13th North Carolina Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries * North Carolina

 

1861
May 27

The 13th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was organized as the 3rd Regiment Volunteers at Garysburg under the command of Colonel William D. Pender, Lieutenant Colonel W.S. Guy, and Major D.H. Hamilton. Assigned to the Department of Norfolk.

Company A – Caswell County – Captain John A. Graves
Company B – Mecklenburg County – Captain A.A. Erwin
Company C – Caswell County – Captain James T. Mitchell
Company D – Caswell County – Captain John T. Hambrick
Company E – Alamance County – Captain Thomas Ruffin, Jr.
Company F – Davie County – Captain Jesse A. Clement
Company G – Edgecombe County – Captain J. H. Hyman
Company H – Rockingham County – Captain Alfred M. Scales
Company I – Rockingham County – Captain Thomas Settle
Company K – Rockingham County – Captain G.P. Bailey
June 1 Mustered into Confederate service at Suffolk, Virginia and stationed there for the month.
June – April Stationed at Suffolk until the end of April, then posted to the north side of the James River until April.
October 11 Colonel Pender was promoted to brigadier general. Captain Alfred Scales was elected colonel and took command of the regiment.
November Assigned to Colston’s Brigade, Department of Norfolk.
November 14 Redesignated as the 13th North Carolina Infantry Regiment when North Carolina consolidated their list of state and volunteer troops.
1862
February 27

Captain Erwin of Company B resigned, and W.W. Robinson was elected captain.
March 14
New Bern
April-June Moved to the Richmond area and assigned to Colston’s Brigade, Longstreet’s Division, Army of Northern Virginia. The regiment mustered 575 men.
April-May
Siege of Yorktown
April 5
Lee’s Mill
April 26 Reorganized for the duration of the war. Colonel Scales was reelected. Captain Thomas Ruffin, Jr. of Company E was elected lieutenant colonel and John T. Hambrick was elected major. Second Lieutenant John Murray was elected captain of Company E. Corporal George Foster was elected captain of Company F. Captain Thomas Settle of Company I ws unanimously reelected but refused to accept and returned home, and Chalmers Glenn was elected in his place..
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg

The regiment’s first action was a sudden but brief hand to hand fight.

1st Lieutenant Joseph Thompson of Company B was killed.
First Lieutenant R.L. Watt of Company K was mortally wounded.
Captain A.A. Erwin of Company B was wounded and Second Lieutenant G.L. Brown of Company G and Captain G.P. Bailey of Company K were wounded. 
Second Lieutenant John Driver of Company F was wounded and disabled.
May 31-June 1
Battle of Seven Pines
June-September Transferred from Colston’s Virginia Brigade to Garland’s North Carolina Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
June 25-July 1
Seven Days Battles

The regiment lost 29 men killed and 80 wounded. 
June 27
Gaines’ Mill

Lieutenant Wiley P. Robeson of Company A was killed. Captain Seward Hunt of Company C and First Lieutenant G.W. Anderson of Company K were wounded.
June 30
White Oak Swamp
July 1
Malvern Hill

Captain Elbridge Cook of Company E was killed.
September-October Assigned to Garland’s Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Jackson’s Command, Army of Northern Virginia.
September 14
Battle of South Mountain

The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ruffin, Jr. while Colonel Scales was absent, badly ill. Lieutenant John C. Joyce of Company H and Captain Chalmers Glenn of Company I were killed.
September 17
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

Lieutenant Colonel Ruffin suffered an accident and was unable to command the regiment. Captain Joseph H. Hyman of Company G took over the regiment. The regiment lost 41 men killed and 149 wounded at South Mountain and Antietam. Captains W.W. Robinson of Company B and Henry Rogers of Company D were wounded.

From the War Department marker for Garland’s Brigade on the battlefield:

On the night of September 16, Garland’s Brigade bivouacked in the fields southeast of Roulette’s house. Early on the 17th, it moved to the support of Ripley and Colquitt, crossed the Smoketwon Road a few feet east of this point, made effort to form on Colquitt’s right, but was thrown into confusion and halted in the woods, under cover of boulders, rock ledges and rolling ground, a few yards in advance of this. The advance of Greene’s Division, Twelfth Corps, struck it in the flank and caused it to retire in disorder across the Mumma fields; a part of the Brigade rallying in the west end of the Sunken Road and joining a remnant of Colquitt’s Brigade, the remainder retreating to Sharpsburg, where it was partially rallied and assisted Evans’ Brigade in checking the advance of the Federals on and south of the Boonsboro Pike.
October Transferred to Pender’s Brigade, A.P. Hill’s Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, as Lieutenant Colonel Ruffin of the 13th and Colonel McRae commanding the brigade were not on good terms.
October 15-16 Major Hambrick resigned after being badly bruised when his horse was killed under him by an artillery shot. Captain Hyman of Company G was promoted to major. First Lieutenant J.A. Fuqua was promoted to captain.
December 13
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 37 casualties. First Lieutenant George Foster of Company F was wounded. Colonel Scales took command of the brigade as senior colonel when Brigadier General Pender was wounded. 
1863
March 2-6 Major Hyman was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Captain Henry Rogers of Company D was promoted to major.
May 1-4
Battle of Chancellorsville

The regiment lost 216  casualties. Most of these were lost on May 3 when the regiment began the attack befoe dawn and fought for three and a half hours, firing every round they took into the fight. Colonel Scales was wounded in the thigh.
First Lieutenant Samuel R. Thornton of Company G  was mortally wounded.
Captains J.A. Fuqua of Company G, H.L. Guerrant of Company K, and R.H. Ward of Company I, Lieutenant W.B Chandler of Company C, Second Lieutenants William Thompson of Company F, G.L. Brown of Company G, and William Winchester of Company I were wounded.
May Transferred to Scales’ Brigade, Pender’s-Wilcox’s Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
June

Colonel Scales was promoted to brigadier general. Lieutenant Colonel Hyman was promoted to colonel and took command of the regiment, Major Rogers was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Captain E. Benton Withers of Company A was promoted to major. Captain John Graves of Company A was transferred to become the major of the 47th North Carolina Infantry, and Corporal L.B. Henderson was elected captain to replace him. Captain George Foster of Company F resigned due to disability and First Lieutenant Frank Williams was promoted to captain.
July 1-4
Battle of Gettysburg

Colonel Hyman was wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Rogers took over the regiment. The regiment brought 232 men to the field and lost over 75% casualties.

Killed: 1st Lieutenant W.M. Nunnally of Company K.
Mortally wounded: First Lieutenant W.T. Brandon of Company C, First Lieutenant W.T. Brandon of Company G and First Lieutenant William Winchester of Company I.
Wounded: Captain George Foster of Company F, Second Lieutenant S.V. Driver of Company F, Second Lieutenant Mecklin J. Smith of Company H and Second Lieutenant W.R. Totten.
Wounded and captured: First Lieutenant William G. Woods of Company D.
Missing: Second Lieutenant H.J. Walker of Company B.

From the monument to Scales’ Brigade on the Gettysburg battlefield:

July 1. Crossed Willoughby Run about 3.30 P. M. relieving Heth’s line and advancing with left flank on Chambersburg Pike took part in the struggle until it ended. When the Union forces made their final stand on Seminary Ridge the Brigade charged and aided in dislodging them but suffered heavy losses. Gen. A. M. Scales was wounded and all the field officers but one were killed or wounded.

July 2. In position near here with skirmishers out in front and on flank.

July 3. In Longstreet’s assault the Brigade supported the right wing of Pettigrew’s Division. With few officers to lead them the men advanced in good order through a storm of shot and shell and when the front line neared the Union works they pushed forward to aid it in the final struggle and were among the last to retire.

July 4. After night withdrew and began the march to Hagerstown.
July 10
Falling Waters
September 22
Barnett’s Ford
October-November
Bristoe Campaign
November-December
Mine Run Campaign
1864
May 5-6
Battle of the Wilderness

Captain Ward of Company I was wounded and disabled.
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Captain T.C. Evans was wounded.
May 22-26
Battle of North Anna
June 1-3
Battle of Cold Harbor
June
Siege of Petersburg
August 18-21
Globe Tavern
August 25
Reams’ Station
September 29-30
Fort Harrison
September 30
Jones’ Farm
1865
February 5-7
Hatcher’s Run
April 9
Appomattox Court House

The regiment surrendered 22 officers and 193 men with Lee’s army under the command of Colonel Hyman.

The field officers were Colonels William D. Pender, Alfred M. Scales and Joseph H. Hyman; Lieutenant Colonels W.S. Guy, Thomas Ruffin, Jr., Henry A. Rogers, and E. Benton Withers; and Majors D.H. Hamilton, Jr., John T. Hambrick, and T.A. Martin.