While Memorial Day at present honors
active military personnel who died serving their country, the origin of the
holiday was rooted in an effort to commemorate soldiers from both the North and
the South who lost their lives in the War Between the States.
There is a strong Granny’s Pantry
connection with this original Decoration Day tribute, as the holiday was once
called.
John Calvin Morgan was born in 1935
in Rowan County, NC.
He married Rachel E. Wyatt, also born in 1835, and they
lived not far from the Yadkin River. John and Rachel had two children, Mary
Jane (b. 1856) and John Noah Calvin (b. 1862). Unfortunately, due to the War
Between the States, they were not destined to live happily ever after together.
According to family records, John
enlisted in the 5th Regiment, Co. H, NC Troops, where he served with his
cousin, James Nathan Morgan. In sworn testimony in 1885, Nathan Morgan reported
that, “on or about the 12th day of May 1864 at the Battle of Spottsylvania
[sic] Court House in the State of Virginia [John Morgan] was shot and instantly
killed.” We don’t know where John was buried.
Rachel was 28 when he died. She lived the remainder of her life (50 + more years) as a widow and died at 79.
Rachel was 28 when he died. She lived the remainder of her life (50 + more years) as a widow and died at 79.
John and Rachel’s son, Calvin, and
his wife, Eugenia A. Culp, lived on the farm that we now call the Cow Palace
and they became the parents of Granny Cole (of High Rock).
The Granny’s Pantry connection with
service in the Civil War continued when Granny Cole’s granddaughter, Jenny,
married Donald Dickens of Wake County, NC.
This grandson-in-law, has long been
interested in Civil War history, partly due to his own great-grandfather’s
service. This story had a happier ending, but still leaves some unanswered
questions.There were 3 brothers with the last
name of Partin from Wake Co., NC (Willow Spring area). Two of the brothers enlisted in 1862 in Co.
H, 40th Regiment, which became the 3rd Regiment, NC Light Artillery, which
finally became the 13th battalion, NC Light Artillery (Co. F). The third
brother joined them in 1864. One of the brothers, Mark Allison Partin, was
Donald’s mother’s grandfather.
The Partin brothers served throughout the War. According to family history, the 3 Partin brothers were present at Appomattox, and we know that they all survived. Family history and a letter from a seminary president who knew Mark in 1915 said that Mark A. Partin surrendered at Appomattox with Co. E of the 26th NC Troops. There is no record in the Appomattox rosters that M.A. Partin actually surrendered. We believe that he and his brothers simply faded away from the formalities and headed for home.
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| The mysterious star |
Also according to family history and artifacts, when Mark
returned home, he brought with him pieces from the famous apple orchard at
Appomattox, uprooted, according to Mark, in 30 minutes or less. He also brought
a white linen star on a blue field cut from a battle flag.
What was the flag from which Mark
received the star remnant? Could it have been the flag of the 13th Light
Artillery, a group with which Mark served? There were 71 flags surrendered at
Appomattox---was the 13th flag among them? Could it have been the last battle flag
of the 26th NC Troops? The battle flag of the 26 NC Regiment was captured in
the Battle of Hatcher’s Run. Was there a new flag issued to the 26th following
that event?
[A conservationist from the NC MOH has stated that the star remnant is in keeping with the time period and the materials are consistent with those of a Confederate battle flag. She also stated that the flag remnant had obviously been subjected to a great deal of hardship as it looked as if it had been in mud or blood.]
[A conservationist from the NC MOH has stated that the star remnant is in keeping with the time period and the materials are consistent with those of a Confederate battle flag. She also stated that the flag remnant had obviously been subjected to a great deal of hardship as it looked as if it had been in mud or blood.]
There is no record
that the 26th Troops battle flag was one that was surrendered at Appomattox. And if the flag remnant should be
from the 26th, why did it come home in Mark Partin’s possession? We have a possible theory, also rooted in
romance:
Mark’s future wife, who was also his cousin, was the sister of J. Q. Adams who served with the 26th, died in New Bern after the capture and is buried in the mound there. We have family letters from J. Q. Adams to his sister while stationed at New Bern. Since the flag remnant was kept by the family with those letters, did Mark take a piece of the 26th battle flag home to Adams’ sister (whom he later married) as a memorial to her brother from the 26th that died during the War? At this point---these questions remain unanswered.
Mark’s future wife, who was also his cousin, was the sister of J. Q. Adams who served with the 26th, died in New Bern after the capture and is buried in the mound there. We have family letters from J. Q. Adams to his sister while stationed at New Bern. Since the flag remnant was kept by the family with those letters, did Mark take a piece of the 26th battle flag home to Adams’ sister (whom he later married) as a memorial to her brother from the 26th that died during the War? At this point---these questions remain unanswered.
Mark Partin’s possible connection with the 26th NC Troops
becomes important because his great grandson (and Granny Cole’s
grandson-in-law) is a member of the 26th NC Troops Reactivated—a Civil War
Reenactment group. He does this to honor the memory of his ancestors and others
who served in this conflict that had such a devastating impact on families in
both the North and the South.A number of Donald’s family members
have reenacted with him in the 26th, including his daughters and sons-in-law.
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