23rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries > North Carolina

Originally designated as the 13th North Carolina Volunteers.

1861
May 22 – June 22 Raised by companies and organized at Garrysburg, North Carolina.
July 10 The regiment’s field officers were appointed: Colonel John Franklin Hoke, Lieutenant Colonel J.W. Leak and Major D.H. Christie.
July 17 Companies A,B,E,F,G,I & K moved by train from Garysburg to Richmond under Colonel Hoke. Companies C,D & I were left behind at Gerrysburg under Major Christie due to an outbreak of measels.
July 18 Companies A,B,E,F,G,I & K arrived in Richmond and camped at Howard’s Grove along the Mechanicsville Turnpike.
July 21 Companies A,B,E,F,G,I & K continued on to Manassas, arriving after the battle.
August 5-8 Companies C,D & I moved by rail from Garrysburg to Richmond and then to Manassas under the command of Captain C.J. Cochrane of Company C, rejoining the rest of the regiment.
August 23 The 13th North Carolina was assigned to the Sixth Brigade, First Corps, Army of the Potomac.
November 14 The regiment was redesignated 23rd North Carolina State Troops.
1862
March 26 Major General Daniel H. Hill took command of the First Division.
April The regiment mustered 540 men.
April 16 Colonel Hoke and Lieutenant Colonel Leake were dropped in the army reorganization. Major Christie was elected colonel, Captain Robert D. Johnston of Company K was elected lieutenant colonel and Captain Edmund J. Christian of Company C was elected major.
May 4 Camped two miles west of Williamsburg.
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg

Ordered to Williamsburg and marched to the Campus of the College of William and Mary in a light rain. Around 3 p.m. the regiment moved to the left flank of Longstreet’s line through dense undergrowth to attack the Federal flank but became disoriented in the undergrowth.
May 31 Captain Sharles C. Blacknall of Company G was promoted to major.
May 31-June 1
Battle of Seven Pines

The regiment lost 84 men. Colonel Christie and Lieutenant Colonel Johnston were wounded and Major Chrisitan was mortally wounded.
August 29-30
Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run)
September
Maryland Campaign

Colonel Christie took command of the brigade as senior colonel and Lieutenant Colonel Johnston took command of the regiment. The regiment would lose 18 men kille and 35 wounded in the campaign.
September 14
Battle of South Mountain

The regiment fought at Fox’s Gap in Garland’s Brigade of D.H. Hill’s Division. The regiment is honored on the North Carolina monument there.
September 17
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)
November Assigned to Iverson’s Brigade of D.H. Hill’s Division in Jackson’s Second Corps.
December 13
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost one enlisted man wounded.
1863
May 1-4
Battle of Chancellorsville

The regiment lost 172 men out of the 430 on the field. Major Blacknall was wounded
May 5 Major General Robert E. Rodes took over D.H. Hill’s Division. The 23rd North Carolina continued to be assigned to Iverson’s Brigade in this division of the Second Corps.
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Daniel H. Christie and brought 316 men to the field. It lost 65 men killed, 120 wounded and 97 missing in the charge on Oak Ridge on July 1. Colonel Christie was mortally wounded, Lt. Colonel Robert D. Johnston was wounded, and Major Charles C. Blacknall wounded in the mouth and captured. Captains Abner D. Peace and William H. Johnsston were wounded, and Lieutenant Jeremiah Coggin was captured.
July Brigadier General Iverson was relieved of command of the brigade after the disaster at Gettysburg. The regiments of the brigade were under the temporary command of Brigadier General Stephen Dodson Ramseur.
July 17 Colonel Christie died at Winchester. He is buried there in Stonewall Confederate Cemetery, part of Mount Hebron Cemetery. Major Blacknall was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
September 1 Lieutenant Colonel Blacknall, still a prisoner, was promoted to colonel.
September 8 Lt. Colonel Robert D. Johnnston was promoted to brigadier general and took command of the brigade
1864
March Lt. Colonel Blacknall was exchanged
May 4-5
Battle of the WIlderness
May 8 The regiment, with Johnston’s Brigade, transferred to Early’s Division.
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
June 4-13 Colonel Toon was promoted to brigadier general and took over the brigade from the wounded Brigadier General Johnston, and Brigadier General Stephen Dodson Ramseur took over the division from Major General Early. The Second Corps was then detached to the Shenandoah Valley as the Army of the Valley.

The regiment was attached to Toon’s Brigade of Ramseur’s Division of the Army of the Valley.
July Brigadier General Johnston resumed command of the brigade.
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester

Colonel Blacknall was mortally wounded and captured.
September 22 Brigadier General John Pegram took over the division from General Ramseur, who transferred over to take command of the division of the late General Rodes.
November 6 Colonel Blcknall died of his wound from Winchester.
December The division left the Shenandoah Valley and rejoined Lee’s main army in the Richmond defences.
1865
February 26 Brigadier General Pegram was killed and Brigadier General Robert Johnston took over the division. Colonel Lea took over the brigade.
April 9
Appomattox Court House

The regiment surrendered 4 officers and 82 enlisted men, 35 of whom were armed, under Captain A.D. Peace.