Peninsula Campaign: Orders & Correspondence Pertaining to the 5th NCT

Orders for the 5th NCT and Ripley's Brigade during the Peninsula Campaign.

Headquarters,
Lee's Farm, April 8, 1862.
Major-General McLaws:
General: Three regiments of General Early's brigade (now at Lebanon Church, viz, Colonel Terry's Twenty-fourth Virginia, Colonel McRae's Fifth North Carolina, and Colonel Cumming's Twentieth Georgia) and Colonel Williams' South Carolina regiment, now at the crossroads half a mile below, will move at early dawn to-morrow morning, and will report by a staff officer to you, awaiting at the cross-roads, each [such] orders as you may send them, provided there should be any move of the enemy on your right to cross the river which will make such orders necessary.
These regiments are not destined permanently for your division, but are intended to meet any emergency which may arise form any unexpected movement of the enemy in your vicinity.
Lieutenant Lyon, of the Fifteenth Virginia Regiment, has not reported to these headquarters.
By order of Major-General Magruder.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Henry Bryan,
Assistant Adjutant-General.


Series I Vol. XI ( Part III). Ch. XXIII Pgs. 432-433.




Headquarters, June 12, 1862.
Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill:
General: Please move one of your brigades to the pine wood where General Ripley's has been and relieve his till to-morrow.
I send you the best affairs that we can get up for Williamsburg and the Seven Pines. I only send you two "Williamsburg," one for the Fifth North Carolina and one for the Twenty-fourth Virginia. If there are others entitled to it send up for others.
I send enough of the Seven Pines for your troops, but think that neither of the regiments that left the battle-field have the slightest claim to it nor the regiment that lost its colors. Properly, it is not even entitled to colors.
We must endeavor to have this thing select, or it will be of no service. Any regiment that goes through the battle creditably I think entitled to the inscription; but I hold that no regiment goes through creditably when it leaves the field before the fight is over; particularly when repeated efforts have to be made to get it back upon the field. 
I have spoken in strong terms about this, because I am entirely satisfied that it is just.
Most respectfully,
James Longstreet,
Major-General, Commanding.
No regiment of mine can ever have the name of a battle upon its banners if it quits the field before the battle is ended.


Series I. Vol XI (Part III) Ch XXIII Pgs. 595-596.

James Turner Keith Letter

Letter written by James Turner Keith of Company C, 1st NCT. Transcribed by myself.

Nov. the 28, 1861

Fredericksburg, Va

Fare [?] Sister

            I reseaved your Welcom an kind letter whitch came [illegible] too hand I was mity glad too here from you an mother an all of you an glad too her that all was well an In [?] good he both I am not well yeat but is rite smart beter than I was when I riten too you beefour & Marin is her he came here the 25 I was glad too see him he has had rite good helth every sins hee has ben gone he will remain her in his compinay now this winter eny how and I expet all of the time he will go too town too day an ree turn too morrow it is ten miles too town from the camp by rail road I gowt a leter from ropers [?] last week he an [illegible] an the lidel wons is all well an in good helth an all of the pepel thar is well and in good helth ropers [rofers] will gow holm Sundy if nothing happens Georg Suney [?] has ben home a gain an back too Richmond I tould you a bout the way Col S[illegible] trebled [?] Zilpha [?] in it is sertin sow an I think rof [Ross?] will pay him good for it when gows there. [illegible] has gowt the shop [sheep] fenst in an sed he will rof Keith whether he gates it or not evry body thar is rofs frends an sey that they will see him out in eny thing that he dos I gess that bob [?] furthens [?] will lefe [?] that when he goose

Sow I will close this leter

            Tempy I will be home in less than three weeks or at Raleigh one sertin an sure for Luetenan Hardy [?] Fenell told me that he wood fix [?] for me too get of an the [illegible] told captin hines that if I was too ask him for a dis charg that he wood bee a blig too doo it for he cant me [?] now good an I will sertin ask him too morrow if I live [?] So this leter will ples mother an lidel Toney [?] honey [?] baby an I regen that I will bee pleased rite well sow I will clos you can rite too me her an if you [illegible] get all of the leters an anser them Don’t Faill too rite your wanted too have that was ded [?] it was William Stuckey.

            Tell the yales [?] howdy [?] for me I remain your Brother

Jams Turner Keith

Too Tempy R Keith

Source: James Turner Keith Letter, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, N.C.

T.G. Cozart Letter

T.G. Cozart of Co. B, 6th NCT, describes the Battle of Bristoe Station, October 14, 1863.

Bivouac near Rappanhanock River

Oct the 23d 1863

Well Patty[?]

            As none of the family will not write to me I thought I would write to you as I want to say a few words to you about those molasses you must not eat them all up from use You must preserved at least one barrel for my special benefit as you know I am a dear lover of molasses How many barrels do you think Pa will make also has he made any cider if so I want one barrel of them I would like very much now to have some cider and sweet potatoes now We have had a very hard march we left Summerville Ford to night two weeks ago and have been marching ever since we have been here two days We left Summerville and went back to Orange C H and from there to Madison C H and then to Warrenton marching all the time in valleys to keep the enemy from discovering our movement We then went to Bristoe Station where Cookes and Kirklands Brigade had a fight the same day I walk over the battle field next day there was no killed lying on the field except our own as the Yankees had taken theirs the night before but I saw several of the Blue Jacket fellows lying about as we came along as we were skirmishing with them all the time after we left Warrenton It is a horrid scene to walk over a battle field the men are lying about in different forms I hate to look at our men but I can look at dead Yankees all day Lunsford Wheeler was wounded in the knee at the Battle of Bristoe Dick Harris was slightly wounded in a skirmish the other day I think the Yankees got the best of the fight at Bristoe they were lying behind the Railroad and our men were in full [v]iew in an open field We did not drive them from the Road but they fell back that night If Genl Heth had been worth any thing in the world he would have whipped them completely every body says it was badly managed but it was all owing to the incompetency of Genl Heth We took any quantity of prisoners all along on our march Our Cavalry whipped them several times We drived[?] them beyond Centreville The Infantry did not go any farther than about one mile beyond Bristoe The Cavalry followed them up Bristoe is 32 miles from Alexandria You all can find out more about our move from the papers than I can tell you Our Regt is cooking 3 days rations this evening we are going some where but I don’t know where some say it is just go over the river on picket Write soon

H G [J G?] Cozart[?]

The Cavalry had a right lively little fight over the river this evening I have written five letters home before this and have received one only

Source: North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, N.C.