12 April 1861 Fort Sumter fired upon; war begins; John’s father won’t allow him to volunteer because of his “extreme youth”
19 February 1862 Enlisted (volunteered) at Pittsboro for the duration of the war; private in Company G, 3rd Regiment North Carolina Infantry (State Troops); age 18
March, April 1862 Present; appears on the Company Muster Roll
1 July 1862 Wounded [Battle of Malvern Hill at Poindexter’s Farm, Henrico County, Virginia; the Confederates suffered more than 5,300 casualties without gaining an inch of ground]
July 1862 His father found him in a hospital in Richmond and took him home for treatment
14 July 1862 At home in North Carolina
17 September 1862 Wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Sharpsburg; [The battle on September 17 produced the bloodiest day in American combat history with over 23,000 casualties. More than twice as many Americans were killed or mortally wounded in combat at Sharpsburg that day as in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War combined]
July - October 1862 Reported dead on the Company Muster Roll for 14 July to 31 Oct 1862
5 October 1862 Admitted to U.S.A. Field Hospital, Smoketown, Maryland. with a wound of left leg. [Virginia Hanks Taylor wrote that he was wounded in both legs and his side]
October 1862 Appears on a list of Confederate prisoners forwarded to Baltimore, Maryland, from Frederick, Maryland
25 October 1862 Appears as a signature to a Roll of Prisoners of War at Fort McHenry, Maryland; paroled and sent to Aiken’s Landing, Virginia
30 October 1862 Appears on a list of Confederate prisoners delivered at Aiken’s Landing
31 October 1862 Appears on a register of Medical Director’s Office, Richmond, Virginia; hospital, General No. 1
November, December 1862 Reported wounded and captured on the Company Muster Roll for November and December 1862; said he was reported dead on the previous muster roll
2 November 1862 Transferred to Camp Lee
5 November 1862 Sent to Fredericksburg to be exchanged; paid for service from 25 February to 31 August, $67.46
10 November 1862 Exchanged at Aiken’s Landing. [This is probably about the time that the stagecoach driver delivered the good news that John was alive and in a hospital in Richmond]
12 November 1862 Appears on a Register of Approved Furloughs, Medical Director’s Office, Richmond, Virginia; period, 30 days
November 1862 Appears on a Roll of Honor of Company G, 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Troops
11-15 December 1862 Battle of Frederickburg, Virginia; Confederate victory caused profound depression throughout the North; estimated casualties 17,929 (Confederate 4,576); John rejoined his command here, probably on the 12th which is when he was due back from his furlough
January - February 1863 1863 Appears on Company Muster Roll; reported absent; remarks, “Taken prisoner, wounded Sept. 17, 1862. Now at home in N.C."
February - May 1863 Medical Department between February 1863 and May 1863
1-5 May 1863 Union plans for an assault on Richmond and made possible Lee’s subsequent invasion of the North; estimated casualties 24,000 (Confederate 10,000); called the “South’s finest hour” and “Lee’s greatest triumph.” John was one of four volunteers who dashed through a rain of bullets to set a house on fire from which Federal sharpshooters were menacing Confederate lines
May - August 1863 Appears on Company Muster Roll for 15 May to 11 August 1863; present
24 June 1863 General Robert E. Lee led his Confederate Army across the Potomac River and headed toward Pennsylvania in his second invasion of the North
August 1863 Appears on Company Muster Roll for August 11 to 31, 1863; present
September 1863 Was sent home from Pennsylvania because his wounds had not thoroughly healed, and because of the hardships he had undergone
25 September 1863 Appointed Drill Master and promoted to 2nd Lieutenant at Raleigh
6 October 1863 Sent application for permission to report for duty to Colonel Mallett, Commander of Conscripts, Raleigh, North Carolina
17 October 1863 Appears on a Register of Appointments, Confederate States Army
7 January 1864 Date of acceptance
January - June 1864 Being unfit for duty, he drilled Junior Reserves at Camp Vance in the western part of North Carolina. Many Cherokee Indians were among the reserves. He learned their language and became a favorite among them. His company had only one rusty musket so they drilled with corn stalks
18 June 1864 Appears on a Receipt Roll for clothing for 2nd Quarter, 1864
28 June 1864 Captured 28 June 1864 in the raid on Camp Vance, North Carolina. (Captured by Colonel Kirk, “a renegade bushwhacker.” Kirk was notorious for his raiding in the mountains of Western North Carolina)
July 1864 Appears on a register of Prisoners of War at Knoxville, Tennessee
9 July 1864 Sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee
13 July 1864 Appears on a Roll of Prisoners of War at Nashville, Tennessee, captured by forces under Major General W.T. Sherman, commanding Military Division of the Mississippi, and forwarded to Captain S.E. Jones, Add’l A.D.C., Louisville, Kentucky
14 July 1864 Appears on a roll of Prisoners of War at Military Prison, Louisville, Kentucky
15 July 1864 Appears on a Roll of Prisoners of War received at Military Prison, Louisville, Kentucky, during five days ending 15 July 1864; discharged to “Johnsons Isle” [sounds like they were sending him on a vacation]; appears on a Roll of Prisoners of War forwarded to Johnson’s Island, Ohio, from Louisville Military Prison
9 October 1864 Letter written by “Cousin Mary” acknowledging receipt of permits to send him warm clothing among other things
10 October 1864 Letter written by “Cousin Mary” in which she told John she would hurry as much as possible to get the warm clothing to him; also writes of seeing some Confederate officers from Johnson’s Island en route for exchange
21 December 1864 Letter written by “Cousin Mary” acknowledging receipt of some rings; wrote she would send him the French grammar book
1 January 1865 Several prisoners escaped from Johnson’s Island during a blizzard and walked across Lake Erie into Canada; the temperature was 20 below zero; wind chill, 40 below; resulted in tighter restrictions
28 March 1865 Letter written by “Cousin Mary” saying she was sending a letter and enclosing one from L.A. Hanks dated 22 February 1865; wrote she was overwhelmed by undeserved praise in a letter she received from John’s family; asked if he needed any new underclothing, said she would send him a greenback, asked if he could make some chains for a friend
9 April 1865 Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House
11 April 1865 Letter written by “Cousin Mary” reporting that she could have the underclothing ready by the middle of the following week but would wait to send it until she heard if he needed shoes; discussed the surrender of Lee and Johnston and the “coming troubles” (the official surrender of General Johnston wasn’t until the 26th)
12 April 1865 With the surrender of Mobile, the final major city of the Confederacy fell
14 April 1865 Federal flag raised over Fort Sumter; Lincoln shot
26 April 1865 Surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston
4 May 1865 Surrender of Confederate forces of General Richard Taylor
10 May 1865 Capture of President Davis; President Johnson proclaims armed resistance at an end
13 June 1865 Appears as signature to an Oath of Allegiance to the United States, subscribed and sworn to at Johnson’s Island, Ohio; complexion dark; hair dark; 5' 7"; appears on a Roll of Prisoners of War at Depot Prisoners of War, near Sandusky, Ohio; released on oath