Edgecombe County, NC - Diary of J.M. Cutchin
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J.M. Cutchin Diary
1856 In 1856 school teachers boarded at my Father's.
1857 I was a student of the Oxford Classical School in the year 1857
and 1858 and I think I was benefited by it.
1858 Death of CORNELIUS SHEROD CUTCHIN occurred on the 15th of September
1858 from typhoid fever. His funeral was preached by the Rev. JOHN
F. SPEIGHT.
1858 Comet was visible here in Oct. 1858. Philosophers conjecture the tail
of it to be ninety five million miles in length and say it will appear
again in 1890.
1858 Marriage of JOSEPH CUTCHIN to Miss ELLEN HART happened in the fall of
1858. Love is a cottage is all very well when you own the cottage and
have money out at interest.
1859 Marriage of JOHN MENCHEW to ANN CUTCHIN took place in April 1859.
(His Bible in possession of Mrs. A.H. KENT of Richmond, Va.
1859 I took a trip to Chapel Hill in June 1859.
1859 I took a trip to Petersburg and Richmond in the fall of 1859. While in
Richmond I attended the Catholic Church and saw the ceremonies.
Attended the theater also.
1859 A. BRASWELL and SPENCER LEE HART purchased 17 negroes from Dr. WARD of
Greene County in December 1859 and a while after that HENRY CUTCHIN
bought 5 and WILLIAM BRASWELL 2 from the same man at $14.50 and $13.50.
1859 Mr. LAWRENCE ELEANDER and Miss JANE CUTCHIN were married by W.F. LEWIS,
Esq in the month of December 1859.
1860 Death ANDREW CUTCHIN son of Major T.H. CUTCHIN departed this life in
January 1860.
1860 Murder of an Irishman by SAM TAYLOR of Battleboro. Irishman drinking
heavily staggered in and TAYLOR cut him so badly he died 1860.
1861 From his brief history: "In 1861, at the age of 20, I joined the
Edgecombe Guards, among first to enter battle, which was a volunteer
company, for six months, that company was company "A" of the Bethel
regiment with JNO L. BRIDGES as Captain of the company and D.H. HILL as
Colonel of the regiment. (Diary) Went down to Fort Macon. From there to
Raleigh. We stayed at Raleigh three or 4 weeks. We then got the title of
Company A and was received in the first regiment from Raleigh. Stayed
there a few days. From there we went to Yorktown and remained there
nearly six months. I was in the fight at Bethel Church on 10th of June
1861. Bethel near Yorktown, Bethel Church, Va. (History - Where HENRY
WYATT was killed). Went on three or four scouts. We moved from Yorktown
to Ship Point. Stayed nearly two weeks. Went to Camp Fayetteville.
Stayed there nearly five weeks. Went to Camp Reins. Remained there
nearly two weeks and went down to Bethel and Stayed there a while. We
returned to Richmond and was there disbanded. 17th Reg 1st at Bethel
last at Appomattox.
1861 Dec. '61 WILLIAM T. CUTCHIN is very sick with typhoid fever. He has been
down a week.
1861 Dr. F.M. GARRETT appointed chief surgeon of a N.C. Hospital at
Petersburg in the latter part of the year 1861.
1861 I made an appointment with Dr. GARRETT to go with him to Petersburg and
live with him in the hospital in Dec. 1861 or Jan. 1862. Dr. GARRETT has
employed for the Hospital at Petersburg MARUC BATTLE, JOHN CHERRY, THOMAS
BELTON(?), ROBERT POWELL and myself. At the expiration of our enlistmane,
six months, I volunteered and joined company "I" of the 17th N.C. regiment,
which company was commanded by A.J.N. WHITEHEAD, Captain, afterwards W.H.
POWELL as Captain. I served a short time as Orderly Sgt. of the co. and
was then elected Lieutenant in the company, in which capacity I served for
the balance of the war. I was in nearly every battle the regiment was in
up to the close of the war.
1862 Capt. JOHN T. DARCY's Company met at Tarboro on the 12th. day of May 1862
and left that place for the camp of instructors at Raleigh. We had over one
hundred men. After getting there he was appointed quartermaster of the
regiment...DANCY's company was made Company I of the 17th N.C. Regiment.
The company officers at first were JOHN DANCY, Captain, and WHITEHEAD first
Lt, W.H. POWELL 2nd Lt., and P. PETWAY Third. DANCY received appointment
as quartermaster and PETWAY having resigned left two vacancies. JAMES
JENKINS was elected 2nd Lt., and I was elected 3rd. on the sixth day of
August 1862.
1862 On the 8th day of Dec. 1862 we started on a scout to Plymouth. On the
morning of the 10th. about an hour before day we attacked the town and
burned it to the ground. It was not a very hard fight. JOHN A. CUTCHIN was
sent to Goldsboro.
1863 The officers at this time, Feb. 1863 are W.H. POWELL. Capt., J. JENKINS 1st
Lt, myself second, JAMES WIGGINS 3rd. Non Commissioned Officers are 1st Sgt
D. WILLIAMS, 2nd McDOWELL, 3rd. JOHN A. CUTCHIN, 4th., JAR Thorne, 5th C. R.
KIND. 1st. Corp. W.T. ETHERIDGE, 2nd. JAMES WIGGINS, 3rd. Non Commissioned
officers are 1st Sgt, D. WILLIAMS, 2nd. McDOWELL, 3rd. JOHN A, CUTCHIN, 4th.,
JAR THORNE, 5th. C.R. KIND. 1st. Corp. W.T.Etheridge, 2nd. JAMES WILLIAMS,
3rd. JAMES Mc G. SAVAGE, 4th. TERRY HINES.
1863 Badly wounded on our return from Asheboro Thursday, 2 March 1863.
1863 On Thursday the 26th of March 1863 I bought a gray horse from A. BRASWELL
at 450 dollars. He is a fine horse.
1863 July 23, '63 we are now in Moore, Randolph, Davidson and Chatham Counties.
From Raleigh went to High Point, -- to Asheboro. Lt. JENKINS and I took 20
men and went out in search of deserters. Went to 3 or 4 Houses. Came near
being shot by our own men.
1863 Miss LAURA MAYO is very sick at this time, Sept. 3, 1863. She has typhoid
fever. Miss LAURA MAYO died at the home of Miss PENNINA BRYANT Sept. 13, 1863.
1864 I was wounded in the arm...Am home at this time on wounded furlough. June 1,
1864. In his military history he tells us "I was severely wounded at the
battle of Burmuda Hundreds near Petersburg, bled into virtual unconsciousness
and was carried back to the doctors on the shoulders of four men. In the same
fight my Col. JNO. C. LAMB, was mortally wounded. He was one of the most
efficient and gallant officers in HOKE's division. His daughter added more
which he had told his family. As Col. LAMB fell he handed his sword to
JAMES McGILBRA saying "carry them on Lt., carry them on." He took command and
they won that skirmish. He was waving his hand encouraging his men when an
enemy sharpshooter got him in the arm. In his history he continues "At the
battle of the Crater, near Petersburg, I was in command of my company and
withstood the most furious shelling of my experience. We were possibly two
or three hundred yards from the Crater itself, and about 250 yards from the
enemy's breatworks. It was there that HENRY PHILIPS, a member of my
company was struck in the back by a shell and literally torn to pieces,
a handful of his intestines falling on my head ten feet away, his remains
were taken up by the shovel full and carried away. Because of this immense
number of shells thrown into our trenches and over us into Petersburg, this
spot was called Mortah Hill. If I may be excused for a slight digression, I
will relate a little incident that occurred at our mess table. The Rev. JESSE
H. PAGE was Chaplain of the regiment and ate at our table and I had an old
negro cook by the name of WILLIS CUTCHIN. Coffee, sure enough coffee, was a
rare thing with us, but old WILLIS, some how and somewhere, got us a little
good coffee, we did not bother about how he got it, but Mr. PAGE, in saying
grace that night, accidentally knocked over one of WILLIS's cups of
coffee, when old WILLIS cried out "La, Mr. PAGE, I wouldn't a gin that cup of
coffee for three graces", and nobody laughed more than the parson.
1864 ARTHUR W. CUTCHIN died of disease contacted near Petersburg. (JAMES McGILBRA
found him ill and helped him get home before he died. He is buried in the
family cemetery at the old home place.
1865 May 12, 1865 W.T. CUTCHIN is also a prisoner at this time.
1865 I am 24 years old today, 30th. May 1865.
1864 On a blank page of the Testament is written "JOHN V. MINCHEW. prisoner of war
captured the 27 of July 1863 and ------to Point Lookout, Md. the 22nd of Sept.
I arrived to Elmira N.Y. the 18th Sept. 1864. The Bible is cloth (black)
covered. Small, pocket-sized. Frontispiece: The New Testament of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ: translated out of the Original Greek.
New York: American Bible Society. 1864
Pasted on a front page-Bible House, Baltimore April 7th. 1864
From the Md. State Bible Society to JOHN V. MINCHEW soldier in Company A 12th
Reg. N.C. - Should I die on the battle field or in hospital, for the sake of
humanity, acquaint JESSIE MINCHEW - residing at Stansburg, Wilson Co. N.C. of
the fact and where my remains may be found. The Bible also has these names in
different handwriting 1. Mr. JOHN HORN, Cloverdale, Putnam Co., Ind. 2. Mr.
JOHN HORN, Quincy, Ind.
1865 WM. BRASWELL, A. BRASWELL and HENRY CUTCHIN gave us a picnic today, May 27,
1865, It was a bad day but we had a very pretty crowd. Had music and dancing.
Ladies present, Miss PATTIE LYON, BETTIE BULLUCK and others Misses LEGGETT,
Misses WHELESS.
1865 June 19, 1865 Mr. T.T. THORNE is very sick at this time with typhoid. Just
before the close of the War, HOKE's Division, to which our regiment belonged,
was transferred to N.C. to meet the advancing forces of SCHOFIELD from New
Bern and SHERMAN from Wilmington. Just below Kinston at Wise's Fork, we had a
severe engagement, and from there we fell back to Bentonsville in Johnson
County where we had, I believe, the last fight of the War. We then moved back
through Raleigh and Chapel Hill and on to Center Church in Guilford County.
We knew LEE had surrendered in Virginia and the War was over with us. It was
sad at that old country church and in that hour of sorrow and distress to hear
the eloquent speeches ...and bid farewell to old comrades who had stood with
them so long. He walked from that Church to his home in Edgecombe County.
Enroute he heard there were Union Soldiers at Hillsborough, so he left his
award at Efland, saying: he had never surrendered his sword to the enemy and
he didn't intend to do so then.
1866 HENRY GORHAM and JOSEPHINE CHERRY were married on Thursday the 260 of Jan
1866 by the Rev J.H. PAGE.
1866 CORNELIA WHELESS and myself were married the 30th of Jan 1866 by the Rev. J.H.
PAGE. They had become engaged, and later married in Old Temple Church. During
the war he had carried her metal picture in his pocket. It saved his life, for
a bullet struck and made a dent in the picture. His great grandson has the
letters he wrote to CORNELIA during the war, and he closed them with "your
friend". Quite different from the usual love letters.
During reconstruction days he was one of three men in a large area of this
section who did not lose everything he had. He went back to Hamilton, from
which his Father had come, and borrowed some money. The woman said she didn't
expect to see it again, but let him have it because he was a soldier. As soon
as he got the money to replace it, he walked to Hamilton to repay it
To conclude what we have of his diary:
1866 JAMES M. JOHNSTON and SALLIE CUTCHIN were married by the Rev. Mr. LOWE on
Tuesday after the second Sunday in May 1866.
1866 JOHN A. CUTCHIN, my brother was murdered on the night of Aug 9, 1866 in the
store at Whitakers Depot. He was beaten to death with a hammer by a person or
persons entering the store under the pretense of trading. Poor John may you
be in heaven. (Told before).
1866 27th August 1866 Sister SALLIE is sick at A. BRASWELL's. She has fever.
1867 Little ELLA CUTCHIN died on the night of 11 August 1867.
1868 Mr. J. WELLEFORD and Miss MARGARET CUTCHIN were married in March 1868.
1870 Mrs. NANCY WHELESS my wife's mother died of cancer it is supposed on 10th of
April 1870.
1870 My Father JOSIAH CUTCHIN died close to half after one o'clock on Saturday the
8th. of October 1870. He was born in 1799 which made him 71 years old. May he
be in a better land than this.
1874 Death of GREENE CUTCHIN 15 or 16 of ---1874
1883 & 1884
People about Whitakers began the cultivation of peanuts and tobacco in the
years 1883 and 1884. (JAMES McGILBRA and V.W. LAND introduced peanuts to this
area.)
1884 I lost my arm in Oct. 1884. (According to a report by his daughter, JESSIE, he
went to remove a piece of lint from the gin, he was caught in the machinery.
A black man stopped the gin and rescued him. His arm is buried at the foot of
his Mother's grave.)
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