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14th North Carolina Cavalry Battalion
14th Cavalry Battalion, formerly Woodfin's Battalion, was organized
at Asheville, North Carolina, during the summer of 1862 with three companies; later increased to six. The men were from Buncombe,
Haywood, Transylvania, and Madison counties. It was assigned to North Carolina and southern Virginia. In the spring of
1865 it added four companies from Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties and was officially designated
the 69th North Carolina Regiment-7th Cavalry, Lt. Colonel James L. Henry, commanding. There are only two references to the
Sixty-ninth North Carolina Regiment in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; both references
are to Lt. Colonel Henry and the cavalry regiment (O.R., i, 49, i, 1034 and O.R., i, 49, i, 1035). The other references to Henry's Cavalry are the Sixty-ninth
North Carolina and Sixty-ninth North Carolina State Troops. The regiment fought at Salisbury on
April 12 and disbanded near Morgantown on April 17. Lt. Colonel James L. Henry and Major Charles M. Roberts were in command.
| North Carolina Cavalry Battalion |
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| North Carolina Cavalry Battalion |
Recommended
Reading: Lee's Cavalrymen: A
History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of Northern Virginia,
1861-1865 (Hardcover). Description: A companion to his previous work, Lincoln's Cavalrymen, this volume focuses on the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia
its leadership, the military life of its officers and men as revealed in their diaries and letters, the development of its
tactics as the war evolved, and the influence of government policies on its operational abilities. All the major players and
battles are involved, including Joseph E. Johnston, P. G. T Beauregard, and J. E. B. Stuart. As evidenced in his previous
books, Longacre's painstakingly thorough research will make this volume as indispensable a reference as its predecessor.
Recommended
Reading: Brandy Station, Virginia, June 9, 1863: The Largest
Cavalry Battle of the Civil War (Hardcover).
Description: The winter of 1862-1863 found Robert Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and Ambrose Burnside’s Army
of the Potomac at a standoff along the Rappahannock River
in Virginia. In December 1862, outnumbered Confederate forces
had dealt the Union army a handy defeat in the Battle of Fredericksburg. A demoralized Union army was waiting for spring and
revitalization. The latter came in late January 1863 in the form of Major General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. Relieving
the disgraced and outmatched Burnside, Hooker reorganized his troops, establishing regular drills, procuring adequate rations
and instituting company colors, thereby giving his soldiers back their fighting spirit. Lee, also with his eye on the spring
campaign, concentrated on maintaining his strength and fortifications while struggling with the ever-increasing problem of
adequate supplies. Continued below…
As the spring
campaign--and Hooker’s new fighting approach--began, cavalry units from both sides took on an increased importance.
This culminated in the largest cavalry battle of the war, fought near Brandy Station, Virginia on June 9, 1863. Compiled from various contemporary
sources, this volume details the contributions of cavalry units during the spring campaign of 1863. Although the work discusses
early encounters such as the Battle of Chancellorsville, the main focus is the Battle of Brandy Station, which marked the
opening of the Gettysburg campaign and Lee’s last offensive
into the North. Here, forces commanded by J.E.B. Stuart and Alfred Pleasanton fought a battle which ranged over 70 square
miles but left no decisive victor. At the end of the day, Confederate troops were still in possession of the territory and
counted fewer casualties, yet Union forces had definitely taken the offensive. While historians still debate the significance
of the battle, many now view it as a harbinger of change, signifying the beginning of dominance of Union horse soldiers and
the corresponding decline of Stuart’s Confederate command. Appendices contain information on individual units with recorded
casualties and a list of West Pointers who took part in the battle. Photographs and an index are also included.
Recommended Reading: Nathan
Bedford Forrest: In Search of the Enigma (Hardcover). Description: Nathan Bedford Forrest’s astounding military abilities,
passionate temperament, and tactical ingenuity on the battlefield have earned the respect of Civil War scholars and military
leaders alike. He was a man who stirred the most extreme emotions among his followers and his enemies, and his name continues
to inspire controversy. In this comprehensive biography, Forrest is illuminated as the brilliant battlefield tactician
and the only Confederate cavalry leader feared by Ulysses S. Grant. Historians Eddy W. Davison and Daniel Foxx offer a detailed
explanation of the Fort Pillow "massacre," unraveling the facts
to prove that it was not indeed a massacre. Continued below...
The
book also discusses Forrest’s role in the Ku Klux Klan and how he came to be its first grand wizard. Dispelling several
myths, this is a study of the complete Forrest, including his rise as a self-made millionaire in Memphis,
his remarkable success leading the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, and his life following the Civil War. Although the book is filled
with vivid battle narratives, it goes beyond Forrest’s military life to examine other aspects of this enigmatic leader—his
role as husband and father, for example, and his dramatic call for full citizenship for Black Southerners.
Recommended
Reading: The Civil War in North Carolina.
Description: Numerous battles and skirmishes were fought in North Carolina during the Civil War, and the campaigns and battles
themselves were crucial in the grand strategy of the conflict and involved some of the most famous generals of the war. John
Barrett presents the complete story of military engagements across the state, including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville--involving
Generals Joe Johnston and William Sherman--the siege of Fort
Fisher, the amphibious campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such
as General George Stoneman's Raid. Also available in hardcover: The Civil War in North Carolina .
Recommended Viewing: The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns. Review: The
Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns is the most successful public-television miniseries in American history. The 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation,
reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When
people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters
and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with
still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era
he depicts. Continued below...
The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew
only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller,
and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the
words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained
photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it. "Hailed
as a film masterpiece and landmark in historical storytelling." "[S]hould be a requirement for every
student."
Recommended Reading: Confederate Military History Of North Carolina: North
Carolina In The Civil War, 1861-1865. Description: The author, Prof. D.
H. Hill, Jr., was the son of Lieutenant General Daniel Harvey Hill (North Carolina
produced only two lieutenant generals and it was the second highest rank in the army) and his mother was the sister to General
“Stonewall” Jackson’s wife. In Confederate Military History Of North
Carolina, Hill discusses North Carolina’s massive task of preparing and
mobilizing for the conflict; the many regiments and battalions recruited from the Old
North State; as well as the
state's numerous contributions during the war. Continued below...
During Hill's
Tar
Heel State study, the reader begins with
interesting and thought-provoking statistical data regarding the 125,000 "Old
North State" soldiers that fought
during the course of the war and the 40,000 that perished. Hill advances with the Tar Heels to the first battle at Bethel, through numerous bloody campaigns and battles--including North Carolina’s
contributions at the "High Watermark" at Gettysburg--and concludes with Lee's surrender at
Appomattox.
Sources: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; Walter Clark,
Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-1865; National Park Service: American
Civil War; National Park Service: Soldiers and Sailors System; Weymouth T. Jordan and Louis H. Manarin, North Carolina Troops,
1861-1865; and D. H. Hill, Confederate Military History Of North Carolina: North Carolina In The Civil War, 1861-1865.
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