Andrew J. Burton, Student/Soldier
- Jeff Abbas
- Jul 23
- 4 min read
During the American Civil War, the phrase "Seniors were to be carried to Camp Holmes" meant that the senior class of students at the University of North Carolina was about to be forcibly drafted (conscripted) and transported to a military camp to join the Confederate Army.
By late 1864 when Andrew wrote this letter, the student body at UNC had dwindled significantly because most young men had already left to fight. The "Seniors" referenced here were the remaining upperclassmen who had managed to stay in school, either because they had temporary exemptions or had only recently reached military age.
In 19th-century Southern English, "carried" did not mean someone physically picked them up. It meant escorted, conducted, or forcibly moved. In this context, it meant military authorities or enrollment officers were coming to round up the students and transport them away from Chapel Hill.
By November 1864, the Confederacy was facing a catastrophic shortage of soldiers. General Robert E. Lee's forces were locked in a grueling siege at Petersburg, Virginia, and casualties were massive. To find more men, the Confederate government began stripping away previous exemptions for college students, essentially "robbing the cradle" to fill the ranks.This move caused "considerable excitement" (anxiety and panic) because it meant the immediate end of these young men's education and their likely deployment directly into the meatgrinder of the war's final months.
Andrew also mentions two key events that led to the fall of eastern North Carolina to Union troops, "...the capture of Plymouth by the Yankees and the destruction of the Albemarle."
The capture of Plymouth and the destruction of the Confederate ironclad "Albemarle"
Union forces first occupied Plymouth in May 1862 following the Burnside Expedition. Federal troops heavily fortified the town, building multiple forts (including Fort Williams) and using Plymouth as a primary base to launch military raids into eastern North Carolina.
The Union lost control of Plymouth during the Battle of Plymouth from April 17–20, 1864. Confederate Brigadier General Robert F. Hoke led a massive land assault, synchronized with the devastating arrival of the CSS Albemarle, a powerful Southern ironclad warship. The ironclad sank Union ships and cut off federal water reinforcements, forcing Union General Henry W. Wessells to surrender the town. This event was widely considered the last major Confederate victory of the war.
The Union could not retake Plymouth as long as the CSS Albemarle guarded the Roanoke River. On the night of October 27, 1864, Union Lieutenant William B. Cushing led a daring, small-boat commando raid. He successfully used a spar torpedo to blow up and sink the CSS Albemarle while it was docked at Plymouth. With the ironclad destroyed, Union naval forces immediately launched a heavy bombardment against the town's Confederate artillery. After three days of intense fighting, Southern troops retreated, allowing Union sailors and infantry to land and permanently occupy Plymouth for the remainder of the war.
Andrew's senior class was ultimately forced into military service, and the University of North Carolina was stripped of nearly its entire remaining student body. The efforts of Governor David Lowry Swain (the university president) to protect his students ultimately failed.
Governor Swain and the Board of Trustees had previously successfully petitioned Confederate President Jefferson Davis to exempt junior and senior college students from the draft. However, by late 1864 and early 1865, as the military situation grew desperate, the Confederate Secretary of War revoked these exemptions.
Students were eventually taken by force to Raleigh and enrolled directly into the Confederate Army. The impact on the university was devastating. By the spring commencement of 1865, the senior class had dwindled to only one student who was explicitly exempted from service solely for medical reasons. When graduation day arrived in June 1865, just after the war ended, only four people total graduated—three of whom were returning veterans who had rushed back to complete their degrees. Despite having virtually no students left, Governor Swain stubbornly kept the university open for the entirety of the war.
After the War ended
Andrew J. Burton eventually graduated from the University of North Carolina in the Class of 1867. Shortly after writing his November 1864 letter, Andrew left the university and entered military service. Since he was likely 17 years old at the time, he volunteered as a Lieutenant in the 3rd North Carolina Regiment Junior Reserves (also known as the 72nd North Carolina Troops), where he occasionally acted as the regiment's Adjutant. Following the end of the Civil War, Andrew was among the group of young veterans who returned to Chapel Hill to resume their interrupted educations. He completed his degree and officially graduated with an A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) degree in 1867. After graduation, Andrew went on to study law and established a successful legal practice as an attorney in Reidsville, North Carolina.
The penciled postscript from R.O. Burton confirms a $400 payment to his son via the Southern Express Company, highlighting the extreme hyperinflation of the late-war Confederate economy, where such a sum barely covered basic student expenses. The note, acting as a personal bookkeeping record to cross-reference with an express receipt, underscores the reliance on private, secure shipping for financial transactions during a period of unreliable mail service.
Reverend Robert Oswald Burton, was a prominent 19th-century Methodist minister based at his plantation near Weldon, North Carolina. He served for over 50 years as an influential itinerant minister and Presiding Elder for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He is widely recognized as the founder of the Weldon Methodist Church.
© 07/23/26 - Jeff Abbas for American Philatelics
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