The
plantation of Josiah Collins, Somerset Place, on Lake Phelps in
Washington county was looted by invading Northerners; General James
Johnston Pettigrew was born and buried at nearby Bonarva Plantation --
the area is named Pettigrew State Park.
Bernhard Thuersam, Chairman
North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission
"The Official Website of the North Carolina WBTS Sesquicentennial"
The Yankee Chaplain’s Looted Library:
“Many
years after the war, Dr. Joseph G.D. Hamilton happened to run across
[General Robert F.] Hoke and his son-in-law at a restaurant in Raleigh.
As the men sat together on the porch before dinner, Hoke rested quietly,
gazing off in the distance.
In
a tone designed not to arouse the reticent old soldier, Hamilton began
to relate a newspaper story about an event that had occurred after the
surrender of Plymouth. A Federal chaplain who had been denied officer’s
privileges and “his” library called on Hoke, who responded favorably to
his pleas.
After
the chaplain left, the general noticed two large wooden boxes. When he
enquired about the contents, a soldier responded, “They are the books of
that Yankee chaplain.”
Hoke
noticed that the top of one of the boxes was broken, so he removed a
book. It bore the bookplate of Josiah Collins of nearby Somerset Place
in Washington County. When the boxes were torn open, it was seen that
all the books were likewise marked.
The
chaplain was immediately summoned to Hoke’s headquarters, where the
general dressed him down and stripped him of all privileges.”
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