Donald E. Hazelwood tells the story of Western North Carolina's 34th Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War.

The North Carolina 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 was sent to Virginia and placed in 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 and later participated in the Petersburg siege south of the James River and the operations around Appomattox.

The 21st North Carolina Troops (11th North Carolina Volunteers) was one of only two Tar Heel Confederate regiments that in 1865 could boast "From Manassas to Appomattox." The 21st was the only North Carolina regiment with Stonewall Jackson during his 1862 Valley Campaign and remained with the same division throughout the war. It participated in every major battle fought by the Army of Northern Virginia except the 1864 Overland Campaign, when General Lee sent it to fight its own intense battles near New Bern and Plymouth. This book is written from the perspective of the 1,942 men who served in the regiment and is filled with anecdotal material gleaned from more than 700 letters and memoirs. In several cases it sheds new light on accepted but often incorrect interpretations of events. Names such as Lee, Jackson, Hoke, Trimble, Hill, Early, Ramseur and Gordon charge through the pages as the Carolina regiment gains a name for itself. Suffering a 50 percent casualty rate over the four years, only 67 of the 920 young men and boys who began the war surrendered to Grant at its end.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, the men of the 30th North Carolina rushed to join the regiment, proclaiming, "we will whip the Yankees, or give them a right to a small part of our soil--say 2 feet by 6 feet." Once the Tar Heels experienced combat, their attitudes changed. One rifleman recorded: "We came to a Yankee field hospital ... we moved piles of arms, feet, hands." By 1865, the unit's survivors reflected on their experiences, wondering "when and if I return home--will I be able to fit in?" Drawing on letters, journals, memoirs and personnel records, this history follows the civilian-soldiers from their mustering-in to the war's final moments at Appomattox. The 30th North Carolina had the distinction of firing at Abraham Lincoln on July 12, 1864, as the president stood upon the ramparts of Ft. Stevens outside Washington, D.C., and firing the last regimental volley before the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

In April 1861, public opinion in North Carolina was divided between Union and secession supporters. It was only after President Lincoln issued his call to arms to subdue the rebel state of South Carolina that North Carolina seceded, primarily in protest of the order to fight her sister state. Beginning with a look at the prevailing atmosphere in North Carolina in the spring of 1861, this volume provides an in-depth history of one Confederate infantry regiment, the 28th North Carolina, comprised primarily of units from the central and southwestern parts of the state. The book discusses the various battles in which the 28th North Carolina was involved--Hanover Court House, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chapin's Farm and Appomattox. Special emphasis is placed on the thoughts and surviving accounts provided by the soldiers. Appendices contain (among other data) a chronology of the 28th North Carolina; a list of casualties among officers; a list of casualties in the 28th from 1862 through 1864; and the full text of letters from two members of the 28th, the Harding brothers.

This history of the 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War-- civilian soldiers and their families--follows the regiment from their 1861 mustering-in to their surrender at Appomattox, covering action at Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. Drawing on letters, journals, memoirs, official reports, personnel records and family histories, this intensely personal account features Tar Heels relating their experiences through over 1,500 quoted passages. Casualty lists give the names of those killed, wounded, captured in action and died of disease. Rosters list regimental officers and staff, enlistees for all 10 companies and the names of the 78 men who stacked arms on April 9, 1865.

The North Carolina 38th Infantry Regiment completed its organization in January, 1862, at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, North Carolina. Its members were recruited in the counties of Duplin, Yadkin, Sampson, Richmond, Catawba, Alexander, Randolph, Cleveland, and Cumberland. Ordered to Virginia, the unit was assigned to General Pender's and Scales' Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. It fought in many conflicts from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then took its place in the Petersburg trenches and saw action in the Appomattox Campaign. The regiment lost thirty-six percent of the 420 at Mechanicsville, had 2 killed and 22 wounded at Second Manassas, and had 14 wounded at Fredericksburg. Its casualties were 20 killed, 77 wounded, and 11 missing at Chancellorsville, and of the 216 engaged at Gettysburg, more than forty percent were disabled. On April 9, 1865, it surrendered with 21 officers and 110 men. Company A - "Spartan Band" - Duplin CountyCompany B - "Men of Yadkin" - Yadkin CountyCompany C - "Sampson Farmers" - Sampson CountyCompany D - "Sampson Ployboys" - Sampson CountyCompany E - "Richmond Boys" - Richmond CountyCompany F - "Sulphur Wild Cats" - Catawba CountyCompany G - "Rocky Face Rangers" - Alexander County Company H - "Uwharrie Boys" - Randolph CountyCompany I - "Cleveland Marksmen" - Cleveland County Company K - "Carolina Boys" - Cumberland County