The threat of secession caused hardships for many. Men in training for military careers were suddenly faced with very difficult decisions. If they followed their seceding state, they jeopardized their careers as United States military officers.
In the spring of 1861, Northampton County native Paul Fletcher Faison, a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, faced just such a decision and wrote to his father to explain his dilemma and his intentions. Faison did resign and followed his state out of the Union. As did his two brothers, Faison served as a Confederate officer. He spent the majority of the war as Colonel of the 56th Regiment, N. C. Troops.