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January 1862-December 1863
[Webmaster's Note: Compiled Records Showing Service of Military
Units, Official Records of the Confederate Armies. National Archives Microfilm Series M861, Roll #40: 29 NC Infantry.]
Field and Staff
[Note: no other record of events were reported.]
Regiment
Stationed at Knoxville, Tennessee, except Companies A and E, Loudon, Tennessee;
Companies B and C, Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Company D, Charleston, Tennessee; Company F Lick Creek Bridge; Company G, Midway;
Company H, Strawberry Plains; Company I, Morristown; Company K, Flat Creek Bridge, January 1862.
Colonel [Robert Brank] Vance having been assigned to
the command of the post at Knoxville. removed the Headquarters of this regiment to that site about the date of this return.
No changes were made in the stations of companies during the month just ended. As will be seen from this return, the regiment
is scattered over a line of railroad extending over 200 miles. In consequence. captain's morning reports come into Headquarters
very irregularly. Printed blanks for company reports cannot always be obtained and when that is the case, the restarts are
very rarely correct.
John E. Hoey,
Adjutant.
Stationed at Headquarters, Twenty-ninth Regiment, North Carolina Troops, Brandon,
Mississippi, December 19, 1863.
SIR:
In compliance with your request, I send you a brief historical sketch of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, North Carolina Troops.
October
28-November 6, 1861. This regiment left Camp Vance in Buncombe County for Raleigh, North Carolina and arrived at that
place November 6, where it was armed, equipped and furnished with uniforms.
November 25-30. Left Raleigh for Jonesborough,
Tennessee and arrived at Haynesville Depot on the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad (near Jonesborough) November 30. The
regiment was immediately ordered by Colonel [Danville] Leadbetter (now general) to Cocke County, Tennessee to aid in
dispersing a band of Tories, who were collecting in that section for treasonable purposes.
December 10. The regiment
aided in doing this near Parrottsville, Tennessee. The regiment was then stationed by detachments at different posts and bridges
on the railroad from Chattanooga to Haynesville Depot as guard.
February 20, 1862. The regiment remained thus scattered
until ordered to Cumberland Gap. The garrison of Cumberland Gap was at this time under command of Colonel [James Edward]
Rains (late General Rains).
March 24. The garrison was attacked by the Feds.
April 27. The garrison
was attacked by the Feds. The regiment took an active part in repelling both assaults.
June 17. The regiment remained
at this place until the Yankees, under General [George Washington] Morgan, having crossed the mountain below at Big
Creek Gap, and were endeavoring to cut off our supplies, when the gap was evacuated by order of General [Edmund Kirby]
Smith at night after destroying tents, heavy artillery, cooking utensils, etc., etc.
At
this time General [Carter Littlepage] Stevenson commanded the brigade of which the Twenty-ninth Regiment, North Carolina
Troops made a part. The brigade fell back to Bean's Station, ten miles from Morristown, and remained in this section until
August. General C. L. Stevenson was now Major-General and commanded the division and General J. E. Rains commanded
the brigade formerly commanded by General Stevenson. General Stevenson's Division was now ordered to attack the enemy
at Tazewell.
August 5. The attack was done, routing and driving them back to Cumberland Gap and besieged the place.
The
regiment, with one or two others, was detached under Colonel Vance to Baptist Gap, which is five miles south of Cumberland
Gap.
September 17. Remained here until the Cumberland Gap was evacuated at night by the Feds.
September 18.
The command moved through the gap into Kentucky and found nothing in the gap but the relics of the Federal Army. They had
destroyed tents, cooking utensils, and left about 400 of their sick, who fell into our hands and were paroled.
September
19-October 2. The command took up the line of march through Kentucky via London, Lancaster, Danville, Harrodsburg, and
Lawrenceburg to Frankfort, reaching the last named place October 2.
October 5-25. At night fell back from Frankfort to Versailles, fourteen miles. Camped at Versailles
two or three days, then resumed the march and came out of Kentucky through Cumberland Gap, from thence to Bean's Station,
Tennessee, which place we reached about dark October 25.
Here we rested two or three days
and then marched to Lenoir's Station on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, having marched about 500 miles in forty days
and nights.
November 15. The brigade of General Rains' being ordered to Normandy Station on the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad. We took the cars.
November 18. Arrived at Normandy Station, a distance of 175 miles.
November 28.
Left Normandy and marched seventeen miles to Manchester.
December 7. Left that place and marched thirty-five miles
to Readyville in three days. About this time Lieutenant-General E. K. Smith was sent to the Trans-Mississippi Department
and Major-General C. L. Stevenson's Division to Vicksburg. General J. E. Rains' Brigade was transferred to Major-General [John
Porter] McCown's Division, Lieutenant-General [Leonidas] Polk's Corps, General [Braxton] Bragg's Army.
December 18.
The Twenty-ninth North Carolina Troops was detached from the brigade and left Readyville; marched to McMinnville, Tennessee
and from there to Murfreesborough. Here we joined our old brigade.
December 31. Took an active part in the battle
of Murfreesborough in which the Twenty-ninth Regiment lost about sixty men in killed and wounded.
January 4, 1863.
By order of General Bragg the Army fell back to Shelbyville at night, a distance of twenty-five miles. During the battle
General Rains was killed and Colonel R. B. Vance was assigned to the command of the brigade. General McCown
being relieved from duty after the battle, the division was commanded by General [Alexander Peter] Stewart during our
stay at Shelbyville. Brigadier-General [William Brimage] Bate was assigned to the command of General Rains' old brigade.
May
1. Colonel R. V. Vance returned to his regiment, where he remained until he was confined by sickness and left Shelbyville.
The regiment was then ordered to the Mississippi Department.
May 12-18. Left Shelbyville being detached from General
Bate's Brigade and sent by order of General Bragg to Jackson, Mississippi, arriving there May l 8.
From
thence we marched thirty miles to Canton. Here we took the train to Vaughan's Station on the Mississippi Central Railroad.
Here the regiment was attached to a Georgia Brigade commanded by Colonel [Claudius Charles] Wilson, this brigade constituting
a part of Major-General [William Henry Talbot] Walker's Division.
June l. General Walker's Division was ordered
to Yazoo City and from there was ordered to Vernon, Mississippi.
June 12. General Joseph [Eggleston] Johnston,
commanding the department, ordered the Nineteenth North Carolina Troops to remain and garrison Yazoo City.
July 13-27.
It remained there until a division of Yankees came up Yazoo River in gunboats and compelled us to vacate the place. The regiment
then marched across the county about 150 miles and joined General Johnston's Army at Morton, Mississippi. The regiment was
immediately ordered by General Johnston to Meridian, Mississippi to do guard duty, etc. Arrived at Meridian by rail
July 27.
August 24-30. The regiment was ordered to join General [Matthew Duncan] Ector's Brigade and proceeded
to Chattanooga, Tennessee to join Bragg's Army. The brigade arrived at Chickamauga Station near Chattanooga August 30.
September
19-20. Marched to and from Ringgold, La Fayette, and other places until the great battle of Chickamauga commenced. The
regiment was engaged until September 20 and sustained heavy loss both days, losing eighty in killed and wounded, and about
thirty missing. The regiment fought in General Ector's Brigade, Walker's Division, [Daniel Harvey] Hill’s Corps.
September
23-October 2. Ector's Brigade was ordered back to Meridian, Mississippi and arrived there October 2.
December 5.
Left Meridian and came south to Brandon, Mississippi, where we now are. Since we returned to Mississippi, Ector's Brigade
to which the Twenty-ninth North Carolina Troops belongs, has been in Major—General [Samuel Gibbs] French's Division.
Your most respectfully, etc....
[Bacchus]
S. Proffitt,
Lieutenant-Colonel,
Commanding, Twenty-ninth
North Carolina Troops.
Major James H. Foote,
Assistant
Adjutant-General
[Note: no other record of events were reported.]
Courtesy of Jackson County [North
Carolina] Genealogical Society; Copyright © 1998-99 Jackson County Genealogical Society, Inc.
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