A single leaf, written on both sides. The front is a printed-style furlough form filled in by hand, now very faded; the surgeon’s certificate at the bottom is in darker ink. The surgeon left the number of days blank.
Sick furlough for Private Charles M. Roach of Company I, 44th North Carolina Troops, near Petersburg, Virginia – 1864
Transcription notes: spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the original. Words in [square brackets] are editorial notes; [?] marks an uncertain reading and [illegible] marks words that could not be read.
(To all whom it may concern)
The bearer hereof Chas. M. Roach a private of Capt. John W. Roach’s Co. I 44th N.C.T. [North Carolina Troops] aged 24 years five feet eight inches high light complexion blue eyes light hair and by profession a Farmer born in the County of Pitt State of N.C. and enlisted at Greenville in the County of Pitt State of N.C. on the 16th day of March 1862, to serve for the period of three years is hereby permitted to go to his home in Pitt County N.C. he having received a furlough from the 22nd day of December 1864 to the 21st day of January 1865 at which time he will rejoin his company and Regiment at Petersburg Va. or wherever it then may be or be considered a deserter.
Subsistence has been furnished said Private C. M. Roach to the 15th day of December 1864 and pay to the 30th day of June 1864 both inclusive.
Given under my hand near Petersburg Va. 17th day of Decr. 1864.
James T. Williams [?]
1st Lieut. Comdg. Company
I certify that I have carefully examined Private Charles M. Roach of Capt. John Roach’s Co. I. 44th Regt. N.C.T. and find him unfit for military duty at present on account of General Debility arising from Chronic Diarrhoea – obstinate & protracted. I believe that he will not be fit for duty in a shorter period than days & respectfully recommend a furlough for the above period
John Wilson Jr.
Surg. of 44th N.C.T.
[Endorsements on the back]
In the field Dec 14th 1864
Private Chas. M. Roach Co. I 44th N.C.T.
Application for sick furlough 30 days
Respectfully forwd. Approved
T. C. Singeltary
Col. Comdg. 44th N.C.T.
Hd. Qrs. [Brigade] 44 N.C.T. [?] Dec 14 1864
Respy. forwarded & approved
T. C. Singeltary
Col.
[Faint:] Hd. Qrs. Heth’s Div. [?] Dec. 16 1864
Respy. forwarded & approved
H. Heth [?]
Maj. Genl.
Head Qrs. 3d Corps A. N. Va. [Army of Northern Virginia]
17 Decr. 1864
Respy. forwarded approved 30 days
A. P. Hill
Lieut. Genl.
Respy. returned approved for thirty (30) days.
By order of Genl. Lee
W. H. Taylor
A. A. G. [Assistant Adjutant General]
Dec. 1864
1423 R [?]
Rations for one day furnished at Danville Va.
Way Hospital No. 2 [?]
Greensboro N.C.
Decr. 28/64
Examined [?]
A. A. Hunter [?]
Surgeon in Chg. [?]
Furnished [?] in kind to Weldon [?]
C. & B. Branch [?]
Maj. [?] …
Reid [?]
one Ration furnished
T. R. B. [?]
one Ration issued Dec. 24 [?]
G. Chamberlain [?]
…
About the original
The back carries the chain of approvals as the request went up the line: the regimental colonel (Thomas C. Singeltary of the 44th North Carolina), the division and corps commanders (the corps endorsement is signed A. P. Hill), and finally “By order of Genl. Lee,” signed by Lee’s adjutant W. H. Taylor. These readings follow what is known of the 44th North Carolina’s chain of command in December 1864; the faint division endorsement and several of the signatures are not fully clear and are marked [?].
The later notes show him drawing rations on the way home at Danville, Virginia, and at a hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, on December 28, 1864. Some notes, written upside down or sideways, are only partly legible and are marked with “…” where they could not be read.
The company commander is Capt. John W. Roach of Company I.
Source: Sick furlough for Private Charles M. Roach of Company I, 44th North Carolina Troops, near Petersburg, Virginia. Roach Family Papers (#346), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Box 1, Folder d (Legal Records, 1784–1901). Collection guide. Digitized folder: ECU Digital Collections, 0346-b1-fd.
Images courtesy of East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. View in ECU Digital Collections: 35871.
Also from this folder: Swift Creek residents hire Turner Nelson as teacher of “Reading writing and Arithmetic” in 1823.
Part of the Roach Family Papers collection on East Carolina Roots.
