The 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was an
infantry regiment
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
raised in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
for service in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. It fought mostly with the
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. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
.
The 18th Infantry Regiment, formerly the 8th Volunteers, was organized at Camp Wyatt, near
Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Carolina Beach is a beach town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States, situated about south of Wilmington International Airport in southeastern coastal North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,564. It is par ...
, in July, 1861. Its members were from
Wilmington and the counties of
Robeson,
New Hanover,
Bladen,
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. It was commanded by Colonel James D. Radcliffe, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver P. Meares, and Major George Tate. It moved to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, returned to North Carolina, then in the spring of 1862 proceeded to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. The 18th served in General
Branch's and
Lane's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. After fighting at
Hanover Court House, it participated in various conflicts of the army from the
Seven Days' Battles
The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, comman ...
to
Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...
. It continued the fight in the trenches of
Petersburg
Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to:
Places Australia
*Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia
Canada
* Petersburg, Ontario
Russia
*Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg
United States
*Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...
south of the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
and ended the war at
Appomattox. This unit was organized with 1,100 men, lost fifty-seven percent of the 396 engaged during the Seven Days' Battles, and reported 14 casualties at
Cedar Mountain and 12 at
Second Manassas
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...
. There were 13 killed and 77 wounded at
Fredericksburg and 30 killed and 96 wounded at
Chancellorsville. Of the 346 in action at
Gettysburg, about twenty-five percent were disabled. It surrendered 11 officers and 73 men at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, including Major Thomas J. Wooten and captains Benjamin F. Rinaldi and John J. Poisson.
The field officers were Colonels
John D. Barry
John Decatur Barry (June 21, 1839 – March 24, 1867) was an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The men he was leading at Chancellorsville mistakenly fired on Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, leading t ...
, Robert H. Cowan, Thomas J. Purdie, and James D. Radcliffe; Lieutenant Colonels Forney George, John W. McGill, and Oliver P. Meares; and Majors George Tait and Thomas J. Wooten.
The 18th North Carolina was also responsible for the accidental shooting of
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
during the battle of Chancellorsville.
The next day, May 3, 1863, their battle flag would be captured. Just over a year later, on May 12, 1864, they lost another battle flag to Alexander H. Mitchell of the
105th Pennsylvania Infantry
The 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (also known as the "Wildcat Regiment") was an infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Among the regiment's early recruits was future United States Congressman Albe ...
. Mitchell would later be awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
for his actions.
See also
*
List of North Carolina Confederate Civil War units
This is a list of North Carolina Confederate Civil War units. The list of North Carolina Union Civil War regiments is shown separately.
Infantry
* 1st (Bethel Regiment) Infantry (6 months)
* 1st Infantry
* 2nd Infantry
* 3rd Infantry
* ...
References
Sources
*
Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from North Carolina
1861 establishments in North Carolina
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