STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - Civil War Stories - Fort Fisher
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From the notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman 1888-1979:
Stories told to her in 1934 by John Hatley, Private 
 
The 42nd regiment Co. C from Stanly County was camped at Sugar Loaf Mountain, 
four miles from Ft. Fisher in Wilmington. The boys had lots of fun, although 
they were on reduced rations with barely enough to keep them alive. Many had 
only parched corn to eat. They enjoyed their stay, because every day the boys 
would go down to the oyster beds and get enough oysters for the day. When they 
weren't drilling, they were getting oysters.
The tents were set up in rows on either side of a passway. Each tent had a 
chimney built of sticks and mud. The tents were arranged according to rank: 
the highest ranking officers were first down to the lower ones and then the 
privates. It was a very cold day and all the tents had fires in their 
chimneys and most of the boys were inside their tents around the fire. Some of 
the boys found a board that would fit over the top of a chimney. In the spirit 
of fun, they placed the board on top of the tent chimney. The tent was soon 
filled with smoke and the boys would come out and found a board on top of 
their chimney. They realized it was a joke and passed the board onto the next 
tent. The had a lot of fun as they watched the board go from chimney to 
chimney until it came to a certain tent occupied by private John Williams. As 
his tent filled with smoke, he came out and discovered the board. Cursing was 
forbidden, but he became so angry that he immediately began to curse and swear 
and threaten to do bodily harm to those who put it there. (John Hatley was one 
of those who did it). Some of the privates went for Capt Carter and asked him 
to come quiet Pt. Williams down. Capt Carter sent Sergeant Ramsey. But the 
stress of the war and the cold and lack of food had taken its toll and Pvt. 
Williams would not obey. So Capt Carter himself went and told Williams that 
he would have to get quiet and obey orders. Whereupon Williams began to curse 
Capt Carter and the captain ordered Williams taken to the guard house. He 
swore he would not go and would rather be tied up by his thumbs and to the top 
of the tent before he would go. So a cord was tied to his thumbs and to the 
top of the tent. He stood on his toes with his hands extended above his head, 
but he still cursed and raved until he fainted. He was later trandsferred to 
the engineering corps.
 
Submitted by Jodie Gee