The Life of Hardy B. Marshburn |
A Memorial |
On April 23, 1844, 35 year old Benjamin Marshburn -- or Mashborn, as they spelled it then -- married 14 year old Eldah Foster. Almost 10 months later she gave birth to a son and named him Hardy. During the next five years, Eldah would deliver five more children: Mary, Hannah, Matilda, Sarah, and Edmond. Hardy and his siblings grew up on a dirt farm in the Richlands Township of Onslow County. Needless to say, Hardy learned what hard work and farming the land was all about. Here on this small farm, he also learned dedication to God, family and his community. When the War Between the States broke out, Hardy was just sixteen. No doubt he wanted to be where the action was, but he was needed much more on the farm. It must have been hard knowing other boys his age from Onslow County were leaving to join the Confederate Army and just before his 18th birthday, Hardy persuaded his parents it was time to let him go. After all, his sisters were older and they, along with eight year old Edmond, could handle the chores and farm work. The war had been dragging on for almost two years now. The "glory" days (the early days when soldiers were afraid the war would be over before they had the chance to fight) were long over. The long casualty lists from Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg were in and there was no longer any doubt this was going to be a long and bloody war. Knowing that some Onslow County boys were already buried on the battlefield, and some would die in Northern prisons, Hardy still felt a strong need to do his duty. To Hardy Marshburn, honor was everything. He was more than willing to sacrifice his young life, fighting to protect his beloved southland. As Hardy prepared to leave that small farm on that cold February morning, his mama's tears flowed, as she knew this would quite possibly be the last time she would see her boy on this side of the Jordan River. Hardy learned that the 24th North Carolina Troops were encamped in Kenansville, North Carolina, so he made his way there. On February 8th, 1863 he enlisted with Company B (also known as the "Onslow Guards"), 24th Regiment North Carolina Troops, General Robert Ransom's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. Pvt. Marshburn was promised thirteen dollars a month. But by this time, pay was running up to six months behind. By the time they got paid, it wasn't worth as much as it was six months earlier. None of this mattered to young Hardy, because like so many others, he was there only to do his duty. Although he was what they called "fresh fish," he was in the company of some very seasoned and hardened veterans. It was reported that these men fought gallantly, and many died bravely at such places as Malvern Hill, Antietam and Fredericksburg. General Ransom's brigade was ordered to guard the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. For the next few months they stayed on the move, marching to places like Wilmington, Goldsboro, Magnolia, and Kinston. In May, the brigade was ordered by General Robert E. Lee to rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia for the forthcoming invasion of the North. The Confederate War Department detained the brigade and used them to protect Richmond from possible attack while the Army of Northern Virginia marched toward a small hamlet called Gettysburg. On July 4, 1863, Hardy would get his first taste of fighting at a place called Bottoms Bridge on the Chickahominy River. Soon they were ordered back into North Carolina to protect the vital Weldon Railroad bridge from raiding Federal Cavalrymen. They defeated the horsemen and turned them back at a place called Boone's Mill. In January 1864, Ransom's brigade took part in a failed attempt to recapture New Bern, which had been captured by the Federals in March 1862. General George E. Pickett of the now famous "Pickett's Charge," was in command of the expedition. In April Hardy found himself in extremely heavy fighting while trying to penetrate Federal defenses in the town of Plymouth, NC. The brigades of General Ransom and General Robert F. Hoke, with help from the Confederate Ironclad Ram, the Albemarle, successfully attacked the town, and the Federals surrendered around 10:00 a.m. on April 20th. |
The brigade then moved against Washington, North Carolina, but found the town evacuated by the enemy. Before leaving, the Federals set fire to the town, and the Confederates found "Little Washington" in ruins. Another attempt to recapture New Bern was under way. Before all preparations to assault the city were completed, the brigade received orders to move to Petersburg, Virginia. The 24th Regiment N.C. Troops were engaged in the defense of Drewry's Bluff on May 12-16 and saw action at Bermuda Hunded against Federal General Benjamin F. Butler on May 16-20. General Butler was nicknamed "The Beast" by southerners because of his harsh treatment of southern civilians and was nicknamed "Spoons" by his own men for his allegedly stealing silverware. On June15 orders came for Ransom's brigade to join General P. G. T. Beauregard in the defense of Petersburg. General Beauregard was famous for commanding the attack on Ft. Sumter on the morning of April 12, 1861. (That attack officially began the War Between the States). Ransom's brigade marched all night to get to Petersburg. Upon arriving the next morning, they were immediately sent to the Confederate line where they were under constant attack throughout June 16. That night they drove the enemy back from some captured works. The next morning they repulsed another Federal Assault. That evening, after having no rest for at least two full days, Ransom's men were finally relieved and marched to the rear. Thus began the Siege of Petersburg which would last for the next ten months. That July was extremely hot, and the brigade was under constant bombardment from Union guns, mortars and sharpshooters. Pvt. Marshburn and the rest of the 24th NCT spent July digging entrenchments that would become their home for the next few months. The Federal Army devised a plan to dig a tunnel underneath the Confederate line of defense, blow it up with explosives, thereby opening a breach in the Confederate line. The tunnel was completed on July 23rd at 3:30 a.m. On July 30th the explosives blew an enormous hole -- 200 feet long, 50 feet wide and 30 feet deep. At least 278 Confederate soldiers were killed in the blast. The 24th NCT had been just to the left of the "crater" so they moved to the right to seal the broken trench line. The regiment fought hard to prevent the attacking Federals from breaking through. Much of the fighting became hand to hand, and Federal bodies were piling up three and four deep in the bottom of the crater. The Confederates inflicted 4000 casualties on the Northern Army in just a few hours. By about 2:00 p.m. the Battle of the Crater was over. Life at Petersburg was becoming unbearable for the Confederate soldiers. The men were literally starving to death. Their clothes were ragged, and many had no shoes. There were times when a rat could be found; it would become stew for the day. Some soldiers even |
boiled their haversacks, hoping to get some kind of flavor for a soup. Things were not much better for the officers. On one occasion a politician from Ireland was invited to have dinner with General Robert E. Lee, and "he had two biscuits," said the guest, "and he gave me one." The Federal Army celebrated Thanksgiving with a feast of turkey, chicken, pies, and fruit. No such celebration took place in Lee's army. The Rebels could see the celebrations taking place and out of respect, would not fire upon them -- A prime example of Southern courtesy. The winter of 1864-65 was terribly cold. Many soldiers died from disease and from the effects of the cold. So many men would pack into one tent that if a man had to turn over, everyone had to turn over. The Confederacy began enlisting young boys and old men because desertion was on the rise. Plus, as one officer said, much of the Confederate army had been "worn out, killed out and starved out." Even with all the hardships of soldier life, Pvt. Marshburn was present and accounted for at every single roll call. Finally, the hard winter was over, and General Lee called on General John B. Gordon to devise a plan and find a likely place to batter through the enemy works. General Gordon planned an attack on Ft. Stedman. The 24th NCT were to be a part of this attack. At 4:00 a.m. on March 25, 1865, the attack was launched with great success, but as the Federal Army came to life, they counter-attacked with such force that Lee had no choice but to withdraw. This was the last offensive assault for the Confederate army, and it had cost Lee 3500 casualties. The 24th NC Troops suffered heavy casualties. Two of its companies lost over half their number as prisoners of war. Pvt. Marshburn was wounded with a gunshot to the right arm. He was immediately taken to a Richmond hospital. One week later, on April 3, 1865, he was captured in the hospital by the invading Federal army. On April 9, 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox Court House. Fifty-five members of the 24th Regiment NC Troops were present to receive their paroles. It would not be until April 26, 1865 that Pvt. Hardy B. Marshburn would take the Oath of Allegiance and be paroled. Hardy came back to Richlands with a broken spirit. The cause for which he fought was lost forever, but he was determined to be as good a citizen as he was a soldier. Hardy had not been home since he left on the February morning of 1863, and this time tears were of joy. After some time of recuperation, life for Hardy Marshburn began to settle back down to normal -- well, almost normal. About this time he met and fell in love with a girl named Winnie Marshburn. After a long courtship, he married Winnie on July 21, 1866. In 1868 they had their first child, a son they named Claudius. Claudius died at an early age. By 1880 three more children were born: Margaret Francis (Maggie) was six years old, Nannie was three, and Johnny was one. Two more children would soon follow: Carl and Bryant. Hardy's dad, Benjamin passed away, and so Hardy and Winnie took in and cared for Mama Eldah. Hardy was back to doing the only thing he knew besides soldiering -- farming. He was just a poor farmer with a personal value of only $175, but he fed and clothed his family and provided for their basic needs. He taught them family values and the importance of standing up for what is right, even when you have to fight against great odds. Hardy taught them the importance of God in their lives. The lessons he taught them have been handed down from generation to generation. |
On August 28, 1897 Hardy Marshburn went to be with the Lord. He was 52 years old. His body was buried, but his legacy lives on and on. It lives on in the lives of his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on. There are over 200 descendants of Hardy and Winnie Marshburn in the Onslow County area. On January 4, 1918, Winnie passed away, and she was laid to rest beside her husband on top of a hill behind the Marshburn farm. Before Winnie died, she had a headstone placed on the grave of her beloved husband that said more about his life in one sentence than I could ever attempt to write. It simply read, "He died as he lived, a Christian." |
Warren Jarman, Great-great Grandson |
by |
General Robert Ransom |
