Dear Edward: I'm not sure if I have confided in you for your expertiese, but I have been trying to find where a soldier of the 8th Louisiana Heavy Artilliary Co. E, and he was born in Bear Creek,Chatham County, North Carolina? I have found where his wife was buried in North Carolina, but I have tried everywhere to find him, but no luck. Do you have any advise I could get in my research of finding him?His name was Parham Yarborugh Oats(Oates)? He was born 17 Feb. 1815 in Bear Creek, N. C. Beatrice Oates ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Harding" <eharding2@suddenlink.net> To: <civil-war@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 7:56 PM Subject: Re: [CIVIL-WAR] Company E, 53rd Regiment, NC Troops - desertions > Derick, > > I have gone through the roster of Company E, 53rd Regiment N.C. Troops and yes, there were 11 men who deserted at Drewry's Bluff, Virginia. But, the main thing that was only lightly touched on from your research is the majority of these men were from 3 different families (Cook, Hunter, Jessup). Below is the list of men who deserted at Drewry's Bluff: > > John H. Beasley, Private > Alfred D. Cook, Private > Eli Cook, Private > James M. Cook, Private > John T. Cook, Private > Matthew Doss, Private > Jeremiah Hunter, Private > Lewis Hunter, Private > Lee Jessup, Private > Meshack Jessup, Private > William S. Jessup, Private > > Also, you failed to mention a number of the men who joined the Union Army actually joined after being captured and after being forced to sign the Oath of Allegiance. So many men left this company in one way or another, be it killed in battle, dying of wounds, resignation, taken POW & POW deaths, discharged, dying of disease, and dying from unknown causes. > > Yes, disease ran rampant through this company and the primary disease was typhus. POW's from Co. E at Fort Delaware, Point Lookout, Old Capital Prison, and Elmira also died of disease from chronic diarherra to scurvy. But, after researching where this company fought, I could hardly call Co. E a "unit of cowardice." Gettysburg, Spotsylvania Court House, Winchester, and Drewry's Bluff are among the places this company fought. > > It's just absurd to label these men "cowards" because there were deserters on BOTH sides during this war. So please, stop the name calling. Many more served and died from Co. E than deserted. Give these men who fought the honor and respect they deserve. Afterall, they are American Veterans by law. > > I also own an original 15 volume set of "North Carolina Troops 1861-1865: A Roster", plus the volumes of "Roster of N.C. Troops" by Moore (printed 1882), the 5 volume set of "North Carolina Regiments 1861-'65", all volumes plus indexes of "The Confederate Veteran", plus the "Official Records". As far as the National Park Service goes, they've become too politically correct for me to rely on their information and I say this from first hand experience after dealing with some of them. > > Edward Harding > Life Member SCV/MOSB > SCV National Genealogy Committee Member > > "The first law of the historian is that he shall never dare utter an untruth. The second is that he shall suppress nothing that is true. Moreover, there shall be no suspicion of partiality in his writing, or of malice." - Cicero (106-43 B.C.) > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CIVIL-WAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.11/1161 - Release Date: 11/30/2007 12:12 PM > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------