Signed by a North Carolina private who was wounded and captured at the battle of Gettysburg!

8 1/2 x 11, imprinted form, filled out in ink.

March 30th, 1901

To the United Daughters of the Confederacy:

The undersigned, residing at Washington, N.C., who is an Ex-Confederate Soldier, but not a member of any Camp, hereby makes application for a Confederate Cross of Honor. Applicant entered the service of the Confederate States on the 10th day of M[ar]ch. 1864, as a private in Company A of the 67th Regiment of North Carolina Volunteers, C.S.A., and was at that time a resident of Beaufort County, N.C. Your applicant was honorably discharged from said service by Col. Jno. N. Whitford, Col. 67th Regt. N.C. Vol. on the 10th day of May 1865, at which time he held the rank of private.

Respectfully,
T.J. Harding
Applicant

We endorse the above application,

W.C.[?]
Member Co. K, Regt. 10 Vols., C.S.A.

W.L. Dudley
Member Co. E, Regt. 55 Vols., C.S.A.

Light age toning and wear. There are two punch holes at the top of the document which do not affect any of the content. Any document signed by a Confederate soldier who was wounded and captured at the battle of Gettysburg is always popular and in demand.

William L. Dudley, who signed this document at the bottom, was a 30 year old farmer from Pitt County, North Carolina, when he enlisted as a private on April 22, 1862, and was mustered into Co. E, 55th North Carolina Infantry. He was wounded in action at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, and captured on July 3, 1863. After being confined as a prisoner of war, he was exchanged at City Point, Va., on August 20, 1863. The date of his discharge is unknown.

The 55th North Carolina Infantry fought in the Army of Northern Virginia from Gettysburg to Cold Harbor, in the Petersburg trenches, and in the Appomattox campaign. They were in the brigades of Generals' Joseph R. Davis and John Rogers Cooke. From July 1-3, 1863, at Gettysburg, they suffered 41 men killed, 210 wounded, and 259 captured. During the Wilderness campaign the regiment lost 59% of the 640 men engaged, and when they surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, there were only 4 officers and 77 men left of the gallant 55th N.C. Infantry.