The 25th North Carolina Troops in the Civil War: History and Roster of a Mountain-Bred Regiment »

Engineering consultant Carroll C. Jones is a North Carolina native and Civil War enthusiast.

This historical account covers the 25th Regiment North Carolina Infantry Troops during the Civil War. Farmers and farmers' sons left their mountain homesteads to enlist with the regiment at Asheville in August 1861 in order to defend their homeland from a Yankee invasion. The book chronicles the unit's defensive activities in the Carolina coastal regions and the battlefield actions at Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Plymouth, and Petersburg. In addition, casualty and desertion statistics are included, along with a complete regimental roster and more than 125 photos, illustrations, and maps.

Acknowledgments vii

Preface 1

1 Flames of Secession 5

2 Farmers Join the Rebellion 11

3 The Fabric of the 25th Regiment N.C. 17

The Companies of the 25th Regiment N.C. 18

4 Carolina Coastal Defense 33

Defensive Duty Near Port Royal Sound 33

Too Late to New Bern 43

5 Steven Days Battles Around Richmond 49

Engagement at King's School House 52

Battle of Malvern Hill 55

6 Maryland Campaign 60

Moving North 60

Capture of Harpers Ferry 67

Battle of Antietam 70

7 Heights of Fredericksburg 78

8 Back to North Carolina 92

Eastern Carolina Coastal Defense 92

Chancellorsville 98

Trouble in the Mountains 104

Capture of Plymouth 106

9 Richmond and Petersburg Front 114

Battle of Drewry's Bluff 114

Beauregard's Stopgap Defense of Petersburg 116

10 Siege of Petersburg 121

Battle of the Crater 121

Life in the Trenches 127

Battle of the Weldon Railroad 131

Long Winter of 1864-1865 133

11 War on the Home Front 141

Conscription 141

Draft Evaders, Deserters and Tories 145

Bushwhackers All 148

12 A Journey Ended 153

Fort Stedman 153

Battle of Five Forks 158

Sacred Colors 161

13 Conclusion 167

14 Casualties of War 169

Casualty Estimates: Carolina Coastal Defense 171

Casualty Estimates: The Seven Days Battles 172

Casualty Estimates: Maryland Campaign 174

Casualty Estimates: Battle of Fredericksburg 177

Casualty Estimates: Eastern North Carolina Defense 178

Casualty Estimates: Richmond and Petersburg Defense 179

Summary of Casualties 180

Desertion in the Ranks 181

15 The Colonel and His Lieutenant 183

Henry Middleton Rutledge: "The Boy Colonel" 183

William Harrison Hargrove: "A UsefulCitizen" 197

Roster of Troops 213

Appendix A Command Structure 285

Appendix B Parolees at Appomattox 287

Appendix C Deployment of 25th N.C. Troops During the Civil War 289

Chapter Notes 295

Bibliography 301

Index 303