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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 2 items |
| Abstract | Oliver Clark Hamilton was born in 1839 in Randolph County, N.C. He was studying medicine when the Civil War broke out. He left school to enlist in the Confederate Army in November 1861, mustering in as a private to the 38th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. In April 1862, he was promoted to sergeant and then transferred to the Confederate Navy in April 1864, where he remained until he was discharged. After the war, Hamilton returned to North Carolina and taught at New Hope Academy in Randolph County. He died in 1918. The collection consist of a notebook kept initially by Union soldier Henry Bennet and later by Confederate soldier Oliver Clark Hamilton. Bennet, born around 1846, enlisted in June 1861 in Buck's County, Pa., as a private in the 32nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, where he served until he mustered out as a corporal in February 1865. He used the notebook to compile lists, beginning in 1861, of the members of his company who fought in each battle, with indications of those who died, were wounded, or went missing after the battle. He also noted discharges and deaths from illness. The notebook contains a statement by Oliver Clark Hamilton that he picked up the notebook on a battlefield in Virginia. Hamilton used the notebook to compile lists similar to Bennet's and to document accounts, roll calls, and supply distributions. One of the few narrative entries describes Hamilton's experiences in the Seven Days' Battles of 25 June-1 July 1862, defending Richmond, Va.; another describes a journey Hamilton took to Richmond in May 1863 by boat and his visit to a session of the Confederate Congress. There is also a small bound enclosure in Hamilton's hand that includes supply lists from Hamilton's military service and lists of infractions by his students at New Hope Academy. |
| Creator | Hamilton, Oliver Clark, 1839-1918. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
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Biographical Information
Oliver Clark Hamilton was born on 30 November 1839 in Randolph County, N.C. He was studying medicine at Trinity College in Randolph County, N.C., when the Civil War broke out. He left school to enlist in the Confederate Army on 4 November 1861. On 31 December 1861, he mustered into Company H, 38th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, which was part of a group led by Brigadier General William Dorsey Pender and known as Pender's Brigade. This brigade was commanded by A.P. Hill as part of Hill's Light Division. Hamilton served as a private until he was promoted to the rank of sergeant on 18 April 1862. He was transferred to the Confederate Navy on 3 April 1864, where he remained until he was discharged. After the war, Hamilton returned to North Carolina and taught at New Hope Academy in Randolph County. He died on 31 July 1918.
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Scope and Content
The collection consist of a notebook kept initially by Union soldier Henry Bennet and later by Confederate soldier Oliver Clark Hamilton. Bennet, born around 1846, enlisted in June 1861 in Buck's County, Pa., as a private in the 32nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, where he served until he mustered out as a corporal in February 1865. He used the notebook to compile lists, beginning in 1861, of the members of his company who fought in each battle, with indications of those who died, were wounded, or went missing after the battle. He also noted discharges and deaths from illness. The notebook contains a statement by Oliver Clark Hamilton that he picked up the notebook on a battlefield in Virginia. Hamilton used the notebook to compile lists similar to those by Bennet and to document accounts, roll calls, and supply distributions. One of the few narrative entries describes Hamilton's experiences in the Seven Days' Battles of 25 June-1 July 1862, defending Richmond, Va.; another describes a journey Hamilton took to Richmond in May 1863 by boat and his visit to a session of the Confederate Congress. There is also a small bound enclosure in Hamilton's hand that includes supply lists from Hamilton's military service and lists of infractions by his students at New Hope Academy.
Hamilton appears to have annotated the book at a later date, adding notes explaining the book's usage and provenance and inserting page numbers and a rough index.
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Oliver Clark Hamilton Notebook, 1861-1866.
| Folder 1 |
Notebook, 1861-1866 |
| Folder 2 |
Enclosure |