4th North Carolina Infantry
Encyclopedia
4th North Carolina Regiment (disambiguation) was also known as the Fourth North Carolina State Troops; 4th NCST; and was nicknamed "The Bloody Fourth" after the high rate of casualties at the Battle of Seven Pines
. "The effectiveness, steadiness in combat and the aggressiveness of the men to the enemy by the men of the regiment was demonstrated again and again in the Army of Northern Virginia. They earned their nickname “The Bloody Fourth.”" Not to be confused with the "4th North Carolina Regiment
" of the American Revolution, or the "4th North Carolina Regiment" of the Spanish-American War.
The 4th North Carolina Regiment was a Confederate States Army
regiment during the American Civil War
. 4th Infantry Regiment State Troops completed its organization in May, 1862, at Camp Hill, near Garysburg, North Carolina. It recruited its members in Iredell, Rowan, Wayne, Beaufort, Wilson, and Davie counties. Ordered to Virginia, the unit served in General Winfield S. Featherston
’s, George B. Anderson
’s, Stephen D. Ramseur’s, and William R. Cox
’s Brigade. Its field officers were Colonels George B. Anderson, Bryan Grimes, Edwin A. Osborne, and James H. Wood; Lieutenant Colonels David M. Carter and John A. Young; and Majors Edward S. Marsh and Absalom K. Simonton. “The Fourth North Carolina Infantry participated in more than sixty various types engagements during its career.”
as its first colonel
.
At the Battle of Seven Pines
the 4th NC regiment justly earned its sobriquet of the “Bloody Fourth.” The regiment was here commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Grimes, who led the charge, and was the only officer surviving the fight unwounded. The Fourth went into battle with 520 men and 25 officers- “the noble 545.” In carrying the works it lost 462 men and 24 officers killed and wounded; this was the bloodiest charge of the war. In this battle the color guard being killed, the intrepid and heroic John Stikeleather became color bearer, and proudly bore the banner to its surrender at Appomattox.
Anderson was mortally wounded at the Bloody Lane during the Battle of Sharpsburg (Battle of Antietam
) in 1862 and command of the unit passed to Lt. Col. Bryan Grimes
.
The 4th North Carolina marched northward in Maryland
and later into Pennsylvania
, going as far north as Carlisle Barracks
, Pennsylvania
. On July 1 1863 the 4th North Carolina became engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg
, fighting at Oak Hill Battle of Gettysburg, First Day
. On the first day at Gettysburg, the regiment captured more Union prisoners than the regiment had men. “At Gettysburg he [Colonel Bryan Grimes] and his regiment were the first to enter the town, and they drove the enemy through Gettysburg to the heights beyond, capturing more prisoners than there were men in his command.”
The second day of Gettysburg was spent northwest of Cemetery Hill
.
Later in the war, the regiment fought during the Overland Campaign
and Siege of Petersburg
, and remained in the Army of Northern Virginia
until its surrender at Appomattox, Virginia
. At Spotsylvania, the Fourth North Carolina again killed more Federal soldiers in their front than there were men in the regiment. “On May 12, 1864, the enemy captured the Confederate breast works at the Horseshoe at Spotsylvania Court House, also many guns and two thousand of General Edward Johnson’s men. The gallant General [Stephen Dodson Ramseur] being wounded in attempting to retake the breastworks, Colonel [Bryan] Grimes on his own responsibility, ordered a second charge, himself leading it, and recovered the entire works and all the guns, capturing many prisoners and killing more of the enemy than the brigade numbered men. General Lee himself rode down and thank them, telling them they deserved the thanks of the country- they had saved the army.”
At Appomattox, Cox's Brigade fired the last shots from the Army of Northern Virginia.
National Park Service unit history. See: http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
. "The effectiveness, steadiness in combat and the aggressiveness of the men to the enemy by the men of the regiment was demonstrated again and again in the Army of Northern Virginia. They earned their nickname “The Bloody Fourth.”" Not to be confused with the "4th North Carolina Regiment
4th North Carolina Regiment
The 4th North Carolina Regiment was raised on January 16, 1776 at Wilmington, North Carolina for service with the Continental Army. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston. The regiment was captured by the British...
" of the American Revolution, or the "4th North Carolina Regiment" of the Spanish-American War.
The 4th North Carolina Regiment was a Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
regiment during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. 4th Infantry Regiment State Troops completed its organization in May, 1862, at Camp Hill, near Garysburg, North Carolina. It recruited its members in Iredell, Rowan, Wayne, Beaufort, Wilson, and Davie counties. Ordered to Virginia, the unit served in General Winfield S. Featherston
Winfield S. Featherston
Winfield Scott Featherston "Old Swet" was an antebellum two-term U.S. Representative from Mississippi and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was later a state politician and a circuit court judge.-Early life and career:Winfield S...
’s, George B. Anderson
George B. Anderson
George Burgwyn Anderson was a career military officer, serving first in the antebellum U.S. Army and then dying from wounds inflicted during the American Civil War while a general officer in the Confederate Army. He was among six generals killed or mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam in...
’s, Stephen D. Ramseur’s, and William R. Cox
William R. Cox
William Ruffin Cox was an American soldier and politician from the state of North Carolina. He was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives from 1881 to 1887, and Secretary of the United States...
’s Brigade. Its field officers were Colonels George B. Anderson, Bryan Grimes, Edwin A. Osborne, and James H. Wood; Lieutenant Colonels David M. Carter and John A. Young; and Majors Edward S. Marsh and Absalom K. Simonton. “The Fourth North Carolina Infantry participated in more than sixty various types engagements during its career.”
History
The 4th North Carolina regiment was raised in 1861 from central and western North Carolina, with George B. AndersonGeorge B. Anderson
George Burgwyn Anderson was a career military officer, serving first in the antebellum U.S. Army and then dying from wounds inflicted during the American Civil War while a general officer in the Confederate Army. He was among six generals killed or mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam in...
as its first colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
At the Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
the 4th NC regiment justly earned its sobriquet of the “Bloody Fourth.” The regiment was here commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Grimes, who led the charge, and was the only officer surviving the fight unwounded. The Fourth went into battle with 520 men and 25 officers- “the noble 545.” In carrying the works it lost 462 men and 24 officers killed and wounded; this was the bloodiest charge of the war. In this battle the color guard being killed, the intrepid and heroic John Stikeleather became color bearer, and proudly bore the banner to its surrender at Appomattox.
Anderson was mortally wounded at the Bloody Lane during the Battle of Sharpsburg (Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
) in 1862 and command of the unit passed to Lt. Col. Bryan Grimes
Bryan Grimes
Bryan Grimes was a North Carolina plantation owner and a general officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He fought in nearly all of the major battles of the Eastern Theater of that war....
.
The 4th North Carolina marched northward in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and later into Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, going as far north as Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. On July 1 1863 the 4th North Carolina became engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, fighting at Oak Hill Battle of Gettysburg, First Day
Battle of Gettysburg, First Day
The First Day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War took place on July 1, 1863, and began as an engagement between isolated units of the Army of Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of the Potomac under Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade...
. On the first day at Gettysburg, the regiment captured more Union prisoners than the regiment had men. “At Gettysburg he [Colonel Bryan Grimes] and his regiment were the first to enter the town, and they drove the enemy through Gettysburg to the heights beyond, capturing more prisoners than there were men in his command.”
The second day of Gettysburg was spent northwest of Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
.
Later in the war, the regiment fought during the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
and Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, and remained in the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
until its surrender at Appomattox, Virginia
Appomattox, Virginia
Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County.Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. At Spotsylvania, the Fourth North Carolina again killed more Federal soldiers in their front than there were men in the regiment. “On May 12, 1864, the enemy captured the Confederate breast works at the Horseshoe at Spotsylvania Court House, also many guns and two thousand of General Edward Johnson’s men. The gallant General [Stephen Dodson Ramseur] being wounded in attempting to retake the breastworks, Colonel [Bryan] Grimes on his own responsibility, ordered a second charge, himself leading it, and recovered the entire works and all the guns, capturing many prisoners and killing more of the enemy than the brigade numbered men. General Lee himself rode down and thank them, telling them they deserved the thanks of the country- they had saved the army.”
At Appomattox, Cox's Brigade fired the last shots from the Army of Northern Virginia.
External links
- 4th North Carolina reenacting group Founded in 1968, the present day 4th North Carolina Infantry is one of the oldest and most renounned reenactment units in the Middle Atlantic region. It is a 501(c) non-profit educational corporation in Maryland.
National Park Service unit history. See: http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/