John P. Arthur wrote in his history of Watauga County that volumes could be written about the service of Watauga County men in the Civil War. How many of us with ancestors in the county wish that these volumes had been written. The Watauga County Roster of Confederate and Union Civil War Soldiers is an attempt to document those men (and women) that served in the Confederate and Union armies. It is my hope that a complete biography will be ready to be published by the end of 2000. The complete biography will include as much information about the soldiers as possible: parents, spouse, children, where they were born (and when), where they lived, and where they died, besides their complete military records, and any known photographs.
The basis for this project is the North Carolina Troops books and the 1860 Watauga County census. There will be a few names that will be dropped and a few that will be added as more research is completed. To date, over thirty (30) sources have been used to compile the information, from conversations with family members to internet genealogy sites to books written and published here in the county. Please feel free to contact me, Michael C. Hardy, with questions or information about the people in the roster.
There was at least one free black man that served as a Confederate soldier. His name was Franklin Cozzens and he lived in Watauga County with his wife and infant daughter before volunteering in Company B of the 37th North Carolina Troops. He was killed on August 29, 1862, during the battle of 2nd Manassas, Virginia.
Much has been written on the notorious Keith and Malinda Blalock: they are listed as living in Watauga County in 1860, so they have been included in the roster. Both served for a short time in the 26th North Carolina Troops and later as Union sympathizers.
Much has been written of Watauga County's strong Union sympathizers. In the roster, men who served in the Union army are indicated by italics. To go through the roster and look at the men who served in the Union army, or who deserted from the Confederate army to the Union army, will show how few Union sympathizers there were in 1860 Watauga County.
You will also find on the roster the most complete listing of men who served in the 11th Battalion North Carolina Home Guard, Companies A, B, C, & D. This information was compiled largely from two documents, one still here in Watauga County in a private collection, and the other in the North Carolina State Archives.
Again, please feel free to contact me concerning the names listed in the roster. I would love to talk to you about them.
Michael C. Hardy
Boone, NC