Col. J.W. Hinton, commander of the 68th NC, ordered Lt. Col. E.C. Yellowley to establish a picket post near the mouth of the Meherrin River east of Murfreesboro on 5 Feb. 1864. Parts of Cos. B and K were sent to man the picket post. Company B. was formed with men from Camden, NC. On March 15, Hinton ordered Yellowley to move the regimental headquarters from Murfreesboro to Winton where comfortable shelters were to be constructed. Yellowley was in Winton by March 20th, so the letter was written shortly before the move.

Jesse C. Williams was in Company B of the 68th; Marcus Savills was not. Marcus and Malachi Savills were in Co. C of the 56th NC. I believe that Marcus was from Currituck, the county adjacent to Camden. John Sawyer of Camden was in Co. A of the 56th NC at this time. If memory serves me correctly, the 56th was in the area at that time.

There is a reason why the 68th flies under the radar when you search for them: they were never mustered into Confederate service. Co. B started as a Partisan Ranger company in July of 1863 and was grouped together with other Partisan Ranger companies in the region to form the regiment. It was a regiment in name only, as the various companies tended to operate independently.

Gatlin is a common name in the Murfreesboro area. The inventor of the Gatlin gun was born and raised north of the Meherrin River near Murfreesboro. Companies G and I of the 67th NC were posted at Camp Gatlin at various times during early 1864. They, too, were largely formed from Partisan Ranger companies.

It is quite a coincidence that I read your post. I taught in Murfreesboro for 9 years and have been teaching in Camden for the past 14. I'm researching the independent companies that were formed in Camden early in the war. The names on the rolls read like the ones in my classes. I put a web site honoring the Camden troops around Easter.