Dear Sir,
We the Under Signed Loyal Citizens have been robd and ruined by the rebels & consequently have been compeled to flee from Our homes & firesides. We have taken Reffuge within the Federal lines and many of us have left all that is near & dear to us in Hyde and we dare not go there to see Our Wives & children as there being a company of Gurrillas Stationed in the County who Stile themselves Rangers but they are Steam Roling all the Loyal Citizens (that) they can (lay) thare hands on & many of the citizens of Hyde County have Volunteered in the Federal Army with the promis(e) that the County should be protected but the promise has not been fulfilled. The Loyal Volunteers have been kept at Washington, N.C. & are now stationed at Bearn (New Bern), N.C. whare they remain in Inglorious inactivity, anxious to go to Hyde County to avenge themselves (on) thare enemies and the Enemies of the best Government ever established on Earth. by Refering to a map go and See the Location of Said County. the Soil is more fertile than any in N.C. and furnishes more Supplies to the Confederacy than any 4 County within the limit of Said State. Thare are 1/4 Million Bushels of Corn in Hyde County at this Present time wheat and pork in abundance & many Other Necassaries of life all of which the Rebels for the past 12 months have been wagoning out to the Enemies of the United States unmolested -- back by a band of Rebels & that within a few miles of the federal lines. Courts are held in Said County. Thare members are Elected to the Legislature of No. Carolina & they are acting as independent as if they were 1000 miles from the federal lines. we the Undersigned tharefore humbly pray the Authorities in this Department to assist us in driving the miscreants from Our fertile County. we pray you to furnish us with (---?---) North carolina Troops, arms & ammunition the County can easily be garrissoned & the proper place will be near Rosebay Bridge & the County once Subdued can be easily kept in Subjection by throwing up fortifications & when the works are completed thare will be no nead of the regulars. thare would be a Sufficient Quantity of Loyalists & deserters to hold the County without being any expense to our government & be able to furnish the Markets at Newbern & Beaufort with abundant means of life & the Surrounding Country. we tharefore Submit this to your considerations Humbly praying you to Assist us.

Sylvester McGowan
Wm B. Tooley
Redmond Tooley
John G. (X) Sadler
Jesse H. (Jones ?)

LETTER # 2

Edward Stanley
Military Govenor of the State of North Carolina
In the United States of America
To
Sylvester McGowan, Gent.

By virtue of the authority conferred on me to enlist Independent Volunteer Companies of loyal citizens, to Serve within the State or their respective counties and districts during the present rebellion, I do hereby authorize and empower you to form a company, of good and loyal citizens, to act as a home guard in the County of Hyde, and to aid the government of the United States in its efforts to provide the means of maintaining peace and Security to the loyal inhabitants of the State of North Carolina, until they shall be able to establish a civil government.

The Said company will be organized, officered, armed, equipped, and paid, while in actual Service and Subsisted as other Volunteers.

A company consists of Sixty four men.

If they Muster and Keep together the United States will pay them, and furnish clothing, subsistence, and every thing usually furnished to Volunteers.

If they met only occasionally, they will have furnished to them rations and arms.
When Sixty four men shall be Enlisted, and elect a captain and other officers, I will give them commissions.

When you enlist twenty men, they will be furnished arms and ammunition.

You will enlist only good and fine citizens of the United States, whose loyalty is unquestioned.

Your chief duty will be, to protect loyal and peaceable citizens, in the exercise of their rights and privileges, Secured to them by the Constitution of the United States, and to arrest all traitors, who are giving aid and comfort to the Rebellion now existing, and expecially to Secure loyal people from being arrested, and dragged from their homes, without the benefit of trial, having violated no law, and not knowing who their accusers are.
You have authority to see, that all men who have given aid or comfort to the enemy, and who refuse to subscribe the oath of allegiance, be deprived of their arms.

You will not permit any prisoner to be punished in any way, only using such restraint as is necessary to prevent escape.

You will take special care to prevent all pillaging, and destruction of, or injury to property.

If any man is taken prisoner, whose previous good character justifies you in relying upon his keeping his promise, and will subscribe the oath of allegiance, you are authorized to discharge him.

Particular instructions will be given you when requested.

New Berne, Nov. 18th 1862

(Signed) Edw. Stanley
Military Governor of North Carolina

Letters contributed by John L. McGowan, Florence, SC, found among the papers of his grandfather, Henry L. McGowan of Hyde Co., NC, a 1st cousin of Sylvester McGowen.

SOUTHERN CLAIMS COMMISSION
SYLVESTER McGOWAN, CLAIMANT
No. 17769 - 14 Nov. 1872

Sylvester McGowan, Claimant in this cause before the Claims Commission at Washington, N.C. under Act of Congress if March 3, 1871, being duly sworn deposes & says:
My name is Sylvester McGowan, age 53 years, Post Office address is Swan Quarter, Hyde Co., N.C., occupation farmer.
I lived on my own land during the war containing 124 acres, about 60 acres cultivated.
I lived within the rebel lines when I was home.
I took no oath of allegiance with the confederate government.
I took the amnesty oath.
I drilled a few times with the state militia.
I was never arrested by either government.
The rebels occupied my house a while & took my house furniture & provisions for which no pay was ever received.
I was threatened by the rebels of being hung & orders were issued by the rebel officers to hang me on sight if found.
I could not remain at home for 3 years.
I had authority to raise a company of men for the Union cause & remain in service nearly 3 years.
I was a Captain in the Union Army.
At the beginning of the rebellion I sympathized with the Union cause. I voted against secession in 1861 & used all my influence against it.
From the beginning to the end of the war my sympathy was constantly with the cause of the Union. I never of my own will did anything against said Union & was willing to assist & did assist said cause so far as my means permitted.

Facts: Sometime in March 1863 while I was a soldier at New Bern in the Union Army, about 80 miles distant from my home, Col. Morris commanding the (___?___) Reg. (___?___) ¹ came on a raid through the county & went to my house. I had a family living in my house to stay & protect it during my absence, Mr. James Mason & wife, & Mr. Mason told me what was taken by the soldiers. I had raised a lot of corn & had not sold any of it. I did not see anything taken & know nothing of it except by Mr. Mason. I know that my corn is gone, rails burned, also a small house was taken down & burned, also my hogs & Poultry was gone. I heard something afterwards about the taking of my property but I never saw Col. Morris or anyone that belonged to his regiment & consequently I could not get any receipt. Corn was worth 4$ per BBl, the rails were new, all cypress & worth 50$ per M (thousand). The house the soldiers burned to make fire was 15 x 18 ft. square, nearly new, was a framed house and worth 25$. The hogs was large size & worth 10$ each, which Mr. Mason will state. From what Mr. Mason said, I believe the property was taken for use of the army.

Sylvester McGowan

¹ Col. Morris commanded the 101st & 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry and Co. F, 3rd New York Cavalry.

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Eli H. Girkin witness being duly sworn deposes & says:
My Post Office address is Swan Quarter, Hyde County, N.C., am 64 years old, occupation farmer, have known the claimant Sylvester McGowan for 40 years. Knew him intimately during the war. Knew that he was opposed to secession. Knew that he had a commission to raise a company for the defence of the Union cause & was a thoroughly Union man. Knew that he was abused by the rebels & could not come home after for fear of being caught. I heard of his property being destroyed by the rebels, I heard that the Union soldiers took some property from him but do not know how much. From his acts & conduct, I know that he was truly loyal to the Union Cause. I am & always was loyal to the Union Cause. I am not related with the claimant & have no interest in this claim.
Test. K.R. Pendleton

Eli H (his X mark) Guirkin

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Jesse S. Mason, witness, being duly sworn deposes and says:
My Post Office address is Swan Quarter, Hyde Co., N.C., am 36 years old, occupation a Mechanic, have known the claimant Sylvester McGowan for 20 years, knew him intimately during the war, knew from his conversations that he was opposed to the war, knew from his conversations that he was opposed to secession, knew that he raised a Company of Union men in Hyde Co. for the defence of the Union Cause, knew that he was generally abused by the rebels for his acts. From his acts & conduct I am satisfied that he was thoroughly loyal to the United States Government, I am & always have been loyal w/ the Union cause. Am not related w/ the claimant & have no interest in this claim.

Jesse S. Mason

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James Mason witness being duly sworn deposes & says:
My Post Office address is Swan Quarter, Hyde Co., N.C., am 52 years old, occupation Miller. I lived at the claimants Sylvester McGowan house when Capt. Richardson commanding part of the 3rd N.Y. Cav. & a Reg. of Inft. commanded by Col. Morris, don’t know what Reg. & where they were from, stoped at his house & took about 20 BBls. of corn, it was not measured but there was about 75 BBls. in the barn, & from the amount taken, I believe to have been 20 BBls., the soldiers fed the horses with the corn, there was about 40 horses & a lot of waggons. They fed out of the barn 2 different times during the week, remaining 2 nights at his house, besides about 35 head of Poultry worth, & was worth 1$ per pair; also they burned about 1000 cypress rails for wood to cook with & keep thenselves warm, also killed 3 hogs worth about $1.50 each (small size) also they took a house down about 16 x 18 ft. square, framed, in tolerably good order used for a cook house, had been built about 4 years, & worth 50$, the soldiers burned a greater part of the house & the ballance was torn to pieces. I told the officer that the property belonged to Mr. McGowan & that he was in the Union Army at the time, stationed in New Bern, N.C. The officer ordered the soldiers not to disturb the property but they would not do it. None of the corn was carried off as I known of. Corn was worth 4$ per BBl, rails 50$ per M (thousand). There was some 7 or 800 soldiers on the premises, the Col. was there himself. The property was taken in the evening, the troops remaining all night, both times. I did not ask the officer for any receipt. The soldiers had a fight with the rebels at the time about 7 miles from his house. The soldiers came from New Bern by steamer, & went back the same way.
Test. K.R. Pendleton

James (his X mark) Mason

No. 17769 - Sylvester McGowan of Hyde Co., N.C.
Amt. Claimed - $360 Amt. Allowed - $144.50 Amt. Disallowed - $215.50

This claimant is 53 years of age & a farmer. He resided in Hyde Co., N.C. He was called out in the state militia to drill a few times, but proved his loyalty to the United States Gov’t by raising a company of which he was Captain for the federal service & serving the greater part of three years in the Federal Army. In March 1863, some of his property was taken by & for the use of the federal forces. The testimony falls far short of the quantity charged but as it is from an eye witness & is stated with some particularity it seems to be reliable. The proof show taken about 100 bushels of corn, 1000 rails & a small out house for fuel & three small hogs worth $1.50 each.

We recommend payment of $144.50.

14 Nov., 1872 - Swan Quarter, N.C.
Sylvester McGowan, Claimant
Mr. A.J. Glover, Counsel, or Attorney
and Eli H. Guirkin & Jesse S. Mason &
James Mason, Claimant’s Witnesses
K.R. Pendleton, Esq., Special Commissioner

See: Hyde County Raid (March 7 - 14, 1863) for further information on this raid.
See: Hyde County SCC Cases for a list of those who made claims.

Copyright 1999

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