Capt. Jesse Sharpe Barnes, Co. F, 4th North Carolina

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Edit: It has been discovered that the well-known photographs originally thought to be Capt. Barnes are actually of Major Thomas Martin of the 13th North Carolina (see article Here). I have replaced the above photo with the true image of Capt. Barnes.

The following is from Capt. Barnes' Find A Grave profile.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=71828665

Jesse was the fourth child and third son of Elias and Mahala Emma Sharpe Barnes. After he was born, the couple had six more children who reached adulthood. Growing up on the family's plantation, Jesse was well educated locally before attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He started university at age 16 and graduated just before he turned 20 in 1858. By 1860, he worked as an attorney at law in Wilson, North Carolina, near his family home. His older brother Benjamin, also a lawyer, served as the city's mayor that year.

Politically ambitious, Jesse was a staunch supporter of secession. He helped recruit members for the Wilson Light Infantry in the spring of 1861, before North Carolina actually seceded. This militia unit eventually became Company F of the 4th North Carolina Infantry with Jesse serving as the company's captain.

After spending the months after First Manassas until March 1862 at Camp Pickens in Manassas, the regiment saw its first major action at the Battle of Seven Pines. Here they successfully attacked Casey's redoubt, a Union stronghold. Leading his men up the breastworks, Jesse was killed in action. The regiment's commanding officer Bryan Grimes mentioned in his report that "no braver man was killed that day than Captain Jesse Barnes of Company F."

As requested in his will, that he had made out only six weeks earlier, Jesse's body was returned home and he was buried in the family cemetery, next to his father Elias.

Jesse's younger brother William remained in the 4th North Carolina, later transferring to Field and Staff as adjutant and then aide de camp for Bryan Grimes. He survived the war.

After the war, the Wilson camp of Confederate Veterans, later Sons of Confederate Veterans, was named for Captain Barnes. He is also named in the memorial for the war dead of the University of North Carolina.


Edit to add: Here is the link to an article on him in Military Images Magazine:
https://militaryimages.atavist.com/glory-to-stand-upon-some-lofty-pinnacle-autumn-2015
 
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4th North Carolina Infantry

The 4th Infantry Regiment State Troops completed its organization in May, 1862, at Camp Hill, near Garysburg, North Carolina. It recruited its members in Iredell, Rowan, Wayne, Beaufort, Wilson, and Davie counties. Ordered to Virginia, the unit served in General Featherston's, G.B. Anderson's, Ramseur's, and Cox's Brigade. It was active at Williamsburg, Seven Pines, and the Seven Days' Battles, then shared in the campaigns of the army from South Mountainto Cold Harbor. Later the 4th was involved in Early's Shenandoah Valley operations and the Appomattox Campaign. It lost 77 killed, 241 wounded, and 6 missing of the 678 engaged at Seven Pines, sustained 58 casualties during the Maryland Campaign, and had 45 killed and 110 wounded at Chancellorsville. At Gettysburgthe unit lost thirty-one percent of the 196 engaged, and 18 were disabled at Bristoe. The records show 8 officers and 101 men present on April 9, 1865.

Another regiment which was raised in the Northeastern section of the state was the 4th Regiment NCST. It was organized at Camp Hill near Garysburg and Weldon, accepted into Confederate service in June of '61 and was sent to Richmond and then on to Manses Junction, where it was garrisoned with the 27th and 28th Georgia Infantry, and the 49th Regiment Virginia Calvary -- all under the command of Col. George Anderson of the 4th NC.

On 25 March 1862, the regiment under General Winder in D.H. Hill's Division was at Orange Court House and then at Yorktown by the 8th of April. When the brigade containing the 4th NC got to Seven Pines on 31 May 1862 they found themselves in the lead attacking the Federal positions and now under the command of Major Bryan Grimes. Here the 4th Regiment suffered greatly, having 77 killed, 286 wounded and 6 missing -- 369 out of 678 making the attack --- 54% casualties.

A new brigade was formed on June 9, 1862 by the combination of the 2nd and 4th Regiments NCST, the 14th NC Volunteers and the 30th NCST, again all under Col. Anderson, General D.H. Hill's Division. Soon the 4th was at Mechanicsville and succeeded in flanking the Federal troops there in a sharp engagement. The entire Division was then moved to Cold Harbor and the brigade held the Confederate left in very hard fighting but managed to finally drive the Federals from the woods. The regiment lost another 11 killed and 54 wounded and now had less than 150 men under arms.

On the 30th of June the 4th Regiment was detached to guard 1,000 prisoners and a huge amount of supplies captured at Salvage's Station. They were not engaged in any further battles until after 2nd Manassas on 2 September '62. The regiment was then deployed guarding the South Mountain gaps and saw very heavy action on September 14th. D.H. Hill's Division was then moved to Sharpsburg and put in line between Jackson's and Longstreet's men. The brigade occupied the sunken road, which was to be later named "Bloody Lane," and were assaulted and flanked when a mistake in orders took Rode's Brigade from supporting the brigade of Gen'l. Anderson. Anderson was mortally wounded in the assault and the brigade routed from their position. The attack was so severe that the brigade lost all its officers and was commanded by a sergeant as they withdrew. General Anderson died of his wounds on October 16th and Stephen Ramseur of the 49th was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed command on November 7th. Col. Bryan Grimes held command in the interim. During the Maryland campaign the 4th Regiment had six men killed and 52 wounded.

The brigade, along with the 4th Regiment was at Fredericksburg in December and saw little action but had 4 killed and 21 wounded by Federal artillery. By May first Ramseur's Brigade was on the right of Jackson and pushed the Federals several miles toward Chancellorsville before they were relieved. The brigade was just reassembled in time to join Jackson's flank march and were in the first line of Confederate troops to charge Howard's Corps of Hooker's Union Army.

On May the third, Col. Grimes led the 4th Regiment in advance against the Federal soldiers, and the Confederates moved so far ahead of supporting brigades that they were nearly cut off and captured. The entire color guard of the 4th Regiment was either killed or wounded and part of the regiment, not hearing the order to retire, was captured. The 2nd Regiment suffered a similar fate. As the brigade moved into Chancellorsville, the 4th Regiment had lost 47 killed, 165 wounded and 58 captured.

As now organized after the death of Jackson, the 4th Regiment was under Col. Grimes, Ramseur's Brigade, Rode's Division, Ewell's 2nd Corp. Ramseur's Brigade drove the enemy from Martinsburg on 14 June '63, were in Hagerstown, Maryland, on the 19th and at Carlisle, Pennsylvania on the 27th.

As the two armies converged on Gettysburg, the 2nd and 4th Regiments NCST supported Col. O'Neal in an attack on the city, captured 800 to 900 prisoners and 4th was the first regiment to enter Gettysburg. When the Army of Northern Virginia began pulling out of Pennsylvania, Rode's Division became the rear guard for the entire army, and by July 6th had last eight killed, 24 wounded and 23 missing or captured.

The 4th Regiment NCST was not engaged at Bristoe Station but saw action at Warrenton and suffered another eight casualties. During the Mine Run Campaign the 4th Regiment was responsible for capturing about 60 Federals attempting to make their retreat.

As the campaign season opened in 1864, the 4th Regiment found itself on the extreme left of the Confederate line on the 6th of May at the Wilderness. On the 7th they were moved to reserve and checked Union General Burnside's movement between Ewell and A.P. Hill's Corp. Ramsuer's Brigade saw heavy fighting at Spotsylvania on May the 11th and 12th and drove the enemy from the captured Mule Shoe on the 12th. After the battle most of the 1st and 3rd Regiments NCST were captured, so the remnants of these were assigned to the 4th Regiment. Col. William D. Cox was promoted to Brigadier General and took command of the Brigade, which was not engaged at North Anna.

Officers:
Colonels George B. Anderson, Bryan Grimes, Edwin A. Osborne, and James H. Wood; Lieutenant Colonels David M. Carter and John A. Young; and Majors Edward S. Marsh and Absalom K. Simonton

Assignments:
General Featherston's, George B. Anderson's, Ramseur's, and Cox's Brigade

http://www.researchonline.net/nccw/unit41.htm
 
Captain Jesse Sharpe Barnes, F Company, 4th North Carolina Infantry
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I could not find much info on Jesse Sharpe Barnes, but I did find this info on FindAGrave.com on his younger brother, William Sharpe Barnes, who also served in Co. F, 4th North Carolina Infantry.

William Sharpe Barnes was born 1843 near or in Tarboro, Edgecombe County, NC, the 5th of 10 known surviving children (7 boys/3 girls) born to successful farmer Elias Barnes and his wife, Mahala Emma Sharpe (Sharp).

He was the paternal grandson of Jesse Barnes & Mary Edith Jordan; and gr-grandson of Dempsey Barnes Sr. & Sarah Dew, all of Edgecombe County. He is a direct descendant of this family's patriarch, Edward Barnes (c.1595), a London merchant who settled in the Isle of Wight, VA ca. 1621. This branch of the Virginia Barnes family is believed to have come to Edgecombe Co, NC ca. 1700. On his mother's side he was the maternal grandson of Col. Benjamin Sharpe and Anna Farmer of Tarboro, Edgecombe County.

In about 1850, William's father moved the family to a farm in Saratoga, Wilson County, where he died in 1854. William's mother, Mahala, continued to live there and run the farm and raise her children. William was well educated locally and would most likely have attended UNC had not the Civil War broke out in April, 1861, as both his older brothers were graduates. Instead, the 18-year old enlisted in Company F (Wilson Light Infantry), of the NC 4th Regiment North Carolina State Troops on June 28, 1861. In late 1861, he was promoted to sergeant. He later became adjutant (first lieutenant) on March 14, 1863, and transferred to the regimental staff of Colonel Bryan Grimes. William's older brother, Jesse Sharpe Barnes (1838-1862) also enlisted with the NC 4th and served as a Captain. He was killed May 31, 1862 at the Battle of Seven Pines.

At war's end, William returned to Wilson County where in 1865 the 22-year old veteran married 23-year old Madeline Maude Crenshaw. The couple set up housekeeping in California Twp, Pitt County, where William was employed as a teacher.

William and Madeline would have 4 known children (3 boys/1 girl): Guy V. Barnes (1866-1916), Rowlett Elmore Barnes (1870-1932), Annie Barnes (1873-1960) and Ralph Ivor Barnes (1876-1862). By 1880, the couple had moved to the Toisnot section of Wilson County, where William continued to teach.

By 1900, the family had removed once again to E. North Street in Raleigh, where 57-year old William was employed as a bookkeeper. At a time when most men were considering retirement, William went to school and became an optometrist, and was employed as such in 1910.

William Sharpe Barnes died July 20, 1924 at age 81. In his later years, the widower resided in the same home at E. North Street, with his son Ralph as head of household. Oakwood cemetery shows his wife buried in Oakwood only as "Mrs. William Sharpe Barnes" with a DOD as April 21, 1886; however, she appears with William on the 1900 census in Raleigh at age 58. Without a photograph of her headstone, it has not been possible to confirm her date of death, but it's possible she died in 1906, not 1886.

Three of his 4 children (Rowlett, Annie and Ralph) married and remained in the Raleigh area, and are buried here in Oakwood. Rowlett's marriage was childless, but both Annie and Ralph had children. Son, Guy V. Barnes, was a printer and stationery salesman, and removed to Kittrell, Vance County around 1910. He married May Ella Williams and they were parents to 5 known children. Both Guy and May Ella are buried in the CONFEDERATE CEMETERY in Kitrell, Vance County, NC.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46267013

One of the Wilson, NC SCV camps is named in honor of Captain Jessie Sharp Barnes.

"First at Bethel, Farthest to the front at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox"
 
One of the Wilson, NC SCV camps is named in honor of Captain Jessie Sharp Barnes.

"First at Bethel, Farthest to the front at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox"

The Barnes family is one of the largest in Wilson County, North Carolina with many descendants. I
am related to Capt. Barnes, he is my 4x cousin on my fathers side of the family. Someone told me
once "If you're from Wilson County, you've got some Barnes, Lamm or Farmer in your family somewhere".
I've learned this is pretty much a true statement after doing research on my father's genealogy.
 
The Barnes family is one of the largest in Wilson County, North Carolina with many descendants. I
am related to Capt. Barnes, he is my 4x cousin on my fathers side of the family. Someone told me
once "If you're from Wilson County, you've got some Barnes, Lamm or Farmer in your family somewhere".
I've learned this is pretty much a true statement after doing research on my father's genealogy.
A nice place, one of my best friends in the navy was from Wilson County. Great Bar B Que there too.
 
A nice place, one of my best friends in the navy was from Wilson County. Great Bar B Que there too.

I like Wilson County too, when I retire or maybe if things get too crazy in Wake County, Wilson County
would be on my short list of places to move to. You are right about the barbecue too, I was raised
on Parker's BBQ and it is still among the best Eastern style around. I wish they cooked with wood like
they used to but that will be probably a thing of the past in almost all barbecue restaurants in the future.
 
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