Bernard was the son of Benjamin Carawan and Delilah White.  He was 1^st married to Melissa Cecelia O'Neal (1836-1882) before 1860 and this union produced Sallie Frances Carawan (1860-1945; married Wm. H. Howerin); Nancy W. Carawan (1870-1942; married J.B. Rice); and Christopher S. Carawan (1873-1895).  Bernard was married the 2^nd time on Sept. 23, 1886 to Nancy Elizabeth (Johnson) Leary (1837-1916), widow of W.W. Leary.

Bernard enlisted Feb 25, 1862 in Company C, 44^th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops as a private. A company record dated April 3, 1862 indicates that he had not reported himself. Dropped from company roll prior to Sept 1, 1862. Bernard enlisted in the Union Army Company B, 1^st NC Regiment of NC Volunteers as a private at Washington, NC on May 7, 1862. The records state that he was 30 years old at the time and from Hyde Co., NC. Three weeks after Bernard enlisted, his older brother Christopher Carawan, who had also served in Co. C, 44^th NCST, enlisted in Co. B, 1^st NC Vol. Inf. and in October, they were followed by their cousin James G. Carawan. They served with the 1^st NCUV until it mustered out on June 27, 1865 at New Bern, NC.

Here is a little background information on the formation of the 1st NC Union Volunteers:

The First North Carolina Regiment was formed in April, 1862, shortly after the occupation of Little Washington, NC by Union forces. Mayor Isaiah Respess, met with forces under Lieutenant Commander A. Murray on his boat in the Pamlico River. Murray marched his men to the Beaufort County Court House, raised the American flag, had his band play Dixie, and won over some of the towns people by handing out several hundred bushels of confiscated meal and corn to the poor.

He wrote to his superiors that the woods and swamps of Beaufort and Hyde County are alive with refugees from the Confederate draft, which had begun in May, 1862. He reported that these refugees were deep and bitter in their denunciation of Secession and promise to raise a regiment if called on to aid in the restoration of the flag. In addition, delegations from other parts of the county called on him and offered to raise Union companies in their towns, if he would furnish them with arms. Hyde County, he reported, was even more enthusiastic and outspoken for the Union. Soon thereafter, John R. Respess, the mayor's son, made an offer to General Burnside of a regiment of loyal men from the county. The general accepted his proposal, and the First North Carolina Union Volunteer Regiment was born. Capt. Edward E. Potter of General John Foster's staff was promoted to Colonel and made regimental commander.

On May 1, 1861, enlistment posters appeared addressed TO THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA, informing them that General Burnside, in command of the Department of North Carolina, had authorized the raising of a regiment in the eastern part of the state. Prospective recruits were informed that the regiment would be under the protection of the United States, and that they would be paid, clothed, and fed by the Federal government. They were further informed that the regiment was intended for the protection of loyal citizens. The poster was signed by Potter and Respess. A second broadside, also signed by Potter, promised prospective recruits that they would not only remain in North Carolina, but that they would not be moved from the county of enlistment except for battalion drill or emergency.

For further information, see:

The First and Second North Carolina Union Volunteer Regiments

The War Within the Confederacy: White Unionist of North Carolina

Ordering Photos

The first 2 photos are Xerox copies of the original photos held at the USAMHI at Carlisle Barracks, PA. Copies of the photos may be ordered from them for $15 (B&W 8"x10") + shipping $3.50 or $25 (B&W 11"X14") + shipping $5.50. The address for ordering is Curator, United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013, or they can be ordered from their web site at American Civil War (ACW) Photograph Database from the Special Collections Branch of USAMHI.