C. Eugene Scruggs - Tramping with the Legion: A Carolina Rebels Story

TRAMPING WITH THE LEGION

A CAROLINA REBELS STORY

C. EUGENE SCRUGGS

Copyright 2006 Eugene Scruggs

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Note for Librarians: A cataloguing record for this book is available from Library and Archives Canada at www.collectionscanada.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN: 978-1-4251-0233-3 (eBook)

Offices in Canada, USA, Ireland and UK

Book sales for North America and international:

Trafford Publishing, 6E2333 Government St.,

Victoria, BC V8T 4P4 CANADA
phone 250 383 6864 (toll-free 1 888 232 4444)
fax 250 383 6804; email to

Book sales in Europe:

Trafford Publishing (UK) Limited, 9 Park End Street, 2nd Floor

Oxford, UK OX1 1HH UNITED KINGDOM
phone +44 (0)1865 722 113 (local rate 0845 230 9601)
facsimile +44 (0)1865 722 868;

Order online at:
trafford.com/06-1990

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Melana, Sabrina, Lindsay, Erin, Alexandria, and Shannon

This story of the life and times of a few of our nineteenth-century ancestors serves to remind us of the many individuals who play a role in the molding of our lives.

In memory of Tommye Blanche Scruggs Kelley

(b. Jan 1, 1912d. Aug. 13, 2005), the last living grandchild of Judson and Katherine Scruggs, and one who so much wanted to read this story.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Research and writing are not solo activities, even if they may at times appear to be. During the process of recreating the story of a Carolina Rebel, I was obliged to seek assistance from a number of individuals. As I followed the trail of Holcombe Legion and the men of Company K, several librarians and archivists offered their valuable time and expertise. I received special attention in particular from two archivists at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.Trevor K. Plante (Old Military and Civil Records Division) and Mary Beth Rephlo (Office of Records Services).

Specific research on the infantry regiment of the Legion was made easier by the prior research of Charles D. Cox. His Report titled Tracking the Holcombe Legion (self-printed in 1992) gave me a valuable head-start and served as a frequent reference in tracing the regiments various trampings across the South.

In the fall of 2004 my wife and I spent several days in Elmira, New York to learn all we could about the Union prison camp for Confederate non-commissioned officers in that city and also to become familiar with the surrounding terrain. During our stay in Elmira the members of the staff at the History Museum, the archivists at the Booth Library at the Chemung County Historical Society, and the staff in the Genealogy Department of the Steele Memorial Library all offered assistance and encouragement.

A number of helpful suggestions regarding the Union Military District and Provost Marshalls records were passed along by the staff of the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. This information proved to be very valuable in re-creating the final chapter of this book.

I am very grateful for the kind assistance of the headgenealogist at the Spartanburg County Public Libraries in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Ms. Susan Thoms. Additional help came from archivists at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia who graciously directed me to records relating to the early years of Spartanburg District.

Probably few people know more about Confederate camp life and military tactics than those who spend weekends involved in re-enactments. One re-enactor in particular, Jim Crocker, has offered valuable advice and expertise. Jim is a member of the States Rights Gist Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (a camp that includes members from Spartanburg and Union Counties in South Carolina).

I am especially indebted to four manuscript readersDr. Roger Cole, Linguistic Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida; Joan Nixon, manager of the Imperial Art Gallery in Lakeland, Florida; Rev. Melana Scruggs, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Missouri; and Dr. DeWitt B. Stone, Jr., Special Assistant to the President, Lander University, Greenwood, South Carolina. DeWitt is the editor of Wandering to Glory, a recent publication containing stories told by the men in Brigadier General Nathan Evans Brigade to which the Holcombe Legion was attached. I have been in contact with DeWitt during much of the composition of this volume, and he has saved me from a number of serious faux pas !

Throughout the process, my wife and best friend, La Donna Loescher Scruggs, carefully read each line of every draft and and alerted me to inconsistencies in spelling, dialect and composition. Without her aid, the text would be considerably less refined.

And finally, for the general outline of Judsons story, I am indebted to the oral and written recollections of Hettie Scruggs Daughton, Pearl Scruggs Parrish and Forrest Puryear Scruggs, grandchildren of Judson and Kate Scruggs. Their careful attention and excellent recall is what gives life to Juds rambling narrations. They were always ready to share information about the old days, and anecdotes about their beloved grandfather. Unfortunately most of us in the fourth generation failed to listen closely, if at all. Perhaps this work will rectify that failure to some degree.

C. Eugene Scruggs

Lakeland, Florida

September 2006

Contents

Provost Marshalls Jail At Harpers Ferry; Final Journey
Home Through Virginia And North Carolina

Front cover (photo and formating by the author)

Inside title page (sketch by the author)

Confederate re-enactor sits by his tent (photo by author) p7

Family of Jim and Maggie Scruggs in front of their house in 1904 (photo in authors collection) p52

Too much tramping! A Confederate soldier takes a rest along the road (National Archives) p71

Confederate soldiers resting on the banks of the Rapidan River (National Archives) p114

Battlefield at Manassas (photo by the author) p139

A Confederate field hospital (National Archives) p142

Union bridge over the Chickahominy River (National Archives) p164

View of Meeting Street in Charleston, S.C. ca 1863 (National Archives) p171

A Jud look-alike in 1863 with full tramping gear (National Archives) p179

Confederate soldiers rest in front of their tents (National Archives) p184

Confederate cannon at Fort Sumter (National Archives) p196

Railroad bridge over Stony Creek, Virginia (photo by the author) p198

Tri-level bunks in the Union prison for Confederates at Fort Monroe, Virginia p210

Prison gatehouse at Elmira, N.Y. (by permission of the Booth Library of the Chemung County Historical Society) p213

Observation tower at Elmira Prison (Booth Library CCHS) p216

Confederate cemetery at Elmira, N.Y. (Photo by the author) p217

Stockade and barracks at Elmira Prison (Booth Library CCHS) p219

Bag used by the tunnelers (Booth Library CCHS) p225