The 5th North Carolina Regiment was assigned on March 26, 1776, to the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the Southern Department. It was organized in the spring of 1776 at Wilmington, North Carolina, as eight companies of volunteers from the districts of New Bern, Edenton and Hillsborough District of North Carolina. On February 5, 1777, the regiment was assigned to the main

and assigned to the North Carolina Brigade on July 8, 1777. The regiment was reduced to a cadre on June 1, 1778, at

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Tow ...

and was assigned to the Southern Department. The regiment was re-organized to nine companies during the fall of 1778 at Halifax and assigned on January 11, 1779, to Sumner's Brigade. On 3 June 1779, this brigade was redesignated as Armstrong's Brigade. The regiment was captured by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

on 12 May 1780 at

Charlestown, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of ...

and was officially disbanded on January 1, 1781.

History

The 5th North Carolina Regiment was organized in March 1776 as part of the Southern Department, where it remained till February 5, 1777. The companies from the regiment were first organized in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

and included men from

New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

Edenton Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has b ...

, and other parts of the Hillsborough District. Soldiers served for tours of nine months at a time. Later that year on July 8, 1777, the regiment was assigned to the Northern Department of the Continental Army. The 5th North Carolina Regiment was folded into the

3rd North Carolina Regiment The 3rd North Carolina Regiment was raised on 16 January 1776 at Wilmington, North Carolina for service with the Continental Army. In April, Jethro Sumner was appointed colonel. The regiment was present at the Battle of Sullivan's Island, defens ...

, commanded by Col

Jethro Sumner Jethro Exum Sumner ( – c. March 18, 1785) was a senior officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Virginia, Sumner's military service began in the French and Indian War as a member of the state's Provi ...

sometime after May 29, 1778. The soldiers that remained with the army remained with the 3rd until January 1779 when the 5th North Carolina Regiment was reestablished under the Southern Command with Col Thomas Clark as commander. The command did not last longer than early 1780. It was officially disbanded on January 1, 1781. Most of the remaining men were absorbed into the 3rd North Carolina Regiment.

Officers

Known Field grade officers: * Col. Edward Buncombe (April 15 May 1778) * Col. Thomas Clark (1779) * Lt. Col. Henry Irwin * Lt. Col. William Lee Davidson * Lt. Col. Henry "Hal" Dixon * Maj. Levi Dawson * Maj. Thomas Hogg * Maj. Reading Blount (brother of Thomas Blount) The brother of Major Reading Blount, Lieutenant Thomas Blount, served with this unit until he was captured and taken to prison in England.

Known engagements

The 5th North Carolina Regiment served with the North Department in 1777 and with the Southern Department in 1779: * September 11, 1777,

Battle of Brandywine Creek The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

in Pennsylvania * October 4, 1777,

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

in Pennsylvania * March 3, 1779,

Battle of Brier Creek The Battle of Brier Creek was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on March 3, 1779 near the confluence of Brier Creek with the Savannah River in eastern Georgia. A mixed Patriot force consisting principally of militia from North Carolin ...

in Georgia * June 20, 1779,

Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by p ...

in South Carolina * September 16, to October 18, 1779,

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

in Georgia (one unit)

References

{{NCRevWarUnits North Carolina regiments of the Continental Army Military units and formations established in 1776 Military units and formations disestablished in 1781