26th North Carolina Infantry

Tom Reagan

Private
Joined
Jun 27, 2017
Location
Caldwell County, NC/Chesapeake, VA
Foreword: I have seen many mentions of the 26th NC here on the site, and several threads about their actions (26th NC at the Angle, 26th NC Monument, ect.) but had yet to see a thread devoted to the 26th in its entirety. So I decided to put together a thread on the regiment so that everything pertaining to it can all be found in one place. Anyone is welcome to contribute.
Special thanks goes to @east tennessee roots, who encouraged me to start this thread.


The 26th North Carolina Infantry

Burgwyn at Gettysburg.jpg



A Brief History: The 26th North Carolina was organized in Raleigh, North Carolina in the late summer of 1861. It served on the coast of North Carolina until mid-1862, when sent to Richmond to assist in repelling General McClellan in the peninsular campaign of 1862. After spending the summer in Virginia, it returned to eastern North Carolina in the fall and remained there until ordered north to join General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the invasion of Pennsylvania.

While the regiment had fought at New Bern in March of 1862, around Richmond in June and July 1862, and in minor skirmishes in the fall of the same year, Gettysburg was the first major test for the regiment, led by Colonel Henry King Burgwyn, Jr., one of the youngest regimental commanders in the Southern army. The regiment's performance at Gettysburg was enough to guarantee their place in history, sustaining more casualties than any other unit of its size on the field.

After a period when the regiment feared it would be consolidated or disbanded due to its losses at Gettysburg, it successfully reorganized itself, and by mid-1864, was again the largest regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia. It fought gallantly at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor and in the Petersburg siege.

The remnants of the once proud regiment surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 with 130 men.




Company: F&S A B C D E F G H I K Totals %

Total serving: 57 231 190 194 202 211 242 195 196 267 182 2175

KIA/MWIA: 5 38 41 23 23 31 46 29 30 27 37 329 15.1

WIA: 9 73 83 72 80 100 85 66 75 67 88 782 34.6

POW: 11 85 77 66 105 82 84 80 55 70 53 767 36. 1

Exchanged: 1 49 30 29 53 39 40 44 30 24 26 366 47.8

Deserted to Enemy: 0 6 11 6 6 3 5 4 1 7 1 50 6.5

Died of disease/Unknown causes 2 38 32 30 45 26 40 33 31 41 35 354 16.8

Killed Accidents 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 .3

Deserted 0 16 14 42 21 17 28 29 31 10 7 215 10.2-

Executed 0 0 0 7 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 .3

Discharged 6 27 34 21 35 26 49 25 33 49 23 328 15.5

Transferred 4 11 1 13 8 4 11 6 5 53 8 128 6.1

Appomattox 7 10 13 4 15 17 5 19 9 12 23 134 6.4

Other Paroles 2 0 10 3 8 4 1 8 4 5 1 46 2.2



More to come as soon as I put it together.
 
Recap of Casualties

Date Engagement KIA WIA POW Total

11/1/61 Bouge Island, NC 0 3 0 3

3/14/62 New Bern, NC 10 9 73 92

6/25/62 King's School House 5 5 0 10

6/28/62 Seven Days 0 0 3 3

7/1/62 Malvern Hill/Harrison's Landing 10 51 2 63

11/2/62 Rawls' Mill, Martin Co. NC 2 8 3 13

3/14/63 Barrington Ferry, NC 1 4 0 5

7/1-5/63 Gettysburg, PA 182 459 247 888

7/4-5/63 South Mtn, MD 0 0 2 2

7/12-13/63 Williamsport, MD 0 0 5 5

7/14/63 Falling Waters, MD 0 3 56 59

7/20-8/1/63 Hospitals in N.VA. 0 0 7 7

9/13/63 Culpeper C.H, VA 0 0 1 1

10/14/63 Bristoe Station, VA 33 66 85 184

11-12/63 Mine Run, VA 0 13 1 14

5/5-7/64 The Wilderness, VA 29 62 17 98

5/8-21/64 Spottsylvania C.H., VA 4 10 21 35

5/22-6/64 North Anna, VA 0 1 1 2

5/25-7/64 Hanover Junction, VA 0 0 5 5

6/1-3/64 Cold Harbor, VA 10 16 0 22

6/10-30/64 Petersburg, VA 0 3 0 3

8/16/64 Deep Bottom 0 0 2 2

8/19-20/64 Petersburg, VA 2 3 0 5

8/21/64 Globe Tavern, VA 7 21 1 27

8/23/64 Weldon Railroad 0 0 1 1

8/25/64 Reams' Station, VA 5 17 1 22

9/30/64 Jones Farm, VA 4 5 0 9

10/1/64 Pegram's Farm, VA 0 1 0 1

10/2/64 Harman Road, VA 1 0 0 1

10/14/64 Petersburg, VA 0 2 0 2

10/27/64 Burgess' Mill, VA 7 14 60 81

2/5-7/65 Hatcher's Run, VA 4 4 0 8

3/5-6/65 Details in SC 0 0 3 3

3/25/65 Fort Stedman, VA 0 0 18 18

4/1/65 Petersburg, VA 0 0 3 3

4/1/65 Five Forks, VA 1 0 1 2

4/2/65 Petersburg, VA 0 2 32 34

4/2/65 Hatcher's Run, VA 0 0 29 29

4/2/65 Other Petersburg, VA 2 6 4 12

4/2/65 South Side RR, VA 0 0 15 20

4/3/65 Richmond, VA Hosps. 0 0 20 20

4/3/65 Appomattox River/Deep Creek 0 0 11 11

4/4/65 Amelia C.H., VA 0 0 17 17

4/5-6/65 Farmville, VA 0 0 2 2

4/8/65 Burkeville, VA 0 0 1 1

4/9/65 Appomattox C.H., VA 0 0 134 134

4/13/65 Raleigh, NC Hosps. 0 0 4 4

4/15/65 Lenoir, NC 0 0 2 2

Unknown 10 22 12 47

Deserters taken POW 4

Totals 329 782 767 1869
 
Recommended Reading
***Some of these are strictly for research, not exactly regular reading material. Great if you are trying to track down what happened to relatives during the war.***

Books:

Covered With Glory, by Rod Gragg
Boy Colonel of the Confederacy: The Life and Times of Henry King Burgwyn Jr., by Archie K. Davis
High Tide at Gettysburg, by Glenn Tucker
Lee's TarHeels: The Pettigrew-Kirkland-McRae Brigade, by Earl J. Hess
Rebels In Blue: The Story of Keith and Malinda Blalock, by Peter F. Stevens (Thanks, @east tennessee roots!)
Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War Between the States, a free e-book: https://play.google.com/store/books...mbly_Roster_of_North_Ca?id=zYHk_df06QsC&hl=en




Internet Pages:

Site of The 26th NC:
http://www.26nc.org/index.html
Rnger 95 Roster
https://ranger95.com/civil_war/n_carolina/infantry/26th_inf_rgt/26th_inf_rgt.html
Gettysburg Casualty List:
http://nccivilwar.lostsoulsgenealogy.com/campaigns/gettysburg.htm
Newspaper Articles:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jganis/unionco/newspapers1862-1863.html
http://nccivilwar.lostsoulsgenealogy.com/obits/milobitswinter186162.htm
Pension Records:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jganis/unionco/confederatepensions-unionco.pdf
Histories of NC Regts.
https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092908544#page/n359/mode/2up
Roster: http://www.civilwarindex.com/armync/soldiers/26th_nc_infantry_soldiers.pdf
Monuments at Gettysburg: http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.co...nfederate-unit-monuments/26th-north-carolina/ (Thanks, @AUG351!)
 
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Thanks for the kind words ! Here's two of my relatives from the 26th NC :

Private : Zeror Beach Company F, married to a 3 x removed 2nd cousin. Residence Caldwell County NC; 24 years old. Enlisted and mustered on 7/15/1861 at Caldwell County, NC as a Private.

He was listed as:
* Absent, wounded (date and place not stated) (Through Feb. 1865)
* Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA (In the hip, Estimated day)
* Hospitalized 7/3/1863 Gettysburg, PA (Estimated day)
* Transferred 7/17/1863 David's Island, NY Harbor (Estimated day)
* Paroled 8/24/1863 David's Island, NY Harbor
* Transferred 8/24/1863 City Point, VA
* Received 8/28/1863 (place not stated) (For exchange)

.....................................................................................................................

Private William G. Earp Company I 26th NC. 4 x removed 1st cousin. Residence Wilkes County NC; 31 years old. Enlisted on 9/23/1862 at Camp Holmes, Raleigh, NC as a Private. On 9/23/1862 he mustered into 'I' Co. NC 26th Infantry (date and method of discharge not given) (Survived the war) He was listed as: * Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA * Returned 7/30/1863 (place not stated) (Estimated day) * On rolls 12/30/1864 (place not stated) * Detail 1/30/1865 Belfield, VA (As a guard)

William had two brothers. Older brother Thomas served the last two years of the war in the Senior Reserves. Younger brother, Andrew was wounded & captured at Falling Waters, Maryland, 7/14/1863, died at Point Lookout, Maryland the following November.
 
Thanks for the kind words ! Here's two of my relatives from the 26th NC :

Private : Zeror Beach Company F, married to a 3 x removed 2nd cousin. Residence Caldwell County NC; 24 years old. Enlisted and mustered on 7/15/1861 at Caldwell County, NC as a Private.

He was listed as:
* Absent, wounded (date and place not stated) (Through Feb. 1865)
* Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA (In the hip, Estimated day)
* Hospitalized 7/3/1863 Gettysburg, PA (Estimated day)
* Transferred 7/17/1863 David's Island, NY Harbor (Estimated day)
* Paroled 8/24/1863 David's Island, NY Harbor
* Transferred 8/24/1863 City Point, VA
* Received 8/28/1863 (place not stated) (For exchange)

.....................................................................................................................

Private William G. Earp Company I 26th NC. 4 x removed 1st cousin. Residence Wilkes County NC; 31 years old. Enlisted on 9/23/1862 at Camp Holmes, Raleigh, NC as a Private. On 9/23/1862 he mustered into 'I' Co. NC 26th Infantry (date and method of discharge not given) (Survived the war) He was listed as: * Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA * Returned 7/30/1863 (place not stated) (Estimated day) * On rolls 12/30/1864 (place not stated) * Detail 1/30/1865 Belfield, VA (As a guard)

William had two brothers. Older brother Thomas served the last two years of the war in the Senior Reserves. Younger brother, Andrew was wounded & captured at Falling Waters, Maryland, 7/14/1863, died at Point Lookout, Maryland the following November.

Through a quick look in the aforementioned E-book, (quickly becoming one of my most valuable reaserch assets) it also lists Zeror Beach as having been a POW again in '64, though it does not give any more clarity on exactly when, or where he was held. I can try to dig more up on that.

I've made a massive project out of trying to track down every single man that served in the 26th- find out what all happened to them during the war, where they are buried, etc. There are three reasons for this- I want to be able to help people find their relatives, I want to have a better understanding of what these men did and went through, and also, I want to include as many real people and events in my historical fiction work on the 26th as possible.
I started out with just the official roster of the regt., and now I am going down the list man-by-man, poring through books and the internet to learn what they went through. Findagrave.com has been another valuable asset in this project. I am also adding to the Findagrave pages of these men where possible, with information on them not yet posted on their pages, and have created pages for the several members that I have found in cemeteries I have visited.
So far, I have helped one man find his 5x great grandfather, who had died at Gettysburg and ended up buried on the field, but was later removed and re-interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA, unbeknownst to his family. I'm hoping I can help more people like that fellow.
 
Through a quick look in the aforementioned E-book, (quickly becoming one of my most valuable reaserch assets) it also lists Zeror Beach as having been a POW again in '64, though it does not give any more clarity on exactly when, or where he was held. I can try to dig more up on that.

I've made a massive project out of trying to track down every single man that served in the 26th- find out what all happened to them during the war, where they are buried, etc. There are three reasons for this- I want to be able to help people find their relatives, I want to have a better understanding of what these men did and went through, and also, I want to include as many real people and events in my historical fiction work on the 26th as possible.
I started out with just the official roster of the regt., and now I am going down the list man-by-man, poring through books and the internet to learn what they went through. Findagrave.com has been another valuable asset in this project. I am also adding to the Findagrave pages of these men where possible, with information on them not yet posted on their pages, and have created pages for the several members that I have found in cemeteries I have visited.
So far, I have helped one man find his 5x great grandfather, who had died at Gettysburg and ended up buried on the field, but was later removed and re-interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA, unbeknownst to his family. I'm hoping I can help more people like that fellow.

That's great ! It's a real joy for an old man like me to see how such a bright young man like yourself is so committed and passionate about something I've tried to follow and learn about most all of my life ! I'll bet you'll create a great historical fiction work on the 26th. Have you read any of Colonel Ralph Peters' (of Fox News), Civil War fiction series ? I'm a huge fan of his ! His first was "Cain At Gettysburg". Several of the main characters on the Confederate side are in a company from the 26th NC. including the character, "Cain". You should check it out ! The language gets pretty rough sometimes, but that's part of the realism in these novels. They're really great.
 
That's great ! It's a real joy for an old man like me to see how such a bright young man like yourself is so committed and passionate about something I've tried to follow and learn about most all of my life ! I'll bet you'll create a great historical fiction work on the 26th. Have you read any of Colonel Ralph Peters' (of Fox News), Civil War fiction series ? I'm a huge fan of his ! His first was "Cain At Gettysburg". Several of the main characters on the Confederate side are in a company from the 26th NC. including the character, "Cain". You should check it out ! The language gets pretty rough sometimes, but that's part of the realism in these novels. They're really great.
I hadn't heard of that series- I'll have to check them out! I'm sure I can find them on Amazon.
(Edit: Yup, I found em! Apparently the 5th book comes out at the end of next month, so along with purchasing the first four (used copies) I pre-ordered the fifth. Thanks again!)
I definitely have my dad to thank for my interest in the Civil War. He was forever reading about it and watching anything he could find on it. I recall being four or five years old, sitting on the couch with him over the course of several nights, watching the entirety of Ken Burns' "The Civil War" documentary. Granted, I didn't understand much of it at such an age, but I was greatly fascinated by it all. It actually came out about three years before I was born, but Dad had it on VHS- matter of fact, I now have that same box set, sitting on my bookshelf. But yes, he definitely got me into it. I was so fascinated with the subject that in my first Kindergarten art project, I made a what I insisted was a Confederate artilleryman out of clay.
Matter of fact, there he is, right in front of the aforementioned box set! The bill of his kepi is broken, but he's still in great shape otherwise.
20170714_223557.jpg
 
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battle-flag-of-the-26th-north_0.jpg

Battle Flag of the 26th North Carolina
The Museum of the Confederacy

Flag of the 26th North Carolina Infantry (tentative). Captured at the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1863 by the 12th New Jersey Infantry. Identification based on modern research.

"Confederate Battle Flag, captured at the Battle of Gettysburg Pen. July 2nd 1863 by the 12th New Jersey Volunteers" (from "Record of Rebel Flags Captured by Union Troops After April 19, 1861", National Archives, RG 94)

"On the first day of the battle [of Gettysburg], the entire color guard and a total of fourteen (some accounts say fifteen) men fell carrying the colors during the regiment's successful but costly assault against McPherson's Ridge. After twelve other men had been killled or wounded bearing the flag, the unit's 'boy colonel,' Henry King Burgwyn, seized the flag, gave the order to 'dress on the colors,' and handed the flag to Private Franklin L. Honeycutt, who asked to carry it. Moments later, a burst of enemy fire struck Honeycutt in the head, killing him, and mortally wounded Burgwyn. Picking up the flag from where it lay by Honeycutt's body, the regiment's lieutenant colonel declared, 'No one can take these colors and live.' Raising the flag, he was shot through the neck and mouth…. [On the third day of the charge], [t]he color guard was decimated again. As the remnants of the regiment approached the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge, two impromptu flag bearers advanced ahead and were captured along with the colors by men of the 12th New Jersey Infantry. The 26th North Carolina lost more than eighty percent of its men at the battle of Gettysburg."
 
https://northcarolinaroom.wordpress.com/2014/12/

26thregtband.jpg


Some members of the 26th Regiment band. Left to right: James M. Fisher 2nd Bb tenor horn; Julius A. Leinbach Eb bass; Daniel T. Crouse 1st Bb tenor horn; Augustus L. Hauser 1st Eb alto horn; William H. Hall 2nd Eb alto horn; Joe O. Hall 2nd Bb cornet; A.P. Gibson 1st Bb cornet; Samuel T. Mickey, captain and Eb cornet. Not present: A.C. Meinung, H.A. Siddell, Julius A. Transou, Charles Transou, Edward Peterson, D.J. Hackney, W.A. Reich and W.A. Lemly.
 
https://northcarolinaroom.wordpress.com/2014/12/

View attachment 149076

Some members of the 26th Regiment band. Left to right: James M. Fisher 2nd Bb tenor horn; Julius A. Leinbach Eb bass; Daniel T. Crouse 1st Bb tenor horn; Augustus L. Hauser 1st Eb alto horn; William H. Hall 2nd Eb alto horn; Joe O. Hall 2nd Bb cornet; A.P. Gibson 1st Bb cornet; Samuel T. Mickey, captain and Eb cornet. Not present: A.C. Meinung, H.A. Siddell, Julius A. Transou, Charles Transou, Edward Peterson, D.J. Hackney, W.A. Reich and W.A. Lemly.

P140744.gif


Samuel Timothy Mickey

Enlisted and mustered on 11/1/1862 at Camp French, NC as a Chief Musician into the "Field & Staff" 26th NC. Infantry.
He was listed as:

* POW 4/4/1865 Amelia Court House, VA
* Confined 4/6/1865 Point Lookout, MD (Estimated day)
* Oath of Allegiance 6/29/1865 (place not stated)
* Released 6/29/1865 (place not stated)
 
That's great ! It's a real joy for an old man like me to see how such a bright young man like yourself is so committed and passionate about something I've tried to follow and learn about most all of my life ! I'll bet you'll create a great historical fiction work on the 26th. Have you read any of Colonel Ralph Peters' (of Fox News), Civil War fiction series ? I'm a huge fan of his ! His first was "Cain At Gettysburg". Several of the main characters on the Confederate side are in a company from the 26th NC. including the character, "Cain". You should check it out ! The language gets pretty rough sometimes, but that's part of the realism in these novels. They're really great.
The next and I think last book in Peters' ACW series comes out next month. I have read them all and enjoyed them.
He also wrote a CW series under the pseudonym of Parry Owen which I also think is excellent.
 
Found this wallet and enclosed card among some family papers relating to the Civil War.

Anyone able to place:

James A. Mathews
Near Lewsiton
Bertie County
North Carolina

The daughter's name is Emma M. Downey.

Thank you.

View attachment 149096
View attachment 149097

Enlisted on 8/9/1862 at Bertie County, NC as a Private, 25 years old. On 9/1/1862, he mustered into Company F, 4th NC Cavalry. He's listed "on the rolls" through 10/31/1864.
 
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