Private Elisha Hamilton Miller
Dublin Core
Title
Private Elisha Hamilton Miller
Subject
Company F (the "Davis Dragoons"), 41st Regiment N.C. Troops (3rd Regiment N.C. Cavalry)
Description
Elisha Hamilton Miller (known to his family as “Hamp”) lived in Caldwell County, and, on July 1, 1862, enlisted in a cavalry company known as the “Davis Dragoons,” recruited primarily in adjacent Burke County.
The “Dragoons” had organized in December 1861 and during most of 1862 were stationed on picket and outpost duty at Wilmington, and later in Onslow County. Few details of the company’s service from this period are known. In September 1862 it and nine other independent cavalry companies on similar duty throughout eastern North Carolina were organized as the 41st Regiment N.C. Troops (3rd Regiment N.C. Cavalry), and the “Davis Dragoons” were designated Company F.
The companies remained scattered for several months. Company F moved to Lenoir County but in January 1863 was back in Onslow County where it defeated Federal cavalry at Big Northeast Bridge, near Jacksonville. Six of the enemy were slain, and the remainder routed.
The regiment concentrated in southeastern Virginia in early 1863 and served there and in defense of Richmond until it returned to eastern North Carolina in late 1863. There it engaged in duty similar to its previous sojourn in the state. Six companies, including Company F, participated in General George Pickett’s failed attempt to capture New Bern in early February 1864.
It is presumed that Miller was present and accounted for during all of the above operations. However, no muster rolls for company F survive from summer 1862 until April 1864, and Miller’s name does not appear among any of the ancillary documents found in a soldier’s compiled service records, such as hospital registers and others.
In April 1864, however, the 41st North Carolina was ordered to join the Army of Northern Virginia, where it became part of the North Carolina cavalry brigade, commanded by General James B. Gordon, and, after his death, by General Rufus Barringer, and served for the duration of the war. Four muster rolls covering the period from April through October report Miller present for duty. His name also appears on a clothing receipt roll for the fourth quarter of 1864, following which there are no further records.
Elisha Hamilton Miller (November 3, 1831-April 20, 1909) is buried at Mary’s Grove Cemetery, Lenoir, Caldwell County.
The “Dragoons” had organized in December 1861 and during most of 1862 were stationed on picket and outpost duty at Wilmington, and later in Onslow County. Few details of the company’s service from this period are known. In September 1862 it and nine other independent cavalry companies on similar duty throughout eastern North Carolina were organized as the 41st Regiment N.C. Troops (3rd Regiment N.C. Cavalry), and the “Davis Dragoons” were designated Company F.
The companies remained scattered for several months. Company F moved to Lenoir County but in January 1863 was back in Onslow County where it defeated Federal cavalry at Big Northeast Bridge, near Jacksonville. Six of the enemy were slain, and the remainder routed.
The regiment concentrated in southeastern Virginia in early 1863 and served there and in defense of Richmond until it returned to eastern North Carolina in late 1863. There it engaged in duty similar to its previous sojourn in the state. Six companies, including Company F, participated in General George Pickett’s failed attempt to capture New Bern in early February 1864.
It is presumed that Miller was present and accounted for during all of the above operations. However, no muster rolls for company F survive from summer 1862 until April 1864, and Miller’s name does not appear among any of the ancillary documents found in a soldier’s compiled service records, such as hospital registers and others.
In April 1864, however, the 41st North Carolina was ordered to join the Army of Northern Virginia, where it became part of the North Carolina cavalry brigade, commanded by General James B. Gordon, and, after his death, by General Rufus Barringer, and served for the duration of the war. Four muster rolls covering the period from April through October report Miller present for duty. His name also appears on a clothing receipt roll for the fourth quarter of 1864, following which there are no further records.
Elisha Hamilton Miller (November 3, 1831-April 20, 1909) is buried at Mary’s Grove Cemetery, Lenoir, Caldwell County.
Creator
Unknown Photographer
Source
Manarin et. al., North Carolina Troops 2:178-179, 220, 225; service record files of E. H. Miller, 41st Regiment N.C. Troops, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers from the State of North Carolina (M270), RG109, NA; http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr...
Contributor
Caldwell Heritage Museum
Files
Citation
Unknown Photographer, “Private Elisha Hamilton Miller,” Tar Heel Faces, accessed May 16, 2024, https://tarheelfaces.omeka.net/items/show/127.
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