Daniel was likely not with them but on his
way to a Richmond
hospital. During the time he was in the hospital, his
regiment joined several others to
form General John R. Cooke’s Brigade, beloning to General
H. Heth’s Division and A.
P. Hill’s Corps.)
Sept.-Oct.
CMR: Absent, sick at hospital (hospitalized at General Hospital #9, Richmond, VA,
inferred from next
record)
Oct. 31
Register of Receiving and Wayside Hospital, or General Hospital
No. 9: Transferred to
General Hospital #8, Richmond, VA
Oct. 31- Dec. 13
Medical Director’s Office, Richmond Va notes these admitted
and released dates.
Nov. 28
Receipt Roll at Gen. Hosp. No 8: clothing
Dec. 13
Register of Gen. Hosp. #8 (St. Charles Hosp.): Returned to duty. Illness listed as
ascites .
Dec. 13
Battle of Fredericksburg,
Va. The 48th suffered a heavy
loss, “being in the hottest of the
battle.” (Since Daniel was released from hospital on the same day, it’s likely
he missed
the action of this battle.)
4th Qr
Receipt Roll:
clothing
1863
Jan.-Feb.
CMR: Present (Pvt.)
Jan.
Sent to Pocataligo, SC where
they remained until April.
Feb. 28
CMR: Paid by Capt.
L. C. Haines
Mar.-Apr.
CMR: Present (2 Corpl.)
Apr.
Ordered back to eastern NC,
remained until July. Did a lot of marching and were in a
“little skirmish at Gum Swamp”
driving the Yankees to Red Banks, 8 miles from New
Bern. Went “from place to place” including Little
Washington, Tarboro, Weldon.
Apr. 30
CMR: Paid by Capt.
Hanes
May-June
CMR: Present (2 Corpl.)
July 1
Went to Richmond to guard the
city.
August
Went back to Fredericksburg
Sept.
Went to Gordonsville, joined
the regular army.
Sept. 10-28
Receipt Roll: “Commutation of Rations”
Oct. 14
Marched to Bristoe Station
where they suffered their heaviest loss, “charging a heavy
body of the enemy entrenched
behind a railroad.”
Date not stated
Fell back to Orange Court
House; went into winter quarters.
Dec. 8
(Above Receipt Roll is dated this date)
1864
Feb. 29
CMR: Paid by Capt.
Hanes
Mar.-Apr.
CMR: Present (Pvt.)
Mar. 11
Receipt Roll:
clothing
Apr. 30
CMR: Paid by Capt.
Thomas
May 4-5
Wilderness battle, heavy
fighting drove federals out of breastworks.
Date not stated
Heavy skirmish on Po river
May 12
Spotsylvania Court House,
losses light, not in the thick of the battle
May 25
Exposed to heavy shelling near
Hanover on the way to Richmond.
Date not stated
Turkey Bend (or Turkey Hill)
battle (Rebel yell drove away enemy)
June 3
Cold Harbor. Cooke’s Brigade was on the extreme left of
the confederate lines. Hardest
fought battle of the war for
them. Repulsed every charge, built a
good breastwork.
Charges ended about 6:00 PM. They
began marching about 9:00 that night.
“Next few days”
Went from place to place
“Next week”
Spent at Deep Bottom where they
battled “only flies.”
June 17
Receipt Roll for clothing
June 25
Receipt Roll for clothing
Date not stated
Returned to Petersburg. They
were ½ mile to the right of “the blow-up.”
Had crossed
the Potomac and were marching
toward Richmond when they heard the explosion.
They returned and took up their
position in the trenches the next day. They occupied the
position that had been blown
up. (Battle of The Crater took place on
July 30, 1864)
Date not stated
Built winter quarters on
Hatcher’s Run
Aug.
Several engagements, one at
Yellow House.
Aug. 24
Daniel’s brother John Burette Troutman was killed on this day at Reams Station.
Daniel’s brother John Burette Troutman was killed on this day at Reams Station.
Aug. 25
Reams Station—Charged a heavy
force of federals behind a breastwork, broke their
line and captured several
hundred prisoners and several pieces of artillery. The 48th
"fought valiantly and effectively" here.
Aug. 26
Marched back to Petersburg to
their position at the right of the lines.
Sept.-Oct.
CMR: Absent,
Prisoner of War Captured 1 Oct. 1864 ( Pvt.)
Oct. 1
Captured at Petersburg, specifically,
at Peebles Farm where where a fierce
battle was
Oct. 5
POW (Prisoners of War at Point Lookout, Md.): Arrived at City Point, Virginia (Pvt.).
Sent to Point Lookout Prison.
1865
May 14
POW (Roll of
Prisoners of War released at Point Lookout, Md., from May 12 to 14,
1865, on taking the oath of allegiance): Released from Point Lookout Prison.
Occupation: Farmer
According to Lawhon, they started with 1300 men and ended
at Appomatox with not
enough to fill a company.
*Muster rolls of Co. C, 48th North
Carolina Infantry, for Daniel A. Troutman, 1 March 1862-14 May 1865; National
Archives, Washington, D. C.
**W.H.H. Lawhon, “48th
North Carolina Infantry,” article on SandersWeb.net
(http://www.sandersweb.net/CivilWar/48thNC.htm : accessed 18 August 2014).
Lawhon was Captain of Co. D; his account was written in Moore Co., NC, April 9,
1901. See also, Weymouth T. Jordan, Jr., North
Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster (Raleigh, NC, Division of Archives and
History, 1987).
[1]
Grant Gates, NPS interpreter at Petersburg Battlefield Park, located the
italicized information for me on 28 April 2003. Unfortunately, I did not obtain
source information from him at that time.
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