North Carolina provided at least 125,000 soldiers to the Confederacy, and the Tar Heel State recruited more soldiers than any Southern state. More than 620,000 died in the Civil War and 40,000 were North Carolinians. The Old North State provided 69 infantry regiments and 4 infantry battalions; 9 cavalry regiments and 9 cavalry battalions; 2 heavy artillery battalions, 4 artillery regiments, 3 light artillery battalions, and 4 light artillery batteries. Several North Carolina infantry regiments mustered 1,500 soldiers, while few regiments mustered as many as 1,800. North Carolina's sole legion, Thomas' Legion, mustered more than 2,500 soldiers, while the average Civil War regiment fielded 1,100 soldiers. The North Carolina mountain counties also recruited several companies which served in the predominately “Piedmont” and “Coastal Plain” regiments. Western North Carolina, furthermore, recruited numerous “Home Guard, Junior and Senior Reserves, and State Militia companies.” Western North Carolinians also served in East Tennessee, northern Georgia, southwest Virginia, and "Upstate" South Carolina regiments. Western North Carolina in 1861, depending on which cartographic map you study, included 20 or 21 western counties (see North Carolina Maps). In 1861, however, there were 21 mountain counties and 71% of North Carolina's slave population resided in the Coastal Plain Region, with the Southern Appalachian Mountains considered the poorest of the three North Carolina Regions. The Mountaineers, a.k.a. Highlanders, fought and died in the bloodiest battles of the War, and, in the below list of regiments, Western North Carolina recruited at least one company for the listed regiment or the entire regiment hailed from the North Carolina mountains. A Guide to Military Organizations and Installations of North Carolina 1861-1865, explains the numerical designations according to branch of service and the nature and character of each unit's organization. The Western North Carolina American Civil War Regiments and Battalions offers more detailed contributions for each Western North Carolina regiment. North Carolina American Civil War Battles and Battlefields covers all the major battles and campaigns fought on North Carolina's soil. North Carolina and the American Civil War discusses the numerous contributions of the state in the conflict, and American Civil War Generals Appointed by North Carolina offers a biography for each of the state's generals.

1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment (6 months, 1861)***

1st Infantry Regiment was also known as the Bethel Regiment. In May 1861 it organized for six month's service at Raleigh, North Carolina, and then relocated to Virginia. Its soldiers were from the counties of Edgecombe, Mecklenburg, Orange, Buncombe, Cumberland, Burke, Guilford, and Lincoln. With approximately 800 men, the unit fought at Big Bethel and then served in the Army of the Peninsula near Yorktown. Two companies from Bertie and Chowan Counties joined the regiment which increased its strength to more than 1,200. On November 12, 1861, the unit disbanded and returned to North Carolina. Many of the men transferred to the 11th North Carolina Regiment. The field officers were Colonels Daniel H. Hill and Charles C. Lee, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph B. Starr, and Majors Robert F. Hoke and James H. Lane. This volunteer regiment should not be confused with the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment (NCST), which formed near Warrenton, N.C.

2nd North Carolina Infantry Battalion***

2nd Infantry Battalion was formed at Garysburg, North Carolina, during the fall of 1861. Five companies were from Madison, Stokes, Randolph, Surry, and Forsyth counties, one from Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and two from Pike and Meriwether counties, Georgia. The Virginia company was transferred in September 1862 and the Georgia commands in mid-1863. The battalion relocated to the coast and was captured in the Battle of Roanoke Island. After being exchanged, it was assigned to General Daniel's and Grimes' Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It served from Gettysburg to Cold Harbor, fought in the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns under General Early, and was active around Appomattox. It lost 3 killed and 5 wounded at Roanoke Island and of the 240 engaged at Gettysburg, sixty-four percent were disabled. The battalion surrendered with 3 officers and 49 men. The field officers were Lieutenant Colonels Hezekiah L. Andrews, Wharton J. Green, and Charles E. Shober; and Majors Marcus Erwin, John M. Hancock, and James J. Iredell.

21st North Carolina Infantry Regiment***

21st Infantry Regiment, formerly the 11th Volunteers, was a twelve company command organized at Danville, Virginia, in June 1861. Men of this unit were recruited in Davidson, Surry, Forsyth, Stokes, Rockingham, and Guilford counties. It was assigned to General Trimble's, Hoke's, Godwin's, and W. G. Lewis' Brigade. It fought at First Manassas, Second Manassas, and Jackson's Valley operations. The unit participated in many conflicts of the army from the Seven Days Battles to Bristoe. It was also involved in the engagements at Plymouth, Drewry's Bluff, and Cold Harbor, marched with Early to the Shenandoah Valley, and saw action around Appomattox. The unit sustained 80 casualties at First Winchester, 13 at Cross Keys and Port Republic, 45 during the Seven Days Battles, 51 at Second Manassas, 18 at Sharpsburg, and 24 at Fredericksburg. It lost 78 at Chancellorsville, twenty-eight percent of the 436 at Gettysburg, and 52 at Plymouth. In April 1865 it surrendered with 6 officers and 117 men of which 40 were armed. The field officers were Colonels Saunders Fulton, B. Y. Graves, James M. Leach, Rufus K. Pepper, William S. Rankin, and William L. Scott; and Majors James F. Beall, Alex. Miller, W. J. Pfohl, and J. M. Richardson.

22nd Infantry Regiment, formerly the 12th Volunteers, completed its organization near Raleigh, North Carolina, in July 1861. The men were recruited in the counties of Caldwell, McDowell, Surry, Ashe, Guilford, Alleghany, Caswell, Stokes, and Randolph. With nearly 1,000 men, the unit was ordered to Virginia and assigned to the Aquia District in the Department of Northern Virginia. Later it was brigaded under Generals Pettigrew, Pender, and Scales. It fought with the army from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor, took its place in the Petersburg trenches south of the James River, and ended the war at Appomattox. In April 1862 this regiment contained 752 men, reported 161 casualties during the Seven Days Battles, had 6 killed and 57 wounded at Second Manassas, and 1 killed and 44 wounded at Fredericksburg. It lost 30 killed and 139 wounded at Chancellorsville, and of the 321 engaged at  Gettysburg over fifty percent were disabled. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 13 officers and 97 men. The field officers were Colonels James Conner, Thomas S. Galloway, Jr., Charles E. Lightfoot, and James J. Pettigrew; Lieutenant Colonels Christopher C. Cole, R. H. Gray, John O. Long, and William L. Mitchell; and Majors Laban Odell and W. Lee Russell.  

25th North Carolina Infantry Regiment*

25th Infantry Regiment, formerly the 15th Volunteers, was assembled at Camp Patton, Asheville, North Carolina, in August 1861. The following counties furnished companies for the regiment: Henderson, Jackson, Haywood, Cherokee, Transylvania, Buncombe, Macon, and Clay. It relocated to Grahamville, South Carolina, and remained there until March 1862. The unit returned to North Carolina and then arrived in Virginia on June 24. The unit fought at Antietam and, serving in R. Ransom's and M. W. Ranson's Brigade, it fought at Malvern Hill (during the Seven Days Battles) to Fredericksburg, served in North Carolina, and then saw action at Plymouth and Drewry's Bluff. The 25th participated in the long Richmond-Petersburg Campaign south of the James River and the Appomattox Campaign. It lost several soldiers in The Crater. It reported 128 casualties during the Seven Days Battles, 15 in the Maryland Campaign, 88 at Fredericksburg, and 103 at Plymouth. Many were disabled at Sailor's Creek, and on April 9, 1865, only 8 officers and 69 soldiers were present. The field officers were Colonels Thomas L. Clingman and Henry M. Rutledge; Lieutenant Colonels S. C. Bryson, St. Clair Dearing, and Matthew N. Love; and Majors John W. Francis, William S. Grady, and William Y. Morgan. Colonel Thomas Lanier Clingman, promoted to Brigadier-General, commanded Clingman's Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was an ardent lawyer and one of the most outspoken politicians of his era and his proslavery and states' rights positions climaxed with his quote to Congress: "Do us justice and we stand with you; attempt to trample on us and we separate!" Also see: Company G ("Highland Guards") Flag, 25th North Carolina Infantry Regiment (Replica?) and 25th North Carolina Infantry Regiment.

26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment**

26th Infantry Regiment was organized in August 1861 at "Crab Tree," a plantation three miles from Raleigh, North Carolina. Its members were recruited in the counties of Ashe, Chatham, Wilkes, Union, Wake, Caldwell, Moore, Alamance, Randolph, and Anson. A female Soldier also enlisted in the 26th. The regiment served at Fort Macon, on Bogue Island, North Carolina, then fought at New Bern. During the war, it was assigned to General R. Ransom's, Pettigrew's, Kirkland's, and MacRae's Brigade. It participated in the Seven Days Battles and conflicts at Rawls' Mills and Goldsboro. The 26th continued the "fight" under the command of the Army of Northern Virginia from Gettysburg to Cold Harbor, took its place in the entrenchments south of the James River, and was involved in the final campaign at Appomattox. It lost 87 killed or wounded at New Bern, had 6 killed and 40 wounded during the Seven Days Battles, and of the 843 engaged at Gettysburg, more than eighty percent were disabled. The unit reported 16 killed and 83 wounded at Bristoe and on April 9, 1865, surrendered 10 officers and 120 men. Its commanders were Colonels Henry K. Burgwyn, Jr., John R. Lane, and Zebulon B. Vance. Colonel Zebulon Vance became North Carolina's Governor (1862-1865 and 1877-1879), and also served in the United States Senate from 1879-1892; Lieutenant Colonels James T. Adams and John T. Jones; and Majors Abner B. Carmichael, James S. Kendall, and N. P. Rankin. The greatest loss sustained by any regiment (North or South) during the war was the Twenty-sixth North Carolina Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg; it advanced more than 800 men into action and more than eighty percent were disabled.  

28th North Carolina Infantry Regiment***

28th Infantry Regiment was organized and mustered into Confederate service in September 1861 at High Point, North Carolina. Its members were from the counties of Surry, Gaston, Catawba, Stanley, Montgomery, Yadkin, Orange, and Cleveland. The unit relocated to New Bern and arrived just as the troops were withdrawing from that fight. Ordered to Virginia in May 1862, it was assigned to General Branch's and Lane's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It fought at Hanover Court House and many conflicts of the army from the Seven Days Battles to Cold Harbor. The 28th was involved in the long Petersburg siege south of the James River and the Appomattox operations. It arrived in Virginia with 1,199 men, lost thirty-three percent of the 480 engaged during the Seven Days Battles, 3 killed and 26 wounded at Cedar Mountain, and 5 killed and 45 wounded at Second Manassas. The regiment reported 65 casualties at Fredericksburg and 89 at Chancellorsville. Of the 346 in action at Gettysburg more than forty percent were killed, wounded, or missing. It surrendered 17 officers and 213 men. Its commanders were Colonels James H. Lane, Samuel D. Lowe, and William H. A. Speer; Lieutenant Colonels William D. Barringer and Thomas L. Lowe; and Majors William J. Montgomery, Richard E. Reeves, and S. N. Stowe.

29th North Carolina Infantry Regiment*

29th Infantry Regiment organized at Camp Patton, Asheville, North Carolina, in September 1861 and contained men from Cherokee, Yancey, Buncombe, Jackson, Madison, Haywood, and Mitchell counties. The unit was ordered to East Tennessee and was active in the Cumberland Gap operations. It was assigned to General Rains' and Ector's Brigade and participated in the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee from Stones River (commonly referred to as Murfreesboro) to Atlanta. It engaged in the defense of Vicksburg and marched with General Hood into Tennessee and ended the war at Mobile. It lost twenty-two percent of the 250 engaged at Murfreesboro. The regiment was attached to General Ector's Brigade at Chickamauga and had 110 killed, wounded, or missing. During the Atlanta Campaign, May 18 to September 5, it reported 6 killed, 58 wounded, and 87 missing. At Allatoona, thirty-nine percent of the 138 present were disabled. It surrendered in May 1865. The field officers were Colonels William B. Creasman and Robert B. Vance (brother to Governor Zebulon Baird Vance); Lieutenant Colonels Thomas F. Gardner, James M. Lowry, Bacchus S. Profitt, and William S. Walker; and Major Ezekiel H. Hampton.

33rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment***

33rd Infantry Regiment completed its organization at the old fair grounds at Raleigh, North Carolina, in September 1861. The men were recruited in the counties of Iredell, Edgecombe, Cabarrus, Wilkes, Gates, Hyde, Cumberland, Forsyth, and Greene. After fighting at New Bern, the unit relocated to Virginia and engaged at Hanover Court House. The unit served with Generals Branch and Lane, and participated in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days Battles to Cold Harbor. Later it participated in the Petersburg trenches and was involved in the Appomattox operations. This regiment sustained 75 casualties during the Seven Days Battles, 36 at Cedar Mountain, 8 at Second Manassas, and 41 at Fredericksburg. The unit lost forty-two percent of the 480 engaged at Chancellorsville and twenty percent of the 368 at Gettysburg. It reported 4 killed and 19 wounded at Spotsylvania, and 5 killed, 29 wounded, and 4 missing at Jericho Mills. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered 11 officers and 108 men. The field officers were Colonels Clark M. Avery, Lawrence O. Branch, and Robert V. Cowan; Lieutenant Colonels Robert F. Hoke and J. H. Saunders; and Majors William G. Lewis, Thomas W. Mayhew, and James A. Weston. (Also see Lane's Brigade)

34th North Carolina Infantry Regiment**

34th Infantry Regiment was assembled at High Point, North Carolina, in October 1861. Its members were recruited in the counties of Ashe, Rutherford, Rowan, Lincoln, Cleveland, Mecklenburg, and Montgomery. After serving in the Department of North Carolina, it relocated to Virginia and was assigned to General Pender's and Scales' Brigade. The 34th was active in the many campaigns of the army, from the Seven Days Battles to Cold Harbor, participated in the Siege of Petersburg south of the James River, and the operations around Appomattox. It reported 53 killed and 158 wounded during the Seven Days Battles, 2 killed and 23 wounded at Second Manassas, 2 killed and 17 wounded at Fredericksburg, and 18 killed, 110 wounded and 20 missing at Chancellorsville. Of the 310 engaged at Gettysburg, twenty-one percent were disabled. It surrendered 21 officers and 145 men. The field officers were Colonels Collet Leventhorpe, William Lee J. Lowrance, and Richard H. Riddick; Lieutenant Colonels George T. Gordon, Charles J. Hammerskold, William A. Houck, John L. McDowell, and George M. Norment; and Majors George M. Clark, Joseph B. McGee, Eli H. Miller, William A. Owens, Martin Shoffner, and Francis L. Twitty.

35th North Carolina Infantry Regiment***

35th Infantry Regiment completed its organization in November 1861 at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, North Carolina. Its members were recruited in the counties of Mecklenburg, Onslow, McDowell, Moore, Chatham, Person, Union, Henderson, Wayne, and Catawba. After fighting at New Bern, the regiment was ordered to Virginia and assigned to General R. Ransom's and M. W. Ransom's Brigade. It participated in the difficult campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days Battles to Fredericksburg. It returned to North Carolina and fought at Boon's Mill and Plymouth, and advanced to Virginia in May 1864. The 35th engaged at Drewry's Bluff, endured the hardships of the Petersburg siege south of the James River, and ended the war at Appomattox. This unit sustained 127 casualties at Malvern Hill, 25 in the Maryland Campaign, 29 at Fredericksburg, and 103 at Plymouth. Many were disabled at Sailor's Creek (aka Sayler's Creek), and on April 9, 1865, it surrendered 5 officers and 111 men. The field officers were Colonels James T. Johnson, John G. Jones, Matthew W. Ransom, and James Sinclair; Lieutenant Colonels M. D. Craton, Oliver C. Petway, and Simon B. Taylor; and Majors John M. Kelly and Robert E. Petty.

37th North Carolina Infantry Regiment**

37th Infantry Regiment was organized by Colonel C. C. Lee, and assembled at High Point, North Carolina, in November 1861. The men were recruited in the counties of Buncombe, Watauga, Ashe, Mecklenburg, Wake, Alexander, and Gaston. The unit fought at New Bern, and then relocated to Virginia in the spring of 1862. It was assigned to General Branch's and Lane's Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, fought at Hanover Court House and Mechanicsville, and participated in many campaigns of the army from the Seven Days Battles to Cold Harbor. It continued the fight in the Petersburg trenches and around Appomattox. This regiment reported 125 casualties during the Seven Days Battles, 15 at Cedar Mountain, 81 at Second Manassas, 93 at Fredericksburg, and 235 at Chancellorsville. Of the 379 engaged at Gettysburg, more than thirty percent were disabled. It surrendered 10 officers and 98 men. The field officers were Colonels William M. Barbour and Charles C. Lee; Lieutenant Colonel John B. Ashcraft, Charles N. Hickerson, and William G. Morris; and Majors Jackson L. Bost, Owen N. Brown, John G. Bryan, Rufus M. Rankin, and William R. Rankin. Colonel Charles C. Lee was killed at the Battle of Mechanicsville, Virginia.