AUTHOR: Glenn Land (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter)
In the past, I submitted a poem written by my 1st cousin 4 times removed, Confederate Lieutenant Thomas Charles Land, who served in the 1st & 53rd N.C. Infantry Regiments. [That story is titled “Return to the Tented Field.”] This story is about Thomas’ brother, Lt. Colonel James Calvin Land of the 93rd (Wilkes County) Regiment, N.C. Militia. He was commissioned in March 1862. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the N.C. Militia units were absorbed into the Home & Railroad Guard. While his brother, Thomas, served from the Seven Days Battles to the Battle of Five Forks and was severely wounded twice, James probably never left North Carolina and, I doubt, rarely left Wilkes County. One of James’ duties was bringing in conscripts to the various Camps of Instruction (Camp Vance, Camp Holmes, etc.). I have one document stating that he delivered “21 Negroes” to the Confederate prison and hospital at Salisbury, North Carolina.
James also caught deserters and took them to Camps of Instruction: The attached document is a receipt stating that Lt. Col. Land of the 93rd Regiment, N.C. Militia delivered a deserter to Holmes Camp on April 7, 1863. According to the document, the deserter was “Private McDaniel Loggins,” and he had deserted from Company F, 37th Virginia Regiment on December 10, 1862. The mountains of western North Carolina were many times the destination of deserters from both sides. Private Loggins apparently was given a second chance because he returned to his regiment.
Based on his compiled military record, Private “John Mc Loggins” of Company F, 37th VA Infantry was captured on May 12, 1864, at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. A few days later he was confined at Fort Delaware Prison; he was exchanged on Feb. 27, 1865. Only a few days later, due to having chronic diarrhea, Loggins was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital at Richmond, Virginia. Private Loggins died on March 8, 1865—one more tragic story from a tragic conflict.
The following is Private Loggins’ military record as presented by Historical Data Systems, based on information compiled from The Virginia Regimental Histories Series (click on image to enlarge):
“John Mc Loggins
Residence was not listed;
Enlisted on 4/25/1861 at Glade Spring as a Private.
On 4/25/1861 he mustered into “F” Co. VA 37th Infantry
He Re-enlisted on 2/18/1862
He died of disease on 3/8/1865 at Howard’s Grove Hospl, VA
(Died of acute diarrhoea [sic])
He was listed as:
* Furlough 2/18/1862 (place not stated)
* Received pay 2/18/1862 Camp Mason, NC
* On rolls 10/15/1862 (place not stated)
* Deserted 12/10/1862 (place not stated)
* Received clothing 5/1/1864 (place not stated) (Estimated day)
* POW 5/12/1864 Spotsylvania Court House, VA
* Confined 5/14/1864 Belle Plain, VA
* Transferred 5/20/1864 Fort Delaware, DE
* Exchanged 2/27/1865 (place not stated)
* Hospitalized 3/4/1865 Chimborazo [Hospital], Richmond, VA (With acute diarrhoea[sic])”
