NCCHATHA-L Archives

Archiver > NCCHATHA > 2000-05 > 0957425201


From: Elizabeth Harris< >
Subject: [NCCHATHA] home militia, pre-Civil War
Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 08:26:41 +0100


I've had an interesting question on the NCGenWeb "help line". The reader
has an unpublished autobiography written by a gg-grandmother, in which she
refers to her father as being a "Captain of the "Home Militia", and recalls
"his cap with the beautiful red ostrich feathers; also his uniform suit."
The time frame is before 1850, the location probably Chatham County.

I'm aware of the service of home militias during the Civil War, men who for
various reasons didn't join the army but were armed and prepared to defend
the community in case of attack. Some of these local militias did see
action, especially during Stoneman's trek through central NC near the end
of the war.

But does anyone have information on local militias in North Carolina in
peacetime earlier in the 19th century?


Elizabeth Harris
state coordinator, NCGenWeb
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncgenwe

This thread: