64th Infantry Regiment organized during the summer of 1862 and was anticipated to be a legion containing thirteen companies of infantry and three of cavalry. Subsequently, the command was reduced to ten companies and designated the 64th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. Its members were predominately recruited from the Western North Carolina counties of Madison, Henderson and Polk. The unit served in North Carolina and East Tennessee; its service proved invaluable in the defense of vital and strategic Saltworks and railroads. In early 1863 the 64th was associated with the infamous Shelton Laurel Massacre. In July 1863 the unit was assigned to General Gracie's Brigade and stationed in the Cumberland Gap. While in the Cumberland Gap in September 1863, a fraction of the regiment was surrendered. The records reflect that 288 men of the 64th were prisoners at Camp Douglas. The regiment continued fighting with about 100 effectives, serving under Generals Breckinridge (14th Vice President of the United States), Vaughn, and Williams in East Tennessee. Together, the 62nd, 64th, and 69th (Thomas' Legion) North Carolina Regiments fought the enemy in East Tennessee and in western North Carolina. It became part of Colonel J. B. Palmer's Brigade at Asheville in March 1865 and subsequently disbanded near the French Broad River. The unit's commanders were Colonel Lawrence M. Allen, Lieutenant Colonels William N. Garrett and J. A. Keith, and Major Thomas P. Jones. Allen's Regiment was also known for its high desertion rate.