Private Simon Matthews
Company C (Braddy’s Battery) – 2
nd North Carolina Artillery
Simon was born January 15, 1833, in North Carolina to Alsey and Charity Thomas Matthews. He is shown in the 1850 census as a farm laborer. In 1860 he and his wife Emily are shown with no land or personal property. They have 3 children (James, Mary & Penny).
Simon enlisted on February 26, 1862 with Captain Blocker in Lillington, North Carolina for a term of 3 years. He was assigned to Blocker’s

Battery of the 36th Regiment of North Carolina Troops. Simon is 29 years of age at enlistment.
Later muster reports will list Fayetteville rather than Lillington as his place of enlistment. Lt. Kinchen Braddy would be promoted to Captain and command of the battery. The battery would be known by his name for most of the conflict. They are a ‘heavy artillery’ battery assigned to Fort Fisher, N. C.
The August, 1864 muster report will show him last paid on February 26th. Simon is owed 6 months of back pay. The report also shows him ‘sick in company quarters.’ There are no further records.
The battery and Simon would be stationed at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, guarding the entrance to the Cape Fear River till November 22, 1864, when they would be sent to join Kedrick’s Brigade under General Hardee in Augusta, Georgia, to oppose Union General Sherman. They
will fight at Harrison’s Field near Savannah in December, 1864. On January 2, 1865 they will be returned to Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher will fall to Union forces on January 15th and most of the men in the battery are captured. There is no prison record for Simon so it is logical to assume that he escaped and may have participated in the battle at Bentonville on March 19th, along with other survivors of Braddy’s Battery, as infantry. There is no surrender record so Simon probably walked home either after his escape from Wilmington or after Bentonville.
Simon returns to farming. The family grows with the additions of Isabella, George, Dan, Flora, Delia, Walter, William and Allison. Simon was a member of the ‘Cumberland Ploughboys’ UCV Camp 2187 of Stedman, North Carolina. He and Emily lived their entire lives in Harnett County, North Carolina. Simon dies on May 4, 1918, is buried at Neill’s Creek Baptist Church cemetery in Harnett County.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120028363/simon-peter-matthews