STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - Civil War - The 42nd Regiment
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From the Notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman:
 
Captain Robert Allen Carter: He served the South Well
High Point Enterprise
Sunday April 21,1963
By Mable S. Lassiter
 
Note by LCH: Sometime before the following story was published, Mrs. Lassiter 
of Burlington, a free lance writer, visited me and asked if she could write my 
father's story and have it published in three newspapers - The High Point 
Enterprise, The Goldsboro paper and the Stanly News and Press. I gave her 
permission and also gave her material I had collected myself and talked with 
her about my father. It had been 100 years since the war was going on and many 
stories, anniversaries were being told and taking place. I thought it was 
quite appropriate for his war record to be published after 100 years.... 
 
The Story:
No High Point resident has a more personal interest in Southern Heritage than 
Mrs. Lilly Carter Hoffman of White Oak Street, whose father, the late Capt. 
Robert Allen Carter of Albemarle, won the distinction of being Stanly County's 
first volunteer soldier during the war Between the States. He offerred himself 
and his services in the early part of May, 1861, even before North Carolina 
seceded from the Union.
Capt. Carter's picture hangs today in the Historical Room of the Library in 
recognition of his merited record. As a member of the UDC for almost 50 years, 
Mrs. Hoffman has made it a hobby to collect first hand information about her 
father's service. This has been done through talking with her mother and 
friends of her late father in some cases dicussing with soldiers who served 
under Capt. Carter and also through historical records and files to verify the 
authenticity of the facts.
Since she was a child and heard the things her father related of his war 
experiences, Mrs. Hoffman has been interested in this phase of the county's 
history. For the past 40 years she has kept articulate notes and data so that 
today she has perhaps more authentic information than any other daughter of a 
civil war veteran.
The young soldiers from Stanly County organized into Co. H of the 42nd 
Infantry Regiment at a time when the entire country was caught up in a web of 
hatred and misunderstanding, trained in the broad fields of Crawford's farm 
just south of Salisbury. Even as the warm April days of 1862 were unfolding, 
buds on the haw trees and dogwood, almost a year later, no doubt the deep 
voice of Capt. James A. Howell roared like the fury of a summer storm as he 
gave pronounced orders that whipped his raw recruits of millers, farmers, and 
country folks into trained and disciplined soldiers.
 
Recognition: 
For the second time, Robert A. Carter whose period of enlistment with the 
Stanly Marksmen was over, gained recognition as a soldier. This time his 
ability to lead with a measure of strength tempered with humility for those in 
his command brought a promotion that merited a transfer. Carter was sent to 
Co. C and a few days later became first Lieutenant to replace James A. Howell 
who had previously been promoted to rank Captain. From that day on Carter's 
army record rings with activity and duty that kept him away from his home for 
four years.
In June, just as summer fell about the Carolina country side, he was off to 
Lynchburg and Petersburg for the 42nd Regiment where two months of duty was 
required in prisoner exchange-then on to Drewery's Bluff where the group was 
inspected and given military compliments by Gen.J.J. Pettigrew. There is 
little doubt, at this point, the Stanly County men were thankful for every 
sharp order, every command and drill they had endured on those fields back on 
Crawford's farm.
Around Blackwater, orders called chiefly for outpost duty and continued 
drilling of the Stanly County boys until the fall of 1862, when they advanced 
to Tarboro, to meet the enemy at Little Washington in a light skirmish, only 
to hopskip back again into Virginia in what many would now term a shuttle 
system.
In the bitter cold of mid-winter in January 1863, the 42nd Regiment was again 
sent into its native North Carolina and remained until spring, only to be 
ordered that time to march back to Richmond where they threw up breastworks on 
the Darby-Town Road under constant enemy fire. The calendar changed to 1864 
with the tide of war bringing them into action at Bermuda Hundreds with 
General Whiting commanding.
 
Cold Harbor:
It was on June 1, 1864 that General Hoke's Division, of which the 42nd was a 
part, moved into the fighting line at Cold Harbor and assisted in driving 
Sheridan's Calvary back to Old Cold Harbor. Three divisions (Hoke's, 
Anderson's and Kershaw's) held key occupation of the New Cold Harbor Heights 
and Gaines MIll under General Martin. The skirmishes of the 42nd captured the 
crest of the hill which position they fortified during the night.
By the following day the Southerners saw more battlefield action and 
suffering, more death and destruction in the course of a few brief minutes 
than in all previous war duty. H. Hill's "Young People's History of North 
Carolina," the author says: "The attack lasted only eight minutes, but more 
federals fell bleeding in those eight minutes than in any like period during 
the war." A statement has come down through the years that Grant, in 
desperation, ordered a second charge against Lee's works, but the army failed 
to obey the command. Grant's losses had startled the country. The reports of 
his officers show that from May 4 to June 19, he lost nearly 50,000 men. If 
the numbers of dead and wounded men were stretched out, head to feet, it would 
make a ghastly row about fifty-five miles long.
The Confederates held their lines until June 12 and then crossed the 
Chickahominy River and marched to New Market Heights near Malvern Hill. After 
a single day rest, they crossed the James River below Drewery's Bluff and 
afterwards took up a position east of the Hare House. During the morning the 
Federals are said to have thrown solid columns of men and weapons against one 
Confederate line that withstood continuous advances. The 42nd Regiment, to 
which Carter was attached, spent four months in this strategic battle site, 
holding an important position on the brow of the hill.
Neither Grant's overwhelming troops nor military tactics could defeat the boys 
in gray at Petersburg, so the Yankees began the strategy of starving them into 
submission.
 
Duty:
The duty of the 42nd was to defend the salient on Hare's Hill - the most 
difficult and dangerous on the entire line. It was exposed to the constant 
fire of the mortars with no chance to retaliate. Their endurance was almost 
severely tried, but they displayed the fortitude so characteristic of the NC 
troops for they never faltered nor wavered. The loss in the regiment was very 
heavy.
While the 42nd was still assigned to Hare's Hill, it was only a short time 
later that the famous "Crater Explosion"  mastermined by the Federal 
engineers, rocked the entire area with an avalanche of flesh and bones and 
fire and steel. The Confederates rallied and were able to charge in gray lines 
over the crater where the writhing mass of men in blue became a pit of the 
damned. It was during this battle that Capt. Carter received shrapnel wounds 
in the back and knee. 
It was a cold Christmas in 1864 for the men of the 42nd Infantry Regiment when 
they were sent down to Sugar Loaf Mountain near Ft. Fisher, to defend the 
coastal area against federal attacks. In despite of the stand made by the 
Southerners, the fort surrendered Jan 15th. Thus sealing the fate of 
Wilmington. In retreat, necessitated by Sherman's approach from his 
destructive route through the deep South, the rear guard with the 42nd nearest 
the enemy.
On March 8, the 17th and 42nd Regiments left their lines of battle during the 
night and at dawn were on the enemy's flank, driving them back. As a result, 
four batteries of artillery and more than 1500 prisoners were taken by the 
rebels.
Mrs. Hoffman and her only living sister, Mrs. Mary Hawley of Goldsboro, have 
both related the story of the deep compassion their father felt even for the 
enemy he opposed, a story as told to them by their late mother.
 
Flank Attack
 
At dawn the 42nd attacked the flank of Scofield's Division and in a skirmish 
that took place at Kinston, Capt. Julius Bassett of Connecticutt was killed. 
The Captain, who was buried by the rebels, was wearing a long red and white 
scarf and a handsome sword engraved with his name. These items Capt. Carter 
claimed only after his men had insisted that he possess them-removing his own 
sash and draping it over the body of the deceased Captain Bassett in a gesture 
of respect. He marked the grave with his own sword.
These prized relics came home from the war with Captain Carter. Many years 
later he decided to find the family of the Federal captain and return the 
items to them, at the same time, relating the incident of his death. A letter 
he then wrote the governor of Connecticutt and in vivid words related the 
incident leading up to the Yankee Captain's death. Two sons of Capt. Bassett 
wrote and identified themselves but admitted that they had never until this 
time, been able to learn anything at all about their father's death. The sword 
and sash were returned to them, and they were so impressed with the 
thoughtfulness and compassionate spirit of the southern soldier that they in 
return sent Capt. Carter a handsome gold-headed ebony walking stick capped at 
the bottom with silver and the gold head inscribed;" Capt. Robert Allen Carter 
from the family of Capt. Julius Bassett." The memento with its meaning remains 
today in the possession of Mrs. Hawley (**Note: The stick was given to the 
State Archives in Raleigh).
Perhaps Mrs. Hoffman is a little prejudiced, but she smiled as she told this 
story and added that the two families became such good friends that when she 
was born, as one of the youngest children in the Carter family, the Bassett 
name was given her in their honor.
With mixed emotions in the hearts of the Confederates, retreat of forces 
continued after the Battle of Bentonville, and even as the boys from the 42nd 
plodded along a weary route from Raleigh that warm April in 1865, they heard 
the sad news of Lee's surrender at Appomatox. Then words of Johnston's 
surrender to General Sherman at the Bennett House reached the tattered 
remnants of the 42nd as they camped in the broad, fertile fields near High 
Point on the outskirts of a community today called Archdale.
The Confederacy was no more, and for this loss and their fallen dead and 
wasted Southland, they were saddened. But it was spring, and for them there 
was the promise of the future and the opportunity to again plow the barren 
fields, rebuild their farms and once again seek out their own.
Happy only for this promise of the future, the men of the 42nd Regiment turned 
toward home.
                                                                       
Submitted by Jodie Gee