Malcolm Blue Festival 2012 by The Pilot LLC

43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival So much to see and do ... September 28-30

September 23, 2012

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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

Step Back To a Simpler Time! BY ROBERT MARTIN Special to The Pilot

The 43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival is almost here. This year it will be held Friday through Sunday, Sept. 28, 29 and 30. The entire team of board members and volunteers are working feverishly to make 2012 the best festival ever! Try to imagine life before cellphones, computers and the “Digital Age,” even before airplanes and automobiles. Well, a visit to the Malcolm Blue Farm is like taking a step back in time. It is akin to being

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The Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 years of age. Military with active duty ID are free. The Malcolm Blue Farm is located at 1177 Bethesda Road, Aberdeen. For more information, visit malcolmbluefarm.com, call (910) 9447685, or email malcolmblue@ windstream.net. transported to the 19th century, when life in the Sandhills of North Carolina was simpler and less hurried. The Crafts and Farmskills Festival showcases this time period with demonstrations and activities reflective of the Sandhills’ proud rural history. Friday, Sept. 28, is our Schoolchildren’s Day and typically has more than 1,000 children, teachers and parents attending. They will enjoy artisans of all kinds, such as blacksmithing, pine needle basket weaving, quilting, bees making honey, wood carving, cloggers, storytelling, potters and many

more. Children can roll hoops, walk on stilts, make old-timey crafts, sample homemade foods in the farmhouse kitchen, and ride a wagon drawn by horses. We will have plenty of musicians and stage entertainment, along with Civil War re-enactors. We will also have ponies and a petting zoo! Saturday and Sunday are highly attended family fun days. PHOTOS BY GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot Young and old alike enjoy all that we have to offer at this unique festival. Music, clogging and entertainment will be provided. The food concessions will be ready for you (especially my favorite — funnel cakes). In trying to keep costs down, volunteers have worked tirelessly throughout the year at yard maintenance and general upkeep of the farm, and we are thankful for all their time and efforts. Unfortunately, there always seems “more to be done” than we have resources for. The board of directors has continued to

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 exercise excellent fiscal responsibility during a very difficult recession, and has worked on several repair and renovation projects. Some of these projects included repairs to the main house, grist mill and museum. In addition, we have started a farm garden and successfully grew corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, peppers and sunflowers. We have shared the output with the farm’s friends, neighbors and, of course, the farm’s chickens. On behalf of the entire board of directors, we thank you. See you at the festival!

Robert Martin is the president of the Malcolm Blue Historical Society.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

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43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival Entertainment Schedule September 28, 29 and 30

Entertainment Stage Friday, Sept. 28 9 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 11 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 12 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 1:30 p.m.

Elizabeth Garner, Storyteller Stan Clardy Matthew Bahr, Box Drums and Washboards Bell Choir Elizabeth Garner, Storyteller Bell Choir Matthew Bahr, Box Drums and Washboards Young Fiddlers Stan Clardy To Be Announced

Saturday, Sept. 29 10 a.m.

David and Duncan McDonald

11 a.m. 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m.

The Ingrams Marvin Gaster and Richard Owens, Folk Music D.R. Wells Medicine Show Bryon Morris Group Smoketown Ramblers Young Fiddlers The Echoes

Demonstrations Held at Various Times Each Day Traditional Wood Working • Basket Weaving Wood Carving • Horse Plowing Blacksmithing • Border Collie Herding Civil War re-enactors from the Moore County Scottish Rifles will set up camp, demonstrate camp equipment and have smallarms firing demonstrations.

Sunday, Sept. 30 12 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m.

The Echoes Matthew Bahr, Box Drums and Washboards Quicksilver Cloggers The Ingrams To Be Announced

Activities Throughout Each Day Pony Rides • Wagon Rides Petting Zoo

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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. 43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival So much to see and do . .. September 28-30

Festival’s Entertainment Lineup Showcases History, Bluegrass Music and Much More BY MARTHA J. HENDERSON Special Sections Editor

September 23, 2012

About This Issue C o v e r Ph o t o g r a p hy : Glenn M. Sides, The Pilot C o ve r P ho to s : Visitors and performers at the 42nd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival Cov er Design Martha J. Henderson, Special Sections Editor S e c t i o n P ho t o g r a p hy Glenn M. Sides, Katherine Smith, Paul Brill, Jeannie Carpentier, Bob Martin and Lisa Sauder Supp l emen t D esi gn /L ayou t Martha J. Henderson, Special Sections Editor C o nt r i b u t i n g Wr i t e r s Paul Brill, Bob Martin, Katherine Smith, Jeannie Carpentier and Martha J. Henderson Special thanks to Bob Martin and Malcolm Blue Historical Society For advertising information, contact Johnsie Tipton at (910) 693-2515 or email advertise@thepilot.com.

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drums, as well as tambourines, shakers and noisemakers for children to plays. Bahr takes that stage at 10 a.m. and noon on Friday, and returns at 1 p.m. Sunday. A group of students will showcase their musical talents on the festival’s stage at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, as well as at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

From start to finish, the entertainment lineup at the 43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival is guaranteed to get audiences’ toes tapping, hands clapping and faces smiling. The onstage fun gets under way at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, with storytelling. Elizabeth Garner, of Pinehurst, will take listeners back in time as she passes on the traditional art of storytelling. Using words, images and sounds, Garner will bring the past alive to her audience. She is scheduled to take the stage again at 11 a.m. Visitors to the festival on Schoolchildren’s Day will be treated to a historic program that showcases the hits of the ’60s — that’s the 1860s. Performing the music of the period and punctuating those songs with stories that explain the background of the songs will be songwriter and The D.R. Wells Medicine Show musical historian Stan Clardy. The Fiddle students of Valerie Cox, these Statesville performer will be accompanied young fiddlers will perform a variety of by his assistant, Mr. Bobby Lee O’Possum. selections, which could include Celtic, Clardy will be performing at 9:30 a.m. and Southern and patriotic tunes with a bit of at 1 p.m. Friday. their classical repertoire mixed in as well. Children will have the opportunity to David and Duncan McDonald get the express their own musical talents as they music started at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. perform along with percussionist Matthew 29. The Ingrams, homegrown Moore Bahr. The Aberdeen resident uses a washCounty performers who have been getting board and a cajón, a box-shaped percussion local audiences’ toes tapping for years, take instrument originally from Peru, to create the stage at 11 a.m. The group also will perhis own brand of laid-back music with a form at 3 p.m. Sunday. percussion rhythm. Fronted by Eddie Ingram, the family In addition to performing, Bahr will share band includes Eddie’s daughter, Ashley a brief history of washboards and how they Ingram Wood, his brother, Aaron, sister-inwould have played a part of the musical law, Natalie, and nephew, Andy. history at the Malcolm Blue Farm. He will The band plays all types of bluegrass have a number of washboards and box

music, including traditional and gospel. Longtime festival favorite Marvin Gaster returns to the Malcolm Blue Farm in the 11 a.m. hour. Gaster describes his musical styles as “old-time music.” Others say Gaster is “one of the purist native folk musicians in the area.” His musical style features the banjo, fiddle and guitar, as well as vocals. The rural Lee County native will be joined on the festival stage by Richard Owens. At 1 p.m., the festival will present some good medicine for an ailing soul — the bluegrass/gospel sounds of the D.R. Wells Medicine Show. Band members Darrald Wells (lead guitar), Robert Phillips (mandolin), Bobby Carpenter (banjo) and Milton Home (bass) are doing their part to contribute to the preservation of their Southern bluegrass and gospel heritage. Saturday’s musical lineup also includes the Bryon Morris Group, Smoketown Ramblers and The Echoes, who return to the stage to kick off Sunday’s entertainment at noon. Visitors to the festival will want to kick up their heels as they watch the Quicksilver Cloggers do just that at 3 p.m. Sunday. Founded in 1996, the Quicksilver Cloggers dance to a variety of musical genres, including bluegrass, country and pop. Dance members include Aileen Garner, Jennifer Garner, Bonnie Hanham, Brenda Ritter, Lou Smith, Pam Kennedy, Sarah Daffron and Jane Drzewicki.

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Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About Kids, History and Fun BY MARTHA J. HENDERSON Special Sections Editor

Every year, more than 1,000 children take part in the annual Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. Today, many of the parents who bring their children to the festival remember attending Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day when they themselves were in school. The event was started by Malcolm Blue Historical Society founder Martha Swaringen as a way to use the farm to help educate children on what daily life would have been like on a 19th century farm. Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day kicks off the 43rd festival this year on Friday, Sept. 28. Festival hours on Friday are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are hoping for a large turnout on Friday,â&#x20AC;? says Kelly Hinson, Society and Festival committee member. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have invited all K-12 classes in Moore County, K-8 in our surrounding counties, and high schools in Montgomery County. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The school curriculum has changed with eighth grade teaching U.S. history and high school teaching North Carolina history. We wanted to invite students who

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could benefit from the experience.â&#x20AC;? writing with quill pens and more, children hiding the items in the dirt. The children Children will spend the day getting a will also get the chance to experience what will be able to match the two and help date glimpse into the life their great-greatit was like to be a child in the Sandhills in the items, just like at a real site. grandparents would have lived. Traditional 19th century Moore County. A new activity There also will be nonstop entertainment artisans will be on hand to demonstrate provided by a variety of performers, the skills and crafts that were part of including storyteller Liz Garner, pereveryday life in the 19th century. cussionist Matthew Bahr, Stan Clardy, a The skills on display during the hand bells group, fiddlers and more. Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day will include â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are happy to say that a group of basket making, weaving, wood working, students from Union Pines will be pottery, blacksmithing, leathersmithing volunteering during this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event,â&#x20AC;? and more. Ronnie Davis will be tying says Hinson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They will be helping in tobacco and explaining how it used to number of ways, including helping with be done. parking, giving cooking demonstrations In addition to the many demonstraand more.â&#x20AC;? tions, children can tour the 1825 Admission to Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day is Malcolm Blue farmhouse, view exhibits $5. There are several additional in the Clayton-Blair History Museum, activities, as well as concessions, that take horse-drawn wagon rides, visit the arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t included in the price of GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot Civil War encampment, and see Civil Kids explore a steam engine at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival. admission. War demonstrations. Cooking demonSchools or teachers interested in strations will take place in the farmhouse at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Schoolchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day will be a attending the festival on Friday can call kitchen, while students from Union Pines mini archeological dig. The mini-dig will be the Malcolm Blue Farm at (910) 944-7558 High School will demonstrate Native located in a sterile area, and will consist of to make reservations. American cooking outdoors, which is new â&#x20AC;&#x153;burn-outâ&#x20AC;? dirt. Contact Martha J. Henderson at for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival, Hinson says. Archeologist Ellen Marcus will photomjhenderson@thepilot.com. From stilts, hoops and cornhusk dolls to graph rock, glass and little artifacts before

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Quilt From Page 6 Garrett decided to donate the quilt to the museum because “it’s native to the region. And frankly, it needed to be better utilized than in a chest that was never opened.” He and his wife, Elizabeth Griffin, have also donated another quilt, a quilt chest, a 19th century print, a mild-colored pitcher, a small ox yoke, a kitchen table topped with recycled barn lumber, and an 1860s table. The couple have no children, and Griffin says, “We feel that these things should stay in the area. We love to visit, and it’s really something when there’s enough history behind an object for the community to see.” Bob Martin, president of the Malcolm Blue Historical Society, says that even the inanimate tables “help to bring back a

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. different time and memories for the older folks and show the young ones some history.” “You’ve heard it a thousand times,” he says. “But we need to understand the past, so we don’t relive it.” The museum that houses two floors of local historical donated items will be open during the 43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival held Friday, Sept. 28, through Sunday, Sept. 30. Their normal hours are Friday and Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. The festival will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 years of age. Military with active duty ID are free. The Malcolm Blue Farm is located at 1177 Bethesda Road, Aberdeen. For more information, visit malcolm bluefarm.com, call (910) 944-7685, or email malcolmblue@windstream.net.

PAGE 7

GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

WARES FOR SALE — Children sample fudge at one of the vendor booths during last year’s Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival. This year’s threeday event also promises tasty treats as well as a wide array of handmade items available for purchase. Food items visitors can enjoy include old-fashioned ice cream, funnel cakes, homemade lollipops, lemonade and snow cones. The selection of handmade items will range from leather crafts, handcrafted soaps, pottery, pine needle basketry, primitive wood working, gold and gemstones, wood gnome carvings and floor loom weavings to homemade Raggedy Ann dolls, crafts, jewelry, quilts, throws, bags and guardian angels. Crocheted hair ribbons, pacifier clips and hats also will be available. Face painting will also be offered.

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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Quilt Donation Brings With It a Loving History BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot

The top floor of the Clayton-Blair History Museum at the Malcolm Blue Farm creaks with history. There is a tree-hewn canoe lined by deerskin drums, a fading Civil War memorabilia wall, and loom and patchwork quilts that flop over the banister. But one crazy-stitch quilt is selectively housed in a dark trunk. In its stitchings are quiet birds — an owl and a robin, horse shoes, a reindeer and the words “Forget Me Not,” “Good Luck,” and cursive initials, “W.S.G.” The quilt was donated to the Malcolm Blue Farm by Fred Garrett, the 1968 founder of Sandhills Community College’s landscape gardening program. The quilt was originally given to Garrett by his stepfather, William Stanton Grant, who received it at birth on Dec. 12, 1913, from his mother. Grant’s mother, Jenny Grant, was told by doctors that the delivery would kill her and, three days after the birth of her only child, it did. “What is written on the blanket would

make you believe that she really knew she wouldn’t make it,” says Garrett. “She worked on it during her pregnancy, but I figure it was probably after my stepfather was born that she did his initials.” The quilt smells like cinnamon sticks musty in a stale attic. It has angular patches of evergreen cotton and dimpled pink, interspersed with blue flecks and reds. Its underside is yellow paisley, and Garrett says, “When I stand off and look at it, it reminds me of the colors of a Navajo rug. There are things in there that she wanted him to know about.” After Jenny Grant’s death, her son was adopted by the Gray family in Abingdon, Va. J. Watt Gray, the father, was a farmer and politician, and he and his wife raised Grant and another adopted child with their three own biological children. Grant became Garrett’s stepfather when he married Elizabeth Grant around 1947. “He was wonderful,” Garrett said. “He was the only dad I ever really knew.”

see QUILT, page 7

KATHERINE SMITH/Special to The Pilot

Fred Garrett displays his stepfather’s quilt, which Garrett donated to the Malcolm Blue Farm and is on exhibit at the Clayton-Blair History Museum.

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GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Past Excavation Reveals History of Malcolm Blue Farm BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot

KATHERINE SMITH/Special to The Pilot

Archeologist Ellen Marcus and Bob Martin, president of the Malcolm Blue Historical Society, look over Krystal Hammond’s project binder, which the Girl Scout created as part of her Gold Award project. The project focused on excavating on the Malcolm Blue Farm in Aberdeen.

The omnipresence of the Internet too often distracts from the buried history of real but invisible lives. Unless we blog about them, our own curious, quiet stories will also be lost to recollection. Patrons of the Malcolm Blue Farm have always salvaged history, sometimes by literally digging it up. Malcolm McMillan Blue built his family’s farm, circa 1825, on what is now Bethesda Road in Aberdeen. In 2002, Krystal Hammond built her Girl Scout Gold Award report around excavating the farm, finding a thimble, grommets, slate shingles, shoelace eyelets, slashes of pottery and windowpanes. The excavation material she found is only one of nine chapters recorded in her three-inch-thick project binder on display at the Clayton-Blair History Museum. In her 2003 report, Hammond writes: “The Malcolm Blue Society does not know where certain structures are on their farm. Structures of particular interest include the location of the original kitchen, slave quarters and barns. There is a gap in the history of the ownership of

the land which the Malcolm Blue house is on from 1922 to roughly 1968.” The project began on August 22, 2002, with a discussion meeting, and ended on July 31, 2003, with the finish of her final report — almost a year of work, tallying 360 hours and 10 minutes. Within that year, the digs themselves told more about how buildings were moved in the late 1800s than the exact locations of the structures. Hammond and her group tracked some of the path of the original kitchen from 30 feet away to the house, moved likely by being pivoted on greased logs. Hammond found plow scars, yellow stripes in the black dirt that indicate trenches made by plowing fields. She found a six-foot-long red clay intrusion that could be the kitchen’s drip line. Oral History Day, held on May 10, 2003, invited locals to recount their memories of the Blue family and their farm. Fourteen people participated in the event; their interviews are recorded in Hammond’s binder.

see EXCAVATION, page 11

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Excavation From Page 10

Hammond found genealogical and local historical information, as well as hints to where barns may have been on the property. Specifically from Buddy Blue, her report has pages of culture remembrances. “Almost half of the hours spent on this project were used on the research,” she said in the report. Hammond invited the public to help sift through many digs, and was assisted by archeologist Glen McGugan, and Christie Armstrong and Jeff Irwin, archeologists at the Fort Bragg Cultural Resources program. By the end of the project, they had opened eight dig units, dug four shovel tests, and recovered more than a thousand artifacts. The thimble they found was worth the entire dig, Armstrong says. “You’re always looking for gold or human bones,” says Ellen Marcus, an archeologist who served as the site manager of Malcolm Blue Farm for three years. “She didn’t find any here, but it’s

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. really amazing that she put together a project of this size while in high school.” For the three years preceding the project, Hammond worked as a tour guide with her Girl Scout group during the Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival. At that time, she was being homeschooled, in Rockingham, and hoping to become an Egyptologist. Now, nine years later, she is studying biological anthropology in pursuit of her master’s and then a Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has studied the burial treatment of children at an Illinois mound site, excavated Mississippian-period houses and excavated on the Shivwits plateau in Arizona. She is currently studying the remains of children from Non Nok Tha cemetery in northeast Thailand. She learned that yearlong projects, whether they are for Girl Scouts or a thesis, need to be broken down before they can be chewed. “I also learned that nothing takes place in a vacuum,” she says, thanking everyone involved, particularly her mother, Denise Hammond. “Study, and don’t give up,” she says. “Read widely! Focus on big questions

about the past that really interest you. If you’re really eager for hands-on experience, try seeking out volunteer opportunities.” The Clayton-Blair History Museum will be open during the 43rd Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival, held Friday, Sept. 28, through Sunday, Sept. 30.

PAGE 11

NEW GIRLS IN TOWN

Mini-Dig Planned Also during the festival, archeologist Ellen Marcus will hold an above-ground mini-dig for children on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The mini-dig will be located in a sterile area, and will consist of “burnout” dirt. Marcus will photograph rock, glass and little artifacts before hiding the items in the dirt. The kids will be able to match the two and help date the items, just like at a real site. The festival will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 years of age. Military with active duty ID are free. The Malcolm Blue Farm is located at 1177 Bethesda Road, Aberdeen. For more information, visit malcolm bluefarm.com.

BOB MARTIN/Special to The Pilot

What would a farm be without chickens wandering its grounds, pecking, clucking and laying eggs? Well, it definitely wouldn’t be the Malcolm Blue Farm. According to Malcolm Blue Historical Society President Bob Martin, six new birds are now calling the historic farm home, including two gray Bramas, a black Brama mix, a bantam mix and two very young white Silkies. Visitors to the Festival will have the opportunity to see the new flock of freerange chickens up close and personal.

PAGE 12

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

1862 — An Active Time For Civil War Battles in North Carolina BY PAUL BRILL

enactors, a special exhibit of Civil War items and relics used and associated with specific soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies will be on display in the The 43rd Malcolm Blue Historic Crafts and Farmskills Festival will be held at the historic Malcolm Blue Farm in museum. The museum has a permanent exhibit of artifacts, maps, graphics and brochures about the Battle Aberdeen Friday through Sunday, Sept. 28–30. The of Monroe’s Crossroads of 1865. festival will have Civil War reThe Battle of Monroe’s enactors from the Moore County Crossroads museum exhibit Scottish Rifles, who will set up gives a detailed review of the camp, demonstrate camp battle and events leading into equipment and have small-arms the battle, including Gen. firing demonstrations. Jordan’s cavalry encampment of There will also be a fine about 1,000 men at the old display of various Civil War Bethesda Church and the historical relics presented in the Malcolm Blue Farm on March 9, Clayton-Blair History Museum, 1865. The battle was fought on with several items from North PAUL BRILL/Special to The Pilot March 10, between the cavalry and South Carolina, including forces of Confederate Gen. two sword belt buckles captured Confederate waist and sword belt buckles Joseph Wheeler and the Union on Dec. 14, 1862, at the Battle of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, about eight miles from the farm Kinston. on the present-day Fort Bragg reservation. The Union The Malcolm Blue Farm is an official site of the North cavalry was part of Gen. Sherman’s army that was movCarolina Civil War Trails. In addition to the Civil War reSpecial to The Pilot

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PAUL BRILL/Special to The Pilot

S.C. Cavalry pistol and captured sword belt from Kinston, N.C. ing through Georgia and the Carolinas en route to the Fayetteville Arsenal, which was eventually destroyed. At designated times on Saturday and Sunday, Civil War artillery re-enactors will conduct canon firing demonstrations. The Civil War camps are open to the public at all times for informal discussions on camp life, fighting tactics, and equipment identification and maintenance. The Civil War camps close at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

see CIVIL WAR, page 13

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

Civil War From Page 12 Major Civil War Battles During 1862, 150 years ago, there was an intense number of major Civil War battles between the Union and Confederate forces, which included the capture of forts Donelson and Henry, the surrender of Nashville, the battles of Pea Ridge, Yorktown and Shiloh, the capture of Corinth and New Orleans, the battles of the Ironclads and the battles of Front Royal, Winchester, Seven Pines, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Antietam and Fredericksburg, to list a few. In North Carolina, on Feb. 7, Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside landed 7,500 men on the southwestern side of Roanoke Island in an amphibious operation launched from Fort Monroe, Va. The next morning, supported by gunboats, the Federals assaulted the Confederate forts on the narrow waist of the island, driving back and outmaneuvering Brig. Gen. Henry Wise’s outnumbered command. After losing fewer than 100 men, the Confederate commander on the field, Col. H.M. Shaw, surrendered about 2,500 soldiers and 32 guns. Burnside had captured Roanoke Island and two towns on the coast, sealed one of the state’s primary canals, and destroyed the Confederate “mosquito fleet” of seven vessels and set up a blockade. Then on March 11, Brig. Gen. Burnside’s command

PAUL BRILL/Special to The Pilot

Mississippi rifle and powder flask, CSA cap and cartridge box, S.C. waist belt embarked from Roanoke Island to rendezvous with Union gunboats at Hatteras Inlet for an expedition against New Bern. On March 13, the fleet sailed up the Neuse River and disembarked infantry on the river’s south bank to approach the New Bern defenses. The Confederate defense was commanded by Brig. Gen. Lawrence Branch. On March 14, Federal brigades attacked along the railroad and, after four hours of fighting, drove the Confederates out of their fortifications. The Federals captured nine forts and 41 heavy guns and occupied a base which they would hold to the end of the war, in spite of several Confederate attempts to recover the town. Late in 1862, Union Gen. John G. Foster’s garrison was entrenched in New Bern and made several incursions into the countryside. On Dec. 11, Foster led a raid from

Serving The Sandhills Since 1975

PAGE 13 New Bern to burn the railroad bridge over the Neuse River at Goldsboro. Foster’s force consisted of 10,000 infantry, 650 cavalry and 40 cannons. As Foster approached Kinston (originally called Kingston) on Dec. 13, he encountered Confederate defensive forces under Gen. Nathan (Shanks) G. Evans six miles southwest of Kinston. After a fierce fight, Evans withdrew to earth works near the Neuse River and prepared for Foster’s second attack which came at 9 a.m. on Dec. 14. Evans stationed about 2,000 troops from the Carolinas in a semicircle extending from the river to about a mile toward a swamp across the Wilmington Road. Union General Foster positioned his men for the assault in the front. The Federals encountered thick woods, brambles and determined resistance. However, with superior numbers, the Federals succeeded in breaking through the Confederate left flank. After the South Carolinians on the left flank crossed the Jones Bridge over the river into Kinston, Confederate Gen. Evans ordered the bridge set afire before the North Carolinians on the left had a chance to cross. Many of them were captured as they fled in panic. After a brief stand on the north side of Kinston, Evans withdrew his troops and General Foster then departed for Goldsboro the next day. Total casualties were 90 killed, 195 wounded, about 400 missing.

Confederate Relics Display At the special Civil War exhibit in the Clayton-Blair History Museum, there will be two captured Confederate

see CIVIL WAR, page 14

PAGE 14

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

Civil War From Page 13 relics from the 1862 Battle of Kinston by Union soldiers on display along with unique artifacts. The leather sword belt with S.C. two-piece buckle of slain militia officer 1st Lt. James T. Weir (23rd S.C. Volunteers) will be presented. It was taken from him by Gary Voorhees of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteers and has an old string tag marked “Taken from the body of a dead C.S.A. captain.” The Yankee soldier mistook the double bar shoulder straps to represent a captain, as is true for the Union Army, but in the Confederate Army this officer was a first lieutenant. A captured surgeon’s Old English CS Tongue and Wreath sword belt buckle and 1830s surgeon sword will be shown. A signed provenance tag written by the Union soldier at the Battle of Kinston, who took the sword and belt rig, reads “Surgeon’s Sword — Taken at the Battle of Kinston N.C. Dec. 14th 1862 — Presented to H.H. Wheeler by Corp. Horace E. Brooks 25th Regt Masstts Volrs.” The “CS”-style buckle is quite rare. Other items to be presented at the museum will be two rectangular CSA waist-belt plates, one on the original leather and the other plate label marked on the back “From Chickamauga Presented to Major S. Brown u.s.a.” Maj. Brown, 30, was from the 65th Ohio Volunteers and was wounded on Sept. 20, at the Georgia Battle of Chickamauga, and died on Sept. 22. Capt. Powell, who

PAUL BRILL/Special to The Pilot

Fayetteville rifle and Palmetto musket with bayonets took over after the unit lost its lieutenant colonel, major and first captain during the battle, stated in his field report: “Our lamented Maj. Brown, who, with so much coolness and bravery, demonstrated every characteristic of the true hero, realizing the magnitude of the cause in which he was engaged. From the commencement of the engagement up to the time he fell, he was ever found where the danger was greatest, and by his noble daring imbued every heart in the regiment with a determination to conquer.” The Confederate CSA plate was probably taken back to Ohio and presented to his family as a souvenir piece in remembrance of Maj. Brown’s sacrifice. Additional artifacts to be shown include:

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 I A Model 1851 Colt Navy pistol engraved “G.E. Manigault” on the butt strap. Capt. Gabriel Manigault was from the noted and wealthy Manigault family of Charleston and was a member of the Charleston Dragoons and adjutant to Col. Rutledge of the Fourth South Carolina Cavalry; I 1863 North Carolina-made Confederate Fayetteville Arsenal rifle and saber bayonet; I The soldier-marked, Confederate-made cartridge box and shoulder sling of Jeremiah L. Moore, from the Seventh N.C. State Troops, who was from Iredell County; I Palmetto Armory musket and rare Wm Glaze bayonet used by a soldier H.L. Infinger of the 11th SC Regiment; I Scarce Model 1816 Simeon North flintlock pistol surcharged “S. Carolina” on the barrel for South Carolina dragoon militias; I Extremely fine 1847 dated “Mississippi” rifle and 1848 “Peace” powder flask used by both sides, but popular in the South; and I Various other soldier accoutrements and small arms weapons. Supporting Civil War re-enactors and their equipment costs money. Any persons wishing to assist with expenses associated with the re-enactors can send a tax deductible gift payable to MBHS, P.O. Box 603, Aberdeen, NC 28315, or contact Paul Brill at (910) 725-0466. Gift increments of $25 will receive two three-day passes to the festival. The public is warmly invited to the Malcolm Blue Farm Festival and to continue the 150th commemoration of the American Civil War.

PAGE 12

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

1862 — An Active Time For Civil War Battles in North Carolina BY PAUL BRILL

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NOW OFFERING LAYAWAY Medical Equipment • Hospital Beds Diabetic Shoes • Braces • Wheelchairs Lift Chairs • Scooters • Rolling Walkers

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Expires 10/15/12. Must be new prescription

295 Pinehurst Ave, Southern Pines

910-246-5155 • 866-246-5155 Fax: 910-246-5157

www.healthinnovationspharmacy.com

PAUL BRILL/Special to The Pilot

see CIVIL WAR, page 13

PAGE 16

THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Malcolm Blue Experience Is One to Be Shared BY JEANNIE CARPENTIER Special to The Pilot

have always looked forward to the Malcolm Blue Festival, which welcomes the crisp fall days we crave. The historic area of Aberdeen has so many stories from the past. My first historic home in the area was right around the corner. I have often strolled through the cemetery nearby, reading the tombstones, imaging the lives of the settlers and soldiers and what they and their families may have endured. I always took the time to stop and admire the Bethesda church, as it felt so special with a well-attended homecoming. And, the Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival features local arts, dance, barnyard animals, music, food, grist mill and giggling children enjoying a field trip of exploration. It always touches my heart and immerses me in the local culture. I have attended on multiple occasions, and it never feels like I have had enough. Last year, I brought a new resident, John, eager to share our rich history. I was excited to see numerous new additions to the scene. A team of horses were about to plow a large garden tract. It was so interesting to see the hard work and cooperation among the team and handler. We spent a fair amount of time inspecting the Civil War camp. They were dressed in period clothing — it was obvious they were serious about their roles. With horses tied out between trees, I realized it was a far cry from the elaborate pastures and farms nearby, and I felt as if I was back in their time. We looked at cannons, engaged in details about black powder guns and soaked in the setting. I was amazed as I

made my way over to the tents that were set up simply, yet with every detail to depict authenticity. The kitchen was intriguing to me.

JEANNIE CARPENTIER/Special to The Pilot

Scenes from the Civil War encampment during last year’s Malcolm Blue Festival Admittedly, I am a “foodie,” a cook and a lover of great cookware. The camp had a selection of well-seasoned cast iron like no other — the ultimate pan for almost every kind of dish. As the owners explained the family collection, I envied a cast-iron waffle maker. They shared a story about the family heirloom that they had never used. Suddenly, I blurted, “I would be happy to cook your first

waffle over the sizzling campfires.” So, we made a date for the next morning and I offered to bring all the fixin’s. I saw the excitement in their eyes along with the skepticism that I was talking big and probably would not show up. Although I was slightly challenged to rally early on a Sunday, I pulled it together. We gathered local blueberries, whole wheat pancake items, molasses, local eggs and bacon, and we tried to imagine the simplicity of what might have been available food back in the days of the Civil War. Sure enough, as I parked outside the fence — Toyota, not horses, unfortunately — the smokescented guys high-fived each other and knew breakfast was ahead. I was welcomed by rough-looking soldiers who had obviously sacrificed a comfortable night’s sleep at the Malcolm Blue Farm to remain authentic in the canvas tents and bed rolls. I was handed a tin cup of coffee and we immediately began our feast preparations over the campfire. The waffle iron was perfect, although a challenge with its stickiness and the less-consistent heat of the fire. I borrowed another fantastic skillet for the rest of the cooking so we could feed the whole camp. After all the soldiers were served, I was handed a metal fork older than I have ever seen with the military insignia on it and a military-issued tin plate holding a warm pancake drizzled in molasses. Success. It was a special morning on sacred grounds with grateful soldiers. Do you think we replicated the feelings of the past soldiers being offered a hot meal by inviting neighbors? I think so. I was invited back. I encourage you, your friends and your families to enjoy our local heritage and visit the Malcolm Blue Historic Crafts and Farmskills Festival this year. Take in the smells, touch the animals, watch them grind the corn at the grist mill. It will hopefully encourage you to get involved in your community preservation and events.

Jeannie Carpentier is the owner/instructor of Mind Your Body Pilates and a longtime local resident who volunteers for the town of Southern Pines in hopes of improving and preserving its unique character.