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The 37th Regiment N.C. Troops was organized at Camp Fisher, near
High Point, where it was mustered into state service for twelve
months' active duty on November 20, 1861. Shortly thereafter the
regiment moved to Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, where it was
transferred to Confederate service effective January 1, 1862. The
regiment remained at Camp Mangum until January 10, when it was
ordered to New Bern. At that time the regiment was reported to be
"imperfectly" armed and "considerably reduced in effective men by
sickness, principally measles and mumps." (Official Records, Series
I, Vol. IV, p. 719.) At New Bern the regiment went into camp at Camp
Tadpole; on February 11 it moved to Camp Lee, below New Bern. On
March 13, 1862, an 11,000-man Federal amphibious force under General
Ambrose E. Burnside disembarked seventeen miles below New Bern at
Slocum's Creek on the Neuse River and, after advancing within six
miles of New Bern, encountered a defensive line manned by 4,000
Confederates under the command of General Lawrence O'B. Branch. On
the left, the line was anchored on the Neuse at Fort Thompson, a
thirteen-gun earthen installation; from there it extended westward
for approximately one mite to the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad
where, because of swampy terrain, it was recessed 150 yards at a
brickyard. From that point the line, composed of a series of
reddens, stretched westward behind a small stream called Bullen's
Branch. The brickyard "gap" was covered by a militia battalion,
armed with shotguns and hunting rifles that had been in service for
only two weeks. The 37th Regiment was the third of four regiments to
the right of the brick yard. On March 14 the Federals attacked,
quickly routed the militia, and broke through the Confederate line.
A Confederate counterattack stabilized the situation momentarily,
but a fresh Federal brigade was thrown into the fighting and Branch,
seeing his men about to be outflanked, ordered a retreat. The 37th
Regiment was divided into two five-company commands during the
battle and, although not heavily engaged, was nearly cut off by the
Federal breakthrough. After hastily burning its baggage, the
regiment fell back towards Kinston with the rest of Branch's men.
During the battle
the 37th Regiment lost 1 man killed, 3 wounded,
and 8 missing. The defeated Confederates regrouped at Kinston, where
the various regiments were brigaded on March 17. The 37th Regiment
was assigned to a newly organized brigade under the command of
General Branch; other units in the brigade were the 18th Regiment
N.C. Troops (8th Regiment N.C. Volunteers), 25th Regiment N.C.
Troops, 28th Regiment N.C. Troops, 33rd Regiment N.C. Troops, John
N. Whitford's foot artillery battalion, Alexander C. Latham's and
Samuel R- Bunting's batteries, and Peter G. Evans's cavalry unit.
The 23th Regiment was transferred shortly thereafter and the 7th
Regiment N.C. State Troops was assigned to the brigade in its place.
The brigade remained in the Kinston area for six weeks, during which
time the foot artillery and cavalry units attached to it were
reassigned. |
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The
37th Regiment was
sent to Camp Relief, eight miles from Kinston,
on March 24 but returned to Kinston on April 1. On April 16, 1862,
the regiment was reorganized to serve for three years or the
duration of the war (rather than for only twelve months). In early
May, 1862, the situation in Virginia, where Federal armies were
advancing in the Shenandoah Valley and on the peninsula between the
York and James Rivers, became so ominous that troops were
transferred there from North Carolina, and Branch's brigade was
ordered to the vicinity of Gordonsville. The brigade arrived at
Gordonsville on May 5 and remained there until May 16, when it was
ordered to the Shenandoah Valley. The men marched through Madison
Court House and had reached the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains when they received orders to return to Gordonsville. From
Gordonsville they were sent to Hanover Court House, fourteen miles
north of Richmond. There the brigade performed picket duty and
attempted to keep watch on both the right flank of General George B.
McClellan's Federal army near Richmond and another Federal force at
Fredericksburg. On May 26 Branch moved his brigade from Hanover
Court House to Slash Church, a position that was still between the
two Federal armies but which afforded a more direct route to Ashland
should Branch be forced to retire. On the morning of May 27 Branch
sent the 28th Regiment N.C. Troops forward to Taliaferro's Mill,
where a small Federal detachment was believed to be approaching. The
28th Regiment speedily found itself cut off from the remainder of
the brigade by a superior enemy force and succeeded in extricating
itself only after heavy fighting and the loss of about half of its
men. In what was in effect a separate battle, Branch's other
regiments fought well, although heavily outnumbered, and the
37th
Regiment suffered moderate casualties in an attack on an exposed
Federal flank. Branch then fell back to Ashland. During the Battle
of Hanover Court House (known also as Slash Church, Kinney's Farm,
and Taliaferro's Mill), the brigade lost 66 men killed and 177
wounded, exclusive of losses suffered by the 28th Regiment. |
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Early in June 1862, Branch's brigade moved to a point about three
miles north of Richmond and encamped on the Brook Turnpike. The
brigade remained there until it was ordered to the vicinity of Half
Sink, about eight miles north of Richmond, on June 25 in preparation
for an attack planned by General Robert E. Lee on the right wing of
McClellan's army, which had advanced to within less than seven miles
of Richmond. Generals D. H. Hill's and James Longstreet's divisions
were placed on the Mechanicsville Turnpike, and General A. P. Hill's
division, of which Branch's brigade was a part, was positioned to
the northwest on the Meadow Bridge Road. Branch's men were on the
left of A. P. Hill's line, and General T. J. Jackson's men were
moving up on Branch's left. Lee's plan called for A. P. Hill to
advance on Mechanicsville on the morning of June 26 while Jackson
moved forward on Hill's left. Once A. P. Hill's troops had cleared
Meadow Bridge and the Mechanicsville Turnpike, D. H. Hill and
Longstreet would cross the bridge to support Jackson and A. P. Hill
respectively. Lee's plan to roll up the right wing of the Federal
army failed on June 26 because Jackson did not reach his assigned
position on time. A. P. Hill launched his scheduled attack without
Jackson's support and cleared the bridge on the Mechanicsville
Turnpike, enabling D. H. Hill's and Longstreet's divisions to cross
the river to support A. P. Hill's attack. The Federal right wing,
under pressure, held until nightfall and then fell back during the
night to a defensive position at Cold Harbor, near Gaines' Mill.
During the battle of June 26 the
37th Regiment was subjected to
heavy artillery fire "which wounded severely several men and two
officers." (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XI, pt. 2, P. 896)
Early on the morning of June 27 the divisions of A. P. Hill and Longstreet moved against the center of the new enemy position while
Jackson and D. H. Hill advanced against the Federal right. A. P.
Hill's division was in the lead, and the 37th Regiment became
involved in heavy fighting late that afternoon. Lieutenant Colonel
William M. Barbour reported the regiment's part in the Battle of
Gaines' Mill as follows (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XI, pt. 2,
p. 896): |
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On the evening of the 27th we reached Cold Harbor, and my command
was ordered into action. Not knowing the position of the enemy, we
moved up the road some 200 yards, when the enemy opened a deadly
fire upon us, killing several and wounding a large number. The swamp
and thick undergrowth rendered it very difficult to form the
regiment in line of battle, which, together with the destructive
fire of the enemy, threw it into considerable confusion, thereby
rendering it inefficient for a short time until order could be
restored. It behaved during the rest of the engagement very well.
The Federal line was
finally broken, but darkness and fatigue prevented pursuit. The next
day, June 28, was spent in bivouac on the battlefield. After
recrossing the Chickahominy River, Lee launched an attack on June 30
against the retreating Federals, who were protected in part by the
"desolate mire" of White Oak Swamp. The Confederate assault, made
late in the afternoon, achieved a measure of success after hard
fighting, but Lee again was unable to exploit his advantage.
Colonel
Charles C. Lee of the 37th NC Regiment was killed during the battle,
and the regiment appears to have suffered moderate casualties. The
next day, July 1, Lee attacked the Federals again at Malvern Hill, a
formidable defensive position to which they had withdrawn the
previous night. Severe casualties were suffered by units of D. H.
Hill's, Benjamin Huger's, and John Magruder's divisions in frontal
assaults against entrenched Federal artillery and infantry, but the
37th Regiment and Branch's brigade were not directly involved in the
fighting and their losses were minor. Darkness brought an end to the
contest and to the Battle of the Seven Days, during which the
Confederate capital was saved from capture and the Federal army of
General George B. McClellan was driven back to its base at
Harrison's Landing on the James River. On July 8 Lee withdrew the
Army of Northern Virginia to the vicinity of Richmond. During the
campaign, the 37th Regiment lost 11 men killed, 114 wounded, and 13
missing. While at Richmond, Lee reorganized his army into two
"Commands" under Longstreet and Jackson. A P. Hill's division, of
which Branch's brigade was still a part, was assigned to Jackson's
command. On July 13 Jackson was ordered to move with two of his
divisions, under Charies S. Winder and Richard S. Ewell, to
Gordonsville to intercept an advancing Federal army, commanded by
General John Pope. A. P. Hill's division was ordered to join Jackson
on July 27. While the remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia
continued to keep watch on McClellan at Harrison's Landing, Jackson
took the offensive against Pope. At Cedar Mountain, on August 9,
Jackson attempted to destroy an isolated corps of Pope's army and
was on the verge of defeat when Hill's division arrived to deliver a
devastating counterattack. The victory, in which Branch's brigade
played a key role, was remembered fondly by the men of the 37th
Regiment for a "brilliant and gallant" cavalry charge made by the
enemy. (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 655): |
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The 37th North
Carolina Infantry Regiment, with the whole brigade, reserved its fire until
the column came in point-blank range, when it poured a withering
volley into it, sending it back in "confusion worse confounded."
This cavalry charge was never forgotten by the regiment; it always
expressed the desire to receive a similar one. During the battle the
regiment lost two men killed and thirteen wounded. Jackson's men
remained on the battlefield until the night of August 11, when they
were withdrawn to the vicinity of Gordonsville. The Federals then
began to reinforce Pope, and Lee countered by sending troops from
Richmond to the support of Jackson after McClellan began withdrawing
from Harrison's Landing. On August 25, Jackson began a maneuver to
flank Pope's army, which was in position on the north side of the
Rappahannock River---and get astride its line of communications, the
Orange & Alexandria Railroad. On August 26 Jackson succeeded in
reaching Manassas Junction, a major Federal supply depot. After
destroying the supplies and facilities at Manassas Junction, Jackson
withdrew his force five miles northwest to Groveton and assumed a
defensive position. Branch's brigade was placed on the left of the
Confederate line along an unfinished branch of the Manassas Gap
Railroad. Pope, the recipient of a continual stream of
reinforcements from McClellan, then launched a piecemeal attack
against Jackson, who was outnumbered by a margin of better than
three to one. While Pope attempted to come to grips with the elusive
Jackson, Lee hurried Longstreet's command to Jackson’s support.
Fierce fighting, during which
Jackson’s men managed to hold their own, broke out at Groveton in
the late afternoon of August 28, 1862. The next day Pope launched a
series of uncoordinated and ill-conceived frontal attacks that
failed to dislodge the stubborn Jackson from his position. Branch’s
brigade was involved in severe fighting along the
railroad cut, and
the 37th Regiment distinguished itself both by holding its ground in
spite of being almost out of ammunition and by helping to fend off
three separate Federal attacks. At about 11:00 A.M. Longstreet's
corps arrived on the field and went into position on Jackson’s
right. The Confederate line, although sometimes hard-pressed, held
against piecemeal Federal assaults until sunset, when the fighting
ceased. The next day, August 30, a new attack on Jackson was
contained with the help of Longstreet's massed artillery; Longstreet
then took the offensive and succeeded in enveloping the left flank
of Pope's army,. Fierce fighting continued until nightfall as Pope's
army retreated toward the Washington defenses. The 37th Regiment, in
addition to being involved in severe fighting on August 29, was
subjected to artillery fire on August 28 and 30. During the
three-day Battle of Second Manassas the regiment lost nine men
killed and seventy-two wounded. |
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As the Federal army, retired toward Washington, Lee ordered Jackson
to attempt to turn the Federal right flank. Advance elements of
Jackson's column encountered the enemy at Ox Hill late on the
afternoon of September 1, and Branch's brigade was ordered forward
to the attack. During a blinding rainstorm the brigade advanced. A
general battle developed between Jackson's column and the Federal
rear guard, but the latter held its position until nightfall and
then retired under cover of darkness. During the Battle of Ox Hill
the 37th Regiment lost five men killed and eighteen wounded
Lee
abandoned any further attempts to cut off the retreating Federals
and turned his army north to cross into Maryland. After moving
through Leesburg, Branch's brigade crossed the Potomac River on or
about September 5. On September 9 Lee issued orders for the movement
of the army during the campaign and for the capture of Harpers
Ferry, whose garrison threatened the Confederate rear. Jackson’s
command, of which Branch's brigade of A. P. Hill's Division was still
a part, was ordered to invest Harpers Ferry from the west. General
Lafayette McLaws's division, reinforced by General Richard H.
Anderson's division, was instructed to occupy Maryland Heights
across the Potomac from Harpers Ferry, and General John G. Walker's
division was ordered to occupy Loudoun Heights southeast of the
town. The Harpers Ferry strike force was to rejoin Lee as soon as
the town and its garrison had been secured. In the meantime,
Longstreet's command was to advance in the direction of Hagerstown.
Jackson moved forward on September 10, crossed the Potomac near
Williamsport the next day, and sent
A. P. Hill's division against a
Federal force at Martinsburg. The enemy retired as Hill entered
Martinsburg on September 12. On September 13 Hill's men came in
sight of Bolivar Heights, west of Harpers Ferry, where the badly
outnumbered Federal defenders were strongly entrenched. By September
14 McLaws's and Walker's divisions were in position, and the
investment of Harpers Ferry was completed. On September 15,
following a Confederate bombardment, the Federal garrison
surrendered. While Jackson
was occupied at Harpers Ferry, Longstreet had been forced to
withdraw from Hagerstown to defend the South Mountain gaps, where
some of his units took a severe pounding on September 14 against the
advancing army of McClellan. Lee then issued orders for his divided
and outnumbered army to concentrate at Sharpsburg, and Jackson,
after leaving A. P. Hill's division to accept the surrender of the
Harpers Ferry garrison, rejoined Lee and Longstreet there about noon
on September 16. In the meantime, McClellan was ponderously
maneuvering the Army of the Potomac into position to attack Lee at
Sharpsburg, where fierce fighting broke out about sunrise on
September 17. Hill's division left Harpers Ferry at 7:30 A.M. on
September 17 and was on the march to Sharpsburg while the battle
there was raging. A powerful attack on the right of Lee's position
that afternoon was blunted by the timely arrival of Hill's men, and
the Confederate line, although severely crippled, held during the
terrible day-long fight. Among the casualties was General Branch,
who was killed. The 37th Regiment fought most of the battle from
behind the protection of a stone wall and lost only four men
wounded. The following day the Army of Northern Virginia rested on
the field until nightfall, when it retired across the Potomac.
Branch's brigade, under the command of Colonel James H. Lane of the
28th Regiment N.C. Troops, was one of three brigades that formed the
rear guard while the army crossed. |
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On the morning of September 20 the brigade, with the rest of Hill's
division, marched to a ford of the Potomac near Shepherdstown and
assisted in driving two Federal divisions back across the river.
During the battle, Hill's division was subjected to heavy artillery
fire, and the 37th Regiment lost four men wounded. The regiment then
took part in the destruction of a portion of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad, after which it went into camp near Bunker Hill with the
rest of the army. The Army of Northern Virginia remained in the
Shenandoah Valley until the Army of the Potomac began crossing the
Blue Ridge Mountains on October 26 , 1862. On October 28 Lee ordered Longstreet's command to move east of the mountains and Jackson's
command, of which Hill's division was still a part, to move closer
to Winchester. (On November 1 Colonel Lane was promoted to brigadier
general and assigned to command the brigade formerly commanded by
Branch. When it became apparent that the Federal army, under General
Ambrose E. Burnside, was concentrating on the Rappahannock River
opposite Fredericksburg, Lee ordered Longstreet to occupy the
heights overlooking the town while Jackson's men went into position
on Longstreet's right and downstream at Skinker's Neck and Port
Royal. About 2:00 A.M. on December 11, the Federals began
constructing bridges across the river at Fredericksburg, and Lee
ordered Jackson to concentrate his divided command on Longstreet's
right. On the night of December 12 the enemy began crossing the
river. Lane's brigade was in the left center of Jackson's position
and posted along the tracks of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, &
Potomac Railroad in a woods that projected into open ground in front
of the main Confederate line. To Lane's right was an undefended
marshy area that created a small gap between his troops and those of
General James J. Archer.
The 37th Regiment was on Lane's extreme
right, with its right flank resting on the marsh. When Burnside
attacked on December 13 the most severe fighting occurred on Longstreet's front, but Jackson’s men, including Lane's brigade,
were hotly engaged during the early stages of the battle. After
putting up a brave resistance, Lane's troops were flanked via the
marsh and driven from their exposed position with heavy casualties.
The brigade reoccupied its position later in the day with the
assistance of the reserves and was not seriously engaged thereafter.
Following a day of quiet during which both sides strengthened their
positions and collected their dead, the Federals withdrew across the
river on the night of December 14. During the Battle of
Fredericksburg, the 37th Regiment lost seventeen men killed and
seventy-six wounded. Lane's brigade then went into winter quarters
at Moss Neck, below Fredericksburg, where it remained on picket duty
until April 30, 1863. |
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Early on the morning of April 28, 1863, the Army of the Potomac,
then commanded by General Joseph Hooker, began crossing the
Rappahannock River in the Wilderness area upstream from
Fredericksburg. At the same time, a large Federal force at
Fredericksburg under General John Sedgwick began to make apparent
preparations for a crossing. Lee, concluding that the Federal
activity at Fredericksburg was a feint, began moving the bulk of his
army to oppose Hooker. A small force under General Jubal Early was
left behind at Fredericksburg to prevent a crossing by Sedgwick.
Jackson’s corps, with A. P. Hill's division in the rear, moved down
the Orange Plank Road in the direction of Chancellorsville on May 1,
and at a point about three miles from that place, found the enemy.
Advancing in two columns, The Confederates drove the Federals back
to their defensive positions around Chancellorsville. Lane's brigade
was not engaged in the fighting on May 1 but was formed in line of
battle near Chancellorsville late that evening. Early on the morning
of May 2 Jackson’s corps was dispatched by Lee to turn the exposed
right flank of the Federal army. After hard marching, Jackson
succeeded in reaching a point about four miles west of
Chancellorsville on Hooker's flank. As his troops came up, Jackson
deployed them in three lines for the attack. Hill's division was
placed in the third line. Lane's brigade was in column on the Orange
Turnpike and was ordered to move forward by the flank, eastward on
the turnpike, as the lines advanced. The attack began about 5:15
P.M., and the Federal troops, caught by surprise, fell back in
disorder towards Chancellorsville. The first two Confederate lines
merged and drove the enemy until strong resistance forced a halt for
the night. The third line was exposed to artillery fire as it
advanced and, after the attack stalled, it moved to the front and
became the first line. On the morning of May 3 the Confederate
advance resumed. Lane's brigade was subjected to murderous artillery
fire, had its right flank turned, and was forced to withdraw with
heavy casualties. Colonel Barbour reported the 37th Regiment's part
in the battle during the evening of May 2 and on May 3 as follows
(Official Records, Series I, Vol. XXV, pt. 1, pp. 923-924): |
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After a rapid march, we gained the enemies right flank on Saturday
evening [May 2], and a running fight ensued between the advanced
troops of our army and those of the enemy. Moving rapidly by the
right flank, we soon gained a point near Chancellorsville, where the
enemy had several batteries in position, which did us considerable
injury that evening. After sunset, my regiment was deployed to the
right of the road, behind a small breastwork which the enemy had
abandoned. Skirmishers were thrown forward, and my regiment rested
for the night. Early next morning, I received orders to advance in
line of battle and assail the enemy's works in my front, my left
resting on the road. I immediately put my regiment in motion, and
advanced steadily under a murderous fire of grape, shell, and Minie
balls. After a desperate struggle, I succeeded in carrying the
breastworks in front and in capturing a number of prisoners. About
this time I received a wound in my right arm, which compelled me to
leave the field. I am informed by my senior captain, commanding the
regiment, that the regiment continued to advance upon the enemy's
second line of entrenchments, but, in common with the whole brigade,
was compelled to retire by an enfilade fire from the enemy's
artillery and infantry.
The Confederates occupied Chancellorsville on May 3 after severe
fighting and, following inconclusive fighting on May 4 a badly
beaten Hooker withdrew--over the objections of several of his
feistier lieutenants--across the Rappahannock. Lee then moved his
army back to Fredericksburg, and Lane's brigade returned to its camp
near Moss Neck on May 7.
During the Battle of Chancellorsville the
37th Regiment, according to one historian of that unit, "was more
exposed to the enemy's artillery than any other regiment in the
entire corps [Jackson's], and its loss far greater than that of any
other." (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 660.) The regiment's
casualties were indeed severe: 34 men were killed and 193 wounded.
The regiment's strength was further reduced when thirty-two members
of Company A deserted on May 19. Most of those men returned to duty
in the autumn of 1863. Following the Chancellorsville campaign and
the death of Jackson, the Army of Northern Virginia was reorganized
into three corps under Generals James Longstreet (lst Corps),
Richard S. Ewell (2nd Corps), and A. P. Hill (3rd Corps). General
William D. Pender was promoted to the command of Hill's former
division, and Lane's brigade was placed under Pender. Thus the 37th
Regiment was a part of Lane's brigade of Pender's division of Hill's
corps. |
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On June 3, 1863, General Lee put his army in motion toward the
Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North and a
campaign that would end at Gettysburg. General Ewell's corps moved
first and was followed by Longstreet's corps. Hill 's corps remained
temporarily at Fredericksburg to watch the Federal forces opposite
the town. On June 13, Ewell's corps defeated an enemy force at
Winchester, and Longstreet's corps occupied Culpeper Court House.
The Federals evacuated their Fredericksburg position the same day,
and Hill's corps was ordered to move north. Ewell's corps crossed
the Potomac River into Maryland on June 16 and was followed by
Hill's corps, which began fording the river at Shepherdstown, West
Virginia, on June 24. On the afternoon of June 27 Hill's corps
arrived at Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. Longstreet's corps was at
Chambersburg, just west of Fayetteville, that day, and Ewell's corps
was advancing on Carlisle, about thirty miles to the northeast.
Hill's corps was ordered to Cashtown, about twelve miles southeast
of Fayetteville, on June 29, and Longstreet was directed to follow
on June 30. Ewell's corps was directed to rejoin the army at
Cashtown or Gettysburg, as developments the next day dictated.
During the evening of June 30 General Hill arrived at Cashtown with
Pender's division and decided to advance on Gettysburg, about seven
miles to the southeast, with Pender's and General Henry Heth's
divisions the next morning. At daylight on July 1 the two divisions,
with Heth's men in the lead, moved towards Gettysburg. Federal
cavalry delayed the advance, and when Federal infantry were
encountered in strength near Gettysburg a general battle developed.
An initial attack by Heth on the Federal position on McPherson's
Ridge was smashed with heavy casualties to two of Heth's brigades.
Pender's men then joined the fighting and, when Ewell's corps began
arriving, the Federals, their right flank endangered, grudgingly
began to yield. After hard fighting, the enemy was driven by Ewell's
men through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill south of the
town. Hill's men occupied the northern end of Seminary Ridge, and
Longstreet's corps, coming up on Hill's right, took up position
along the remainder of the three-mile-long ridge. On July 2
Longstreet's corps assaulted the Federal left in the vicinity of the
Devil's Den and Little Round Top while Ewell's corps attacked the
Federal right at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Both of those poorly
coordinated and costly attacks failed, after some initial success,
to dislodge the enemy. Along the center of the Confederate line
Hill's men were involved in skirmishing and subjected to artillery
fire. Among the casualties was General Pender, who was mortally
wounded. He was temporarily, replaced by General Lane, who was in
turn succeeded by General Isaac Trimble the next day. Lane then
returned to the command of his brigade. On July 3 Lee launched an
attack against the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge. The assault
force consisted of Heth's division (commanded by General James J.
Pettigrew after Heth was wounded on July 1) on the left, supported
by two brigades (Lane's and Alfred M. Scales's) of Pender's
(Trimble's) division in a second line. The right wing of the attack
force was composed of George E. Pickett's division, with C. M.
Wilcox's brigade in support. Second Lieutenant O. A. Wiggins of
Company E, 37th Regiment, reported his regiment's part in the attack
as follows (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 661): On the morning of
the 3d, Lane's and Scales' North Carolina brigades were sent, under
command of Major-General Trimble, to the right to reinforce
Longstreet. After getting in our position our new commander
[Trimble] rode down the line and halted at different regiments and
made us little speeches-- saying he was a stranger to us and had
been sent to command us in the absence of our wounded general, and
would lead us upon Cemetery Hill [Ridge at 3 o'clock. About I
o'clock P. M.., the report of a cannon to the far right was heard
and was quickly answered by one ... far away to the left; these were
signal guns which announced the opening of one of the severest
artillery duels the world has ever known. The earth fairly shook for
two hours, then the firing ceased almost as suddenly as it had
commenced and the infantry moved forward. It was a grand sight, as
far as the eye could see to the right and to the left two lines of
Confederate soldiers with waving banners pressing on into the very
jaws of death.... In a few minutes after the start we [the regiments
of Lane's brigade] were oblique rapidly to the left to take the
place of [Colonel John M.] Brockenborough's [Brockenbrough's]
Brigade, which had broken. Over the [Emmettsburg] road we went and
rushed for the stone wall, the line all the while seemed to be
melting away. When the order came to retire, those who were spared
did so in perfect order-never anything like a panic, as some people
think-and halted at the position from which we had started. Our loss
was severe.... Following the failure of the Pickett-Pettigrew Charge
on July 3, Lee held his army in position on July 4 to receive an
expected but unforthcoming attack from the Federals. On the night of
July 4, in a driving rain, the weary and bloodied Army of Northern
Virginia began its retreat. Pender's (Trimble's) division, once more
under the command of Lane after Trimble had been wounded and
captured on July 3, fell back toward Hagerstown by way of Fairfield.
At Hagerstown, on July 11, the brigade formed a line of battle as
Lee's army assumed a defensive position. The next day Pender's
(Lane's) division was consolidated with the division of General
Heth, who had returned to duty, and Lane returned to the command of
his brigade. When the army began recrossing the Potomac near Falling
Waters, Maryland, on the night of July 13-14, Heth's men served as
the rear guard. Although most of the crossing had been completed
before it was detected by the Federals, Lane's skillful
fighting-withdrawal was instrumental in the escape of hundreds of
Confederate soldiers.
The 37th Regiment was among the last units
to
cross the pontoon bridge. When the army began recrossing the Potomac
near Falling Waters, Maryland, on the night of July 13-14, Heth's
men served as the rear guard. Although most of the crossing had been
completed before it was detected by the Federals, Lane's skillful
fighting-withdrawal was instrumental in the escape of hundreds of
Confederate soldiers. The 37th Regiment was among the last units to
cross the pontoon bridge. |
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The army retreated to the vicinity of Bunker Hill and Barnesville,
where it halted. During the Gettysburg campaign, including the
Battle of Falling Waters, the 37th Regiment
lost ten men killed and
seventy-eight wounded. In a report filed at about that time, Colonel
Barbour reported that, since the beginning of the war, the
37th
Regiment had lost 150 men who were killed or mortally wounded and
302 who died of disease. In addition, 332 men had been wounded but
had recovered. Among the officers, fourteen had been killed or
mortally wounded and ten permanently disabled. Only six officers in
the entire regiment had not been wounded, and "a large number" of
both officers and men had been wounded several times. Colonel
Barbour reported that 442 officers and men were present for duty.
(Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, pp. 662-663.) When the Federal army
crossed into Virginia in mid July, Lee moved his army east of the
Blue Ridge Mountains to interpose it between the enemy and Richmond.
By August 4, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia occupied the Rapidan River line and the Army of the Potomac had taken position on
the Rappahannock. At about that time General C. M. Wilcox was
promoted and placed in command of the division of General Pender,
who died on July 18 of wounds received at Gettysburg. Thus the 37th
Regiment was a part of Lane's brigade of Wilcox's division of Hill's
corps. In October 1863, Lee learned that sizable reinforcements had
been sent from the Army of the Potomac to strengthen the forces of
General William S. Rosecrans near Chattanooga. He therefore took the
offensive against the weakened Army of the Potomac, which began to
retreat. As the enemy rear guard was passing through Bristol Station
on October 14, Heth's division of Hill's corps came onto the field.
Without waiting to reconnoiter or for the remainder of his corps to
come up, Hill ordered an attack against what quickly proved to be a
greatly superior enemy force. Heavy casualties were sustained by two
brigades of Heth's division, after which the Federals continued
their withdrawal unmolested. Wilcox's division was formed in line of
battle during the fighting at Bristol Station but did not advance.
Lee then retired to the Rappahannock, and after battles at
Rappahannock Bridge and Kelly's Ford on November 7, fell back to the
Rapidan. On November 26 the Federal commander, General George G.
Meade, began moving his army to cross the Rapidan below Lee's
position, and Lee shifted his forces eastward to intercept the
Federals. By November 29 Lee's men were strongly entrenched at Mine
Run, and Meade, unable to locate a vulnerable point against which to
launch an attack, also began entrenching. On the morning of December
2 Lee sent an attack force composed of Wilcox's and Richard H.
Anderson's divisions against what he believed to be an exposed
Federal flank. However, when the Confederates moved out, they
discovered that the Federal army had retreated. A pursuit was
undertaken, but Meade recrossed the Rapidan safely. Both armies then
went into winter quarters. Lane's brigade returned to a camp it had
established earlier at Liberty Mills, on the Rapidan. There it spent
the winter of 1863-1864. |
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The brigade was still in camp at Liberty Mills on the morning of May
4, 1864, when the Army of the Potomac, under the strategic direction
of General U. S. Grant, began crossing the lower Rapidan and entered
a thicket and vine-choked woods of dense scrub oak and pine known as
the Wilderness. When the news of Grant's crossing was received, Lee
ordered Hill's corps to move eastward from Orange Court House by the
Orange Plank Road while Ewell's corps, south of Morton's Ford, moved
in a parallel direction on Hill's left on the Orange Turnpike.
Longstreet's corps, near Gordonsville, was instructed to move up on
Hill's right on the Catharpin road. On the morning of May 5, Hill's
column with Heth's division in the lead, came upon Federal cavalry
near Parker's Store and succeeded in forcing the enemy back.
Immediately north of Hill, on the Orange Turnpike, Ewell encountered
the enemy in corps strength. Hill ordered Heth's division to deploy
in line of battle across the Orange Plank Road and directed Wilcox
to lead his division off to the left and make contact with Ewell's
right. Wilcox posted Alfred M. Scales's and Samuel McGowan's
brigades on a low eminence known as Chewing Plateau and moved his
other two brigades, under Lane and Edward L. Thomas, further to the
left to link up with Ewell. At 4:00 P.M. on May 5 elements of the
Federal II Corps assaulted Heth's line in such strength that Heth
was forced to commit his reserve brigade and call for
reinforcements. Scales's and McGowan's brigades were ordered to
Heth's assistance and were followed shortly by the brigades of Lane
(with the exception of the 37th Regiment) and Thomas. After severe
fighting, the outnumbered defenders were able to stabilize their
precarious position.
During the battle the 37th Regiment, in
position on the Orange Plank Road, "lay still, watched and listened
to the heaviest musketry it had ever heard; as Wilcox went in the
whole Wilderness roared like fire in a canebrake." (Clark's
Regiments, vol. II, p. 665.) At nightfall the regiment rejoined Lane
s brigade, which was placed in reserve behind Scales's brigade to
the right of the Orange Plank Road. At 5:00 A.M. the next morning,
May 6, Federal columns struck Hill's line in the center and left
flank. Thirteen Federal brigades fell upon Hill's eight brigades
with such suddenness and violence that there was scarcely time for
resistance, and the entire Confederate line fell back in disorder.
The second line was unable to hold also, and a general rout
followed. Only the arrival of Longstreet's corps, moving up at the
double-quick to reinforce Hill. prevented the collapse of the right
wing of Lee's army. The Federal assault was blunted and driven back,
and Hill's men, after re-forming behind Longstreet, were dispatched
to the vicinity of Chewing Plateau to close a gap between Longstreet
and Ewell. Late on the evening of May 7 it became apparent that
Grant's army was on the march southeastward to Spotsylvania Court
House, and throughout the night Lee's men pushed in the same
direction in a race with the Federals to that important crossroad.
The race was narrowly won by the Confederates on the morning of May
8, and a strong defensive line was quickly constructed. Hill's
corps, under temporary command of General Jubal Early, was
positioned on the right of the line. Ewell's corps was in the center
in a U-shaped, convex salient known as the "Mule Shoe"; and
Longstreet's corps, under temporary command of General Richard H.
Anderson, was on the left. Lane's brigade was on the left of Hill's
(Early's) line and in contact with Ewell's right. Ewell's "Mule
Shoe" position came under abrupt, violent attack on the morning of
May 12, and, while the Confederate defenders, aided by
reinforcements, held back the Federals in a desperate melee, a new
line was constructed across the base of the salient. During the
night the original line was abandoned, and the Federal attacks
ceased. Lane's brigade was actively engaged throughout the bloody
battle and played a major role in stemming the Federal assault.
The
37th Regiment, in what General Lane described as "one of the
grandest sights I ever saw," charged and overran a six-gun Federal
battery. (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 668.) In a clubbed
muskets-and bayonets free-for-all with the enemy, the regiment
captured two stands of colors. For those accomplishments it paid
dearly, losing 22 men killed, 33 wounded, and 40 missing. After
several more unsuccessful attempts against the Confederate line at
Spotsylvania Court House, Grant began moving eastward. Lee then
shifted his army, to the North Anna River at a point just north of
Hanover Junction, where he blocked the Federal route of advance. At
Jericho Mills on May 23, Wilcox's division was engaged with the
Federal V Corps, under General G. K. Warren, as it crossed the North
Anna.
During the battle the 37th Regiment lost 1 man killed, 21
wounded, and 2 missing. The center of Lee's line was then anchored
on the North Anna with the flanks drawn back so that the line formed
an inverted V. Grant crossed additional forces on May 24 and moved
against both wings of the Confederate army; however, he was unable
to push back the Confederate center. With his army dangerously
divided into three parts and separated by the river, Grant found it
expedient to withdraw, and during the night of May 26-27 the
Federals recrossed the North Anna and moved southeastward to the
Pamunkey. |
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Lee began shifting his army southward as soon as it was learned that
Grant was again on the march, and on May 27 Ewell's corps,
temporarily commanded by General Jubal Early, marched some
twenty-four miles and entrenched between Beaver Dam Creek and Pole
Green Church. Longstreet's (Anderson's) corps came up on Early's
right, and Hill's corps extended the left of Early's line. On May
30, under orders from Lee, Early moved to attack the Federal left at
Bethesda Church. The attack failed to turn the Federal left but
revealed that the enemy was moving once again to the Confederate
right. The two armies began concentrating at Cold Harbor, where new
fighting broke out on June 1. The next day two of Hill's divisions,
commanded by Wilcox and General William Mahone, were ordered to
leave their positions on the left of the Confederate line and go to
the support of Anderson, on the right. After taking part with two of
his brigades in a successful attack on Turkey Hill, Wilcox was
ordered to extend the Confederate line to within a half mile of the
Chickahominy River. On June 3 Grant launched a massive and
murderously unsuccessful general assault against the six-mile-long
Confederate position. Only Wilcox's division, on the right extremity
of the line, was not engaged in the battle. The two armies settled
into defensive positions, where they remained until Grant began
moving south toward the James River on June 12. Lee followed on June
13 and made contact with the enemy at Riddell's Shop the same day. A
defensive line was established, but no general engagement followed.
Grant then crossed the James and moved against Petersburg. Hill's
corps remained north of the James until ordered to move to
Petersburg, where it arrived on June 18 and went into position near
Globe Tavern, on the extreme right of the Confederate defensive
system. On June 22 Lane's brigade took part in a successful
engagement on the Jerusalem Plank Road that drove the Federals back
in confusion and prevented them from gaining a lodgment on the vital
Petersburg & Weldon Railroad. On June 25 Lane's and McGowan's
brigades of Wilcox's division were sent back north of the James to
relieve two brigades of Heth's division, and the 37th Regiment was
engaged at Gravel Hill on July 28. On August 16 the entire brigade
was involved in fighting at Fussell's Mill, where the Federals made
an abortive attempt to break through the Confederate defenses. Soon
afterwards Wilcox's men were transferred south of the James to their
original positioned Globe Tavern. At Reams' Station, on August 25,
an assault by two brigades of Wilcox's division was repulsed, but a
stronger attack, in which Lane's brigade played a prominent part,
drove the Federals back in great disorder. Some 2,000 men and nine
cannon were captured. The 37th NC Regiment did not see action again
until September 30 at Jones' Farm, southwest of Petersburg, when
Grant, by then firmly established on the Petersburg & Weldon
Railroad at Globe Tavern, made a successful effort to extend his
lines still farther to the west. After dark the regiment retired to
entrenchments near Jones' Farm, where it went into winter quarters
in mid-November. |
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On December 8 Lane's brigade, with the remainder of Hill's corps,
was ordered to Belfield to oppose a Federal effort to cut the
Petersburg & Weldon Railroad well to the south of Petersburg. The
Confederates, many of whom were barefoot, marched through sleet and
snow to a point a few miles from Belfield before learning that the
Federals had retired. Hill then attempted to cut off the enemy's
retreat and intercepted the Federal cavalry at Jarratt's Station.
Following a brief skirmish the Confederates pushed on, only to find
that the Federal infantry was three hours ahead of them and could
not be overtaken. Hill then called off the pursuit. After
bivouacking for the night, Hill started back to his camp at
Hatcher's Run, which he reached on the afternoon of December 13.
The
37th Regiment saw no further action for the remainder of the year.
Early in February 1863, Grant ordered a move on the left of his line
to secure a position on the Boynton Plank Road at Hatcher's Run.
Hill's troops were engaged on February 5 but were unsuccessful in
preventing the Federal advance. Wilcox's division was then moved
further to the right as the already overextended Confederates
lengthened their line to cover the latest Federal extension. (At
about that time the strength of the 37th Regiment was reported as
approximately 375 men present for duty with approximately 100 more
on furlough.) On March 26 General Phil Sheridan's powerful cavalry
command, under orders from Grant, moved to the left of Grant's line
and crossed the James River. That movement, which threatened to
unhinge the right flank of the Richmond-Petersburg defense system,
was thwarted temporarily on March 31 when a Confederate force under
General George E. Pickett drove back Sheridan's cavalry from
Dinwiddie Court House. Pickett then retired to Five Forks, where a
defensive position was established to anchor the extreme right of
Lee's line. On April 1, Federal infantry and cavalry surprised
Pickett at Five Forks and drove a wedge between his force and the
Confederate line at Hatcher's Run. Pickett's men were then
overpowered and driven from the field with heavy casualties, and an
avenue of advance was opened to the flank and rear of the Petersburg
defenses. On April 2 the Federals launched a general attack against
the Confederate fortifications, broke through, and swept down the
trenches. General Lane's brigade, whose numbers were so depleted
that the men were spaced six to ten paces apart along the line,
rallied repeatedly but was driven from a succession of positions
before helping to bring the assault to a temporary halt at Battery
Gregg. There the Confederates were attacked by "an immense force"
and, after a "gallant and desperate defense" during which they
"bayoneted many of the enemy as they mounted the parapet," the
battery fell. (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XLVI, p. 1285.)
Lane's brigade took part in the evacuation of Petersburg on April 3,
crossed the Appomattox River at Goode's Bridge the next day, and
bivouacked at Amelia Court House on April 4. The brigade skirmished
with the enemy between Amelia Court House and Jetersville on April 5
and suffered additional casualties while re-crossing the Appomattox
under Federal artillery fire near Farmville on or about April 7. On
April 9,"while forming line of battle, the regiment was] ordered
back and directed to stack . . . arms, as the Army of Northern
Virginia had been surrendered." (Official Records, Series I, Vol.
XLVI, p. 1286.) When the army was paroled on April 12, 108 members
of the
37th Regiment N.C. Troops were present. |
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