Life Before the War

William H. Harris was born around 1839 and married Nancy “Nannie” Ann Sanford on October 27, 1858, in Granville, North Carolina.[1]

Civil War Military Service

Approximately five months after the Civil War began, William H. Harris enlisted, on September 7, 1861 with G Company, Granville Rangers, 30th infantry Regiment, North Carolina Infantry at the age of 22 as a Private[2]. After enlisting, William received a furlough to go home because he was sick during the winter of 1861 until he was due back on December 28th[3].

Military Service - Maryland Campaign

After returning to duty, William Harris and the 30th NC Infantry took part in the Battle of South Mountain on September 14th[4]. The Battle of South Mountain was part of General Lee’s Maryland Campaign to resupply his army and damage the Union’s morale in anticipation of the November election.[5] The Battle of South Mountain was crucial for Lee’s Campaign because, although it was a defeat for the Confederates, it allowed Lee to consolidate his forces at Sharpsburg and for General Jackson to capture Harper’s Ferry. [6] During this battle, the 30th NC Infantry lost a total of 19 missing and wounded[7].

Only a few days later, the 30th NC Infantry took part in the Battle of Sharpsburg, also known as the Battle of Antietam. The Battle of Sharpsburg turned out to be the bloodiest single day battle of the war, and the end of General Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign.[8] One month later, an account of the battle was written by W. W. Stillers of the 30th NC infantry about the casualties sustained from the battle,

“…The regiment before the fight numbered about 250, all told. We lost in

killed, 10, in wounded, 62, and in missing, 1, making a total of 76. I brought

off from the fight 159.”[9]

Military Service - Battle of Chancellorsville

After the Battle of Sharpsburg, the 30th NC Infantry fought in the Battle of Chancellorsville, where Private William H. Harris was wounded.[10] The Battle of Chancellorsville was a shot at redemption by the Union army after the defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.[11]However, General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia managed to be victorious despite being outnumbered by more than 2:1 odds.[12] William H. Harris was wounded May 3, 1863 along with more than 50 others that were a part of his regiment.[13] Chancellorsville was costly for William Harris’ regiment, but it also ended up being one of the bloodiest battles of Civil War.

Away Without Leave

After being wounded, William Harris was recorded as being “Absent without Leave” on his May & June muster card.[14] However, William Harris returned to his regiment in late July.[15] This would mean that William was AWOL for the Battle of Gettysburg that took place mid-July. [16] The reasons for desertion during the Civil War ranged from poor equipment and lack of food, to poor leadership.[17] However, some soldiers who were put down as AWOL had the intentions to return. These soldiers were called “stragglers.” The punishment for desertion on the Confederate side was almost nonexistent until the Confederate Conscription Act of April 1862.[18] This legislation put stricter punishments on acts of disloyalty, such as desertion, and automatically reenlisted one-year volunteers for three additional years.[19] Whether William Harris was AWOL by choice or circumstances is unknown.

Military Service - Battle of Spotsylvania Court House and Death

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is the last battle that Private William H. Harris fought in. The Battle of Spotsylvania was a part of General Grant’s Overland Campaign against General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. General Grant’s hope for this offensive, was to get between Lee’s army and Richmond or to get General Lee’s army in an open engagement and utilize the Union’s superior numbers.[20] This did not happen however, as General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia set up a defensive position on Laurel Hill near Spotsylvania. On May 12, 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant launched a massive assault on Confederate positions. During this day of the battle, William H. Harris is killed.[21]

[1] "William H. Harris Life story." Ancestry. Accessed May 25, 2017. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/family-tree/person/tree/105288568/person/300069464691/story.

[2] William H. Harris Muster Card. September 7, 1861. William H. Harris Confederate Army, Fold3, Wilmington, North Carolina.

[3] Reason for Absences. Nov. & Dec. 1861. William H. Harris Confederate Army, Fold3, Granville, North Carolina.

[4] "30th NC Infantry Regiment History." Civil War database. Accessed June 1, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentHistory?140&C.

[5] "The Maryland Campaign of 1862," Civil War Trust, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/maryland-campaign-1862.

[6] "South Mountain," Civil War Trust, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/south-mountain.

[7] "30th NC Infantry Regiment History." Civil War database. Accessed June 1, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentHistory?140&C.

[8] "The Maryland Campaign of 1862," Civil War Trust, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/maryland-campaign-1862.

[9] "30th NC Infantry Regiment History." Civil War database. Accessed June 1, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentHistory?140&C.

[10] Historical Data Systems, Inc. Advertisement. American Civil War Database. Accessed May 25, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?SoldierHistory?C&67725. — Contributed by JTHGPartnership

[11] Contributed By Brendan Wolfe, "Chancellorsville Campaign," Chancellorsville Campaign, February 12, 2009, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Chancellorsville_Campaign

[12] Contributed By Brendan Wolfe, "Chancellorsville Campaign," Chancellorsville Campaign, February 12, 2009, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Chancellorsville_Campaign

[13] "30th NC Infantry Regimental Casualty Analysis," American Civil War Database, , accessed June 6, 2017, http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentCasualty?140&C&1&21&20.

[14] William H. Harris Muster Card. May & June, 1863. William H. Harris Confederate Army, Fold3, Chancellorsville, Virginia

[15] William H. Harris Muster Card. July & Aug, 1863. William H. Harris Confederate Army, Fold3, Chancellorsville, Virginia

[16] Historical Data Systems, Inc. Advertisement. American Civil War Database. Accessed May 25, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?SoldierHistory?C&67725. — Contributed by JTHGPartnership

[17] Contributed By Aaron Sheehan-Dean, "Desertion (Confederate) During the Civil War," Desertion (Confederate) during the Civil War, June 1, 2010, , accessed June 06, 2017, http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/DesertionConfederateduringtheCivilWar#startentry.

[18] Contributed By Aaron Sheehan-Dean, "Desertion (Confederate) During the Civil War," Desertion (Confederate) during the Civil War, June 1, 2010, , accessed June 06, 2017, http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/DesertionConfederateduringtheCivilWar#startentry.

[19] Contributed By Aaron Sheehan-Dean, "Desertion (Confederate) During the Civil War," Desertion (Confederate) during the Civil War, June 1, 2010, , accessed June 06, 2017, http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/DesertionConfederateduringtheCivil_War.

[20] "Spotsylvania Court House," Civil War Trust, , accessed June 06, 2017, https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/spotsylvania-court-house.

[21] William H. Harris Company Muster Card. July & Aug, 1864. William H. Harris Confederate Army, Fold3, Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia

William H Harris