[Group of General Orders Issued from Various Offices Stationed at Union Headquarters at New Berne, North Carolina During the Civil War]

New Berne, N.C., 1864. Very good.. Twenty printed general orders, totaling [24]pp. Original plain or lined paper single or folded sheets. Minor overall wear, some dust-soiling, especially to final order. A collection of twenty Union general orders issued in North Carolina during the penultimate year of the Civil War. The orders run from January 25 to May 3, 1864, and were issued by the Sub-District of New Berne, the Forces and Defences, and the District of North Carolina. The orders were all issued by, or by the command of, Brigadier General Innis N. Palmer, whose leadership was instrumental for the Union forces' defense of New Berne in 1864, or Colonel T.I.C. Amory. Palmer's orders here naturally pertain to a wide range of issues, namely internal procedures and organization, military discipline and pay, various military appointments, modifications made to the General Regulations, the maintenance of ordnance stores, and more. All but four of the orders are signed by the relevant adjutant general. One of the more notable orders prints the charges, circumstances, verdicts, and sentences for various courts martial conducted in New Berne in early May 1864. The third soldier charged in the order, Private Charles Alberts of the 12th New York Volunteer Cavalry was accused of assaulting "Jacob Tucker, a colored man" and also of assault and battery as well as the rape of "Emeline Tucker, a colored woman." Alberts was acquitted of all charges. The final order here is a long diatribe by Brigadier General Palmer lambasting his troops for razing the town of Washington, North Carolina; Palmer refers to this incident as "an outrage against humanity, which brings the blush of shame to the cheek of every true man and soldier." The seige and burning of Washington, North Carolina occurred during the last few days of April, as Confederate troops took over the town. Before they left, several Union troops set fire to the settlement and practically destroyed the entire town. Such a collection of field-printed general orders from North Carolina are scarce in the market.