"An important period is drawn to a close! This day brings an end to my boyhood. ... But farewell — forever — farewell to childhood dreams. Alas! I'm now a man."

— Rufus Barringer's Journal, December 1, 1842.

The Young North Carolina Lawyer

Rufus Barringer descended from two generations of Southern aristocracy. His grandfather, Johann Paulus Beringer, was one of the early German Lutheran settlers to migrate to western North Carolina, where he became a leading civilian in the area. His father, Paul Barringer, was a wealthy farmer, civic leader, business man, and politician of Cabarrus County.

These men had an enormous influence on the young man who would mature into a lawyer, a Confederate general and war hero, and Tar Heel politician of influence.

Johann Paulus Barringer (1721-1807)

Johann Paulus Beringer (anglicized to John Paul Barringer) was one of the early pioneers who settled near Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, 28 miles northeast of Charlotte. Johann was born in June 1721 and baptized a few months later on September 25 in Schwaigern in the southern German Duchy of Wurttemberg (near the present town of Heilbronn). Johann grew into a strapping young man and left home at the age of 22, like so many young men do, in search of adventure and the desire to own his own land. He sailed from Rotterdam for America aboard the American ship Phoenix and landed at Philadelphia on September 30, 1743.

Unlike many emigrants from Germany who were able to pay for their trip to America, John Paul paid for his passage by becoming an indentured servant to his future father-in-law. He completed his service in one year and in 1744 married Ann Eliza Eisman, a young woman who had come to America at the age of nine. The couple settled near the present town of North Bethel in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

About 1750, the tide of German Lutheran emigration turned from previous movement to the western counties of Pennsylvania southward toward western North Carolina. German Lutherans by the hundreds departed their Pennsylvania homes and moved southward to the Piedmont region for a variety of reasons. Some sought more abundant hunting grounds as skin and fur trading remained profitable. Others desired good, fertile, and inexpensive farmland. Others felt the call to greater religious freedom and a chance for expanded missionary activity. The Carolinas afforded all of these opportunities and more.

John Paul, Ann Eliza and their daughter Catherine, born November 24, 1750, left for North Carolina about 1751. The couple's son John was born on November 26, 1752, after the Barringers reached their new home at Dutch Buffalo Creek, two and one-half miles northeast of Mount Pleasant in Anson County (now Cabarrus County).

Barringer, as one of the early settlers in the fertile lands of the piedmont section of North Carolina, became a successful farmer. He also prospered through commerce by sending corn, wheat, barley, rye, and indigo to Charleston, South Carolina, via the well-traveled wagon road from Salisbury, North Carolina. In addition to farming, he operated a saw mill and also accumulated considerable property. What began with his original homestead of 300 acres would grow to more than 2,500 acres of prime farmland. Perhaps because of his success, he made it a point to help others arriving from Pennsylvania to settle in their new homes, and became increasingly influential among the German settlers.

In 1768, Royal Governor William Tryon, in an effort to conciliate the people of restive western North Carolina, made a visit to Mecklenburg County. Governor Tryon wanted to assure the people that measures were being taken to curb recent abuses of power by county officials. In this way, he hoped to diffuse the "Regulators," a group of citizens who were taking steps to oppose increased taxation and other moves by the Crown. Among others, Tryon visited John Paul, who by this time was a militia captain. In the governor's journal is recorded the following: "Wednesday, August 31, 1768. The Governor waited on Captain Barringer; a beautiful plantation and skillfully managed, particularly the meadow land, which produced excellent hay." Governor Tryon left believing he had no "stauncher friend for the Crown than the 'Gallant Dutchman' [Barringer] in all the county." In this, however, Tryon would be disappointed. Seven short years later, Barringer's loyalties rested with the colonists during the American Revolution.

John Paul was a man of deep religious convictions and was generous to his church. At his suggestion circa 1771, members of the Lutheran Church separated themselves from their German Reformed brethren and built their own church on the site of the upper portion of the old graveyard. St. John's Lutheran Church was built chiefly at Barringer's expense, and out of gratitude the congregation erected a raised and enclosed pew for the special use of his family.

John Paul and Ann Eliza Barringer spent 25 laborious, productive, and happy years together, although they had no children other than Catherine and John. Sadly, Ann died just before the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775.

John Paul had been appointed a magistrate for the Crown on December 31, 1762, and served in that capacity until the Revolution. One month after the historic passage of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia, the Hillsboro Provisional Congress of August 1776 set up a provisional North Carolina government and began preparations for war. On November 12, a constitutional convention at Halifax established a state constitution and bill of rights. Under the provisions of the new constitution, on December 23, 1776, John Paul was appointed a justice of the peace. Thereafter, advocates for breaking all political ties with the mother country used his home as a rallying place.

When armed conflict between Great Britain and her colonies broke out, Royal Governor Josiah Martin offered John Paul a military command in an effort to secure his allegiance to the Crown. The Dutch plantation owner, however, refused. He was already a member of the Mecklenburg County "Committee of Safety," a group of "selectmen" formed to organize, drill and equip troops. They also managed the county government, which included the collection of taxes and expenditure of funds, in support of the rebellion. In 1778, the Committee of Safety appointed John Paul as road overseer, and in 1779 as overseer of the poor and tax assessor. Recent research indicates that though he was 55 years old in 1776, he and his eldest son (John Barringer Sr.) both served as captains in the Mecklenburg Militia. John Paul's younger brother Mathias, also a captain, was killed with five others in a Cherokee Indian ambush near present-day Newton, North Carolina. (A monument erected in their memory at the courthouse square still stands today.) In mid-1779, while still a member of the Committee of Safety, John Paul was captured by Tories. Along with other prominent citizens, he was taken to Camden, South Carolina, and not released until after the battle of Camden on August 16, 1780. His war service, however, was over.

There was more on John Paul's mind during this period than defeating the Crown. In 1777, two years before his capture, the 56-year-old Barringer married 22year-old Catherine Blackwelder. Catherine hailed from a prominent Mecklenburg County family. She was younger than John Paul's grown children and shared a name with his own daughter. The couple moved to the opposite side of Dutch Buffalo Creek and built "Poplar Grove," a home described as "half residence, half castle." The marriage proved fruitful and 10 children were born to the couple. One was a son named Paul, who would become a general in the War of 1812 and Rufus Barringer's father.

John Paul continued to be a prominent and influential figure in western Carolina after the Revolutionary War. He was appointed a member of the legislature in 1793 to represent the newly formed Cabarrus County, perhaps because the previous year he had been a driving force in bringing about the separation of that land from Mecklenburg County. Tradition has it that this division was driven by John Paul's frustration and even anger at the people of Charlotte for making fun of the fact that he gave his militia commands in German.

John Paul Barringer died at age 86 on January 1, 1807, and was buried in St. John's Lutheran churchyard in Concord. At one time, John Paul had owned 13 slaves. He willed one to his son, Paul, leaving the others to work the plantation where his wife, Catherine, would continue to reside. Catherine lived until the age of 94 and died in 1848, having had the privilege of seeing both a son (Daniel Laurens Barringer) and a grandson (Daniel Moreau Barringer) elected to the United States Congress. She was buried alongside her son, General Paul Barringer.

Paul Barringer (1778-1844)

Rufus's father Paul was born on September 26, 1778, at Poplar Grove. Paul was the first child born to John Paul and his second wife Catherine. Paul's early education was chiefly in the German language, but at the age of 18 he was sent off to an English-language classical school. He remained there for three years and learned to speak and write both German and English fluently. This bilingual education would prove useful when he later became involved in various mercantile enterprises. In 1799, Paul settled in Concord, NorthCarolina, and with the aid of his father, began his career as a planter and merchant.

On February 21, 1805, the 27-year-old Paul married Elizabeth Brandon, the 22year-old daughter of Matthew Brandon of nearby Rowan County. The young couple settled in Concord, where they remained until 1811, when they moved to Poplar Grove (where Paul's mother still lived). They raised 11 children, including Daniel Moreau, Margaret, William, Rufus, and Victor.

Like many other Southerners, Paul viewed the War of 1812 as a Northern war disadvantageous to the South. When North Carolina Governor William Hawkins made a hurried call for volunteers, however, Paul responded. Because of his considerable influence throughout western North Carolina, he was commissioned a brigadier general of the Eleventh Brigade of North Carolina Militia Troops on December 23, 1812.

Paul Barringer was "in stature near six feet tall, a little stooped, bald head, dark curly hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, high forehead and small hands and feet." He was a "fine looking man, of large sturdy frame, intelligent, quick in thought and speech, and independent in action." These qualities were evident in his growing economic success and the high esteem in which others held him. Paul served as a representative from Cabarrus County in the North Carolina House of Commons (1806-1815), and in the state Senate in 1822. In 1823, he refused to seek re-election because his business interests demanded more of his time.

In 1838, Paul's multiple interests — three plantations, two stores, a tannery, and a cotton mill — forced him to leave Poplar Grove and move closer to the center of his activities. He built a new home, "Bellevue," two and one-half miles west of Concord.

Paul was not only economically successful, but a man of generosity and progressive public spirit. In 1838, for example, he subscribed $2,000 for the construction of the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad, and the following year invested $5,000 in stock in the Concord Cotton Mill, one of the pioneer mills in that part of the country.

Paul owned as many as 15 slaves, but eventually reached the point where he was no longer in favor of the institution of slavery. He eventually gave his slaves to his son Paul Brandon to take to Mississippi, stating he did not believe the practice was morally or economically sound and that he no longer wished to own them.

Like his father, Paul was raised Lutheran and remained active in the church throughout his life. These qualities would be reflected in the principled life of Rufus.

Rufus, Moreau, and Victor Barringer

Rufus Barringer was born December 2, 1821, at Poplar Grove. Rufus's oldest brother Daniel Moreau (who was known simply as "Moreau"), his younger brother Victor, and his sister Margaret were his favorite siblings. Moreau, Rufus, and Victor became lawyers and served their state as elected politicians.

Moreau won election to the House of Commons in 1829 and was reelected for six successive sessions. He served as chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary and on other important committees. When he fell ill in 1835, he traveled to Philadelphia for medical treatment but his slow recovery forced him to refrain from public activity for several years.

Victor Barringer, Rufus's younger brother, was born on March 29, 1827. The teenager was enamored with Kentuckian Henry Clay, a powerful orator and leader of the Whig Party. Clay had also been one of the "War Hawks," a strong supporter of the War of 1812. Impressed by the older man's eloquence and public spirit, qualities greatly admired in democratic, western frontier America, Victor adopted the politician's last name as his middle name, and used it for the rest of his life.

Victor entered the University of North Carolina at the age of 15, where during his sophomore year an altercation with a French professor resulted in a year-long suspension. Unwilling to miss so much school, he finished his sophomore year at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and returned to UNC in 1845, where he graduated in 1848.

Rufus entered UNC in 1838 at 16, after attending preparatory school at Sugar Creek Academy in Concord. His college class consisted of 34 students, and he was the only one from Cabarrus County. His friends nicknamed him "Motz" in his freshman days at Chapel Hill after old John Motz of Lincolnton, a well-known part owner of High Shoals Iron Works. A friend claimed that Rufus walked like one of his legs was shorter than the other. One student remembered that he "walked like old 'Motz' ... lame in one of his short legs."

College students in those days were not unlike students of other times. Many drank too much, and more than a few visited prostitutes or lower class women to whom etiquette meant little. Three of the places for illicit sex visited by UNC students included "the Depot," "the Fishery," and "the Kingdom." The young men practiced a kind of "apprentice courtship," in preparation for more serious lasting relationships later in life. It was not merely sex with random nameless women. Rather, they cultivated relationships that provided the young men with practice in sexual intimacy before marriage without violating, at least in their minds, more elite and gentlemanly sexual mores.

James Lawrence Dusenbery was one of Rufus's friends in the UNC class of 1842. Both were members of the Dialectic Society, and both would serve in the Civil War — Dusenbery as a surgeon. According to Dusenbery, he, Rufus (whom he dubbed "the mighty songster"), and someone identified as only "Gabriel" visited the nearby house of a man named Edward to meet three girls. One, Edward's daughter, was supposedly "in love" with Dusenbery, who stayed with her all night. Rufus attempted to take up with another girl in the same house, but when she proved sick he ended up spending the night with another woman. He "prevailed with her & solaced himself in her arms all night long. She was into him as the loving hind & the pleasing roe; her breasts did satisfy him at all times, and he was ravished always with her love."

Dusenbery, ever the gossipy scribe, recounted in his diary another event involving himself and Rufus. The pair sneaked off campus at nightfall to visit a place called "Ned's" to meet some girls. To do so, they "borrowed" a horse from William K. Woods, a nearby resident who boarded about 25 college students. Together, Dusenbery and Rufus rode the horse slowly along paths through the woods until they reached the open road leading to Ned's, at which point they galloped at "headlong speed" to their destination. "While there we met with all the success we could have anticipated & about midnight we roused our steed most unceremoniously from his slumbers and returned," Dusenbery recorded. "My companion [Rufus] expressed himself as 'having been in clover,' while I was perfectly disgusted, & fully resolved in my own mind, never to repeat the visit."

Rufus frequented Ned's on several occasions, as well as a place called "old Bartimeus's," where he stored an old black trunk. Dusenbery bragged in the third person about Rufus, a student from Burke County, and himself when he wrote, "these three men and the acts they did & how they sung, behold are they not written in the Chronicles of the mighty men of the West [West Building, where they lived on campus]." Evidently, Rufus and Dusenbery had a falling out and by graduation were no longer on speaking terms. Dusenbery specifically mentioned in his diary that he did not ask Rufus to sign his Dialectic Society Diploma — an honored custom that Society classmates had long performed.

At UNC, Rufus was deeply interested in the Dialectic Society — what would later be called a debating club. The rival Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, both founded soon after the university opened in 1795, dominated student life outside the classroom. Each society maintained lavish quarters filled with fine furniture, portraits of distinguished alumni, and extensive collections of newspapers, journals, and books addressing the leading issues of the day. These societies operated as self-governing bodies, granting their own diplomas and enforcing rigorous codes of conduct through secret trials. "Fear of incurring their censure," one alumnus recalled, "was far greater than that of offending the Faculty"