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CONFEDERATE YANKEE
Isaac Pierce/Pearce always said he was "never in any battles," but he was in military service during the Civil War – on both sides.
Isaac served 18 months in a North Carolina regiment attached to the CSA, spent some time on the run as a deserter, and then did a year and a half as a volunteer in the Union Army.
The Yankees made him a sergeant the same week he enlisted, probably because he could read and write.
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Isaac Pierce/Pearce
native of Winton
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Isaac at Union monument
SE Virginia c. 1920
Isaac once was asked by a grandson why he hadn't remained "true" to the Confederate "Cause." "Well, my family was too poor to own slaves," said Isaac, "and where we lived there were people who didn't like us any better than they liked the Negroes. "I kind of figured that if they won, sooner or later they would buy and sell us, too." ~~~ The grandson felt he shouldn't ask whether the $200 enlistment bonus paid
to Rebel deserters by the Yankees played any role in Isaac's decision. You can read all about Isaac, his brothers and sister and the Civil War at "Petty Shore ~ Letters from James," at this website.
~~~~~~~~~ FALLEN HERO The 26th North Carolina was first commanded by Zebulon Vance. When he was elected governor, the "Boy Colonel," Henry (Harry) K. Burgwyn of Northampton County, took over. The regiment went to Gettysburg PA with over 900 men. After the first day of battle, there were around 600 left. Burgwyn was among the dead. After the second day at Gettysburg, there were around 300 left. After the third day, there were less than 100, one of whom – Tom Dula – lived to come home a hero to Western North Carolina. Not too long thereafter, he killed his girlfriend, and although Zebulon Vance acted as witness for the defense, Dula was sentenced to hang. And hung he was, but the famous song about him changed his name to "Tom Dooley," for better rhyming. ~~~
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~~~~~~~~~ STATE OF SECESSION Talk in 1999 about a revival of the Confederacy and the secessionist movement brings
to mind a remark made by a now-forgotten statesman, about South Carolina at the start
of the Civil War: "Too small to be a country; too big to be an insane asylum." ~~~~~~~~~ STATE OF HYSTERIA I was in California once, and a friend and I decided to buy an old car there because if you owned any kind of property in California, you could claim to be a legal resident of the state. It was a 1928 Chevrolet with roll-down curtains on all the rear windows. The brakes were bad, and one Sunday morning the engine quit and the brakes didn't hold when we were going down a hill in some part of Los Angeles. We went through a red light and rolled part way up the hill on the other side. When we rolled back down the hill and went through the red light again, backward, we noticed there was a motorcycle cop at the side of the road. He looked like he was about to die laughing. He didn't give us a ticket. ~~~
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~~~~~~~~ GRAVE CIRCUMSTANCE When I was six years old, Alton Holloman and I were playing in the Ahoskie cemetery and I pulled on a headstone and brought it down on my right foot. I couldn't move or shove it off, and Alton wasn't strong enough to pick it up. He ran to an adjoining field where Raymond Dilday was plowing, and asked him to come help. Raymond was able to move the headstone, but I couldn't stand or walk, so Raymond went back to the field and unhitched his mule from the plow. He put me on the mule, and took me a mile uptown to Dr. Paul Mitchell's office. I couldn't walk for almost a month. Sometimes my right foot still hurts. ~~~~~~~~~
Col. Henry K. (Harry) Burgwyn
of Northampton County
Old Pueblo of the City of the Angels, original site of Los Angeles.
(Market plaza photo courtesy Herman B., known
to internet friends as "Baldy")
On the beach at Santa Monica CA 1945
(Jim Pearce photo)