See You In The Field

By Frederick Walton, 6th North Carolina State Troops Historian Meet Sergeant John Moore (Not Sergeant Willie Meadows), Company B, 16th North Carolina.  At least I think it's John Moore, here’s why…  unidentified Early War Photo, mislabeled as Willie Meadows, Co. B., 6th North Carolina State Troops   When I first saw this photo last week it was identified as Sergeant Willie Meadows of Company B, 6th North Carolina State Troops. (see  Sergeant Willie Meadows ?? Company B- “Flat River Guards” ). This didn't seem right to me for several reasons. First the uniform was unlike any I had seen in previous photos of 6th NCST soldiers. Secondly, although he has a “B” on his cap, the letters “MR” below it didn't make sense to me. Company B was known as the “Flat River Guards”. The letters on his cap should be FRG rather than the “MR”.  Example of Flat River Guards- "FRG" Hat Brass (Corporal Joseph C. Allison, Co B, 6th NCST)  Most viewers were in agreement that the picture s

Sergeant Willie Meadows ?? Company B- "Flat River Guards" Discussion of photograph- Is this REALLY Willie Meadows? I Don't Think So...Here's Why: Sergeant Willie Meadows or is it?  A mislabled Image found on the internet at various sites. That's weird, if you find it on the internet, it must be true? Right?... At the time of this writing, this photograph has appeared in several places on the internet, some describing it  as the photo of Sgt. Willie Meadows, a member of the Sixth North Carolina State Troops. To date I have been unable to uncover the provenance that positively links this photo to this soldier, for example through a family members genealogy research. One on-line auction site simply listed it as " Great Silhouetted Ninth Plate Ambrotype Of A Confederate Sergeant In Thermoplastic Case ." According to Uniform expert Bob Williams, this image was once in the collection of William Albaugh and was published in. "Even More Confederate Fac

(c) 2017 by Frederick Walton I  was perusing the newspaper this morning…the one for  July 3, 1917  that is…100 years ago today. What better way to learn “first hand” the feeling of our country as we made our entry into World War one. On Tuesday, July 3, 1917, I found the following article on the bottom of page 6, in the Raleigh News and Observer:  News and Observer, Raleigh, N. C., July 3, 1917 Pg. 6 LYON, WILLIAM HUDSON, Sergeant, Company I, 6th North Carolina State troops William Hudson Lyon enlisted in Wake County at age 18, May 28, 1861, for the war. He mustered in as Private and was promoted to Sergeant on January 1, 1863. He was present or accounted for until captured at Rappahannock Station, Virginia, on November 7, 1863. He was confined at the infamous Federal prison,  Point Lookout, Maryland, until paroled and transferred to Boulware’s and Cox’s Wharf, James River, Virginia, where he was received February 20-21, 1865, for exchange. He was reported present with a detachment of