Siloam, North Carolina

            According to local histories of the raid, a group of soldiers also went to neighboring Siloam while traveling through the area on April 2. Milton Cundiff recorded an account of this visit in an 1897 article in The Mount Airy News. In this account, a Colonel Luffman and Major Reeves attacked a group of Union Soldiers after one soldier attempted to take Luffman’s horse. While this account is seemingly exaggerated based on the lack of mention in the official records, the story of “The Battle of Siloam” does contain some valuable information about how ex-Confederate soldiers remembered the presence of the Union force. [1]

            According to the account, “Col Luffman and Maj Reeves emptied a carbine, two double-barrel shotguns and four revolvers in the most unequal conquest of all the war, while the Yankees poured a perfect fusillade of minne balls through the air that hung clear and crisp above and about their heads.” After they were out of ammunition, the two Confederates escaped “with precipitate flight” and hid in a nearby river. The Union soldiers then reportedly searched and attempted to burn the house, but Mr. Reeves’ elderly mother extinguished the fire with the help of their slaves. This account seems to show how ruthless the Union raiders could be, but it is worth mentioning that they were fired upon, so it is not a situation typical of the Surry raid.[2]