Remembering North Carolina's fallen

NC Monument at Fox's Gap



In the fighting on September 14, 1862 at the gaps along South Mountain, men and boys from North Carolina beared the brunt of the fighting, particularly during the fighting at Fox's Gap. Thirteen regiments of infantry and three artillery batteries participated in the battle. It was men from the 5th North Carolina from Samuel Garland's brigade that fired some of the first shots and it was the 6th North Carolina of Evander Law's brigade that fired some of the final shots. With help from the 4 volume set Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War between the States by John W. Moore, I have been able to put a name to many of the casualties that were suffered by these regiments during the battle. Published in 1882, Mr. Moore's work is the best book of rosters that I have come across during my research up here on the mountain. Moore does is best to build rosters for each regiment but he readily admits that the records of many regiments were lost following the fall of Richmond and he informs the reader that he regrets that this has happened. Thankfully, the rosters appear complete in his book, just the information about what happened to the men during the war is missing, especially in the case of the 4th North Carolina. So armed with this book, I believe I have compiled the most accurate listing possible of those North Carolinian's who fell during the bloody fighting on South Mountain. I have listed the regiments by brigade and at which gap they went into battle. Any casualties showing the soldier as killing, wounded, or missing in Maryland 1862 and nothing more have been excluded due to the uncertainty of where they became a casualty.

Fox's Gap

Brigadier General Samuel Garland's Brigade (Maj. General D.H. Hill's division):

Killed: 43
Wounded: 57
Captured/Missing: 15
total: 115

General Hill recalled at least 100 men killed and wounded and another 200 missing for a total of 300 casualties. The rosters in this book give us at least 115 names so of the casualty figures stated by Hill, 38.3 % are known.

5th North Carolina, Colonel  Duncan McRae commanding:

Killed:
Private Todd Aquilla, Co. F
Private James Baker, Co.D
Private Ruffin Caps, Co. C
Private George W. Dennis, Co. D
Private S. Johnson, Co. D
Private Alfred B. Pearce, Co. I
Private J.G. Smith, Co. C
Private R. Windham, Co. D

Wounded:
1st Corporal James P. Britton, Co. F
Private S.E. Eldridge, Co. D (Captured also)
Private Jas. H. Ellis, Co. C
1st Sergeant Samuel Hackney, Co. A

Captured/Missing:
Private James A. Baker. Co. A
Private Ransom R. Barber, Co. C
Private Samuel Eldrigde, Co. D
Private Harrison B. Ferrell, Co. C
Private Handy B. Jernigan, Co. C
Private Robert Johnson, Co. D
Private S. Johnson, Co. D
Private G.W. Laster, Co. D
Private Julius Lee, Co. C

12th North Carolina Infantry, Captain Shugan Snow commanding

Killed:
Private C.R. Barkley, Co. G
Private Thomas Gordon, Co. B
Corporal William Hunt, Co. B
Private H.G. Johnson, Co. K
Private J.T. Marshall, Co. G
Private George A. Miller, Co. G
Private J.A. Sherrill, Co. A
Private John J. Strum, Co. B
Private William Wood, Co. I

Wounded:
Captain Phillip G. Alston, Co. K
Private J.C. Battle, Co. D
Private J.B. Brickell, Co. G
Private H.T. Drake, Co. C
Private James W. Knott, Co. B
Private H.R. Moss, Co. C
Private John Smith, Co. C

13th North Carolina Infantry, Lt. Colonel Thomas Ruffin, Jr. commanding

Killed:
Private C.W. Brown, Co. B
Private W.F. Carter, Co. H
Private Robert J. Clendenin, Co. E
Private T. Chambers, Co. K
Private Nicholas Dalton, Co. H
Private Obediah N. Fitzgerald, Co. A
2nd Lieutenant John C. Joyce, Co. H
2nd Corporal N.R. Kerr, Co. A
Private John A. Long, Co. E
Private William H. Thompson, Co. C
Private R.C.S. Ticer, Co. B

Wounded:
Private John R. Adams, Co. E
4th Sergeant Jesse E. Amos, Co. K
Private James Bartlett, Co. B
Private T. Bell, Co. G
Private A. Blackwelder, Co. B
Private George W. Boone, Co. F
Private T.P. Bowman, Co. K
Private James Corbett, Co. A
Private Matthew A. Edwards, Co. B
Private James S. Gilliam, Co. E
Private G.W. Gorgan, Co. C
Private William H. Hatchett, Co. A
Private J.G. Hendrick, Co. C
Private Giles W. Jones, Co. I
Private James L. Kimbrell, Co. B
Private James Kirkpatrick, Co. B
Private James F. Kurfees, Co. F
Private John G. Lea, Co. A
Private Calvin G. Lee, Co. A
Private Henry M. Long, Co. C
Private Henry Mayard, Co. A (Missing)
Private James E. Miller, Co. F
Private William Monday, Co. F
Private James Phelps, Co. A
Lt. Colonel Thomas Ruffin, Jr., Regt.
Private Edward F. Scales, Co. H (died of wounds)
Private Daniel V. Vinegam, Co. F
Private Joseph M. Wall, Co. H
Private David Watson, Co. H

Captured/Missing:
Private Mebane Kimberly, Co. E

20th North Carolina Infantry, Colonel Alfred Iverson commanding

Killed:
Private Curtis Bagley, Co. H
Private Addison Barnhart, Co. B
Private John D. Davis, Co. A
Private Angus Evans, Co. B
Private John H. Ledbetter, Co . A
Private Robert E. Russell, Co. A

Wounded:
Private William Carter, Co. C
Private James Gibson, Co. A
Private John W. Gordy, Co. A
Private Martin Harper, Co. H
Private Samuel Hickman, Co. G (captured also)
Private M.D. Jackson, Co. I
Private E.F. Johnson, Co. I (Mortally)
Private John Lassiter, Co. H
Private V.J. McArthur, Co. F
Private Waterman Phipps, Co. C
Private J. Pope, Co. F

Missing/Captured:
2nd Sergeant Isham Reynolds, Co. G

23rd North Carolina Infantry, Colonel Daniel Christie commanding

Killed:
Private B.J. Coley, Co. E
Private Henry Coon, Co. B
Private G.W. Heathcock, Co. E
Private Jarrett W. Jackson, Co. E
Private Robert C. Joyner, Co. E
Private Nelson Morrison, Co. B
Private S.J. O'Brian, Co. E
Private Joseph Sanford, Co. E
Private Albert Shelton, Co. K
Private E. Williams, Co. E

Wounded:
Private F.C. Atkins, Co. E
Private R.H. Beck, Co. E
Private Thomas H. Benton, Co. K
Private J.G. Clay, Co. E
Private C.C. Crouch, Co. D
3rd Sergeant E.M. Fleming, Co. E
Private Anderson Laws, Co. E (Captured also)
Private J.P. Maynard, Co. G (Captured also)
Private A.C. Morrison, Co. C
Private W.J. Waller, Co. E (Missing)
Private James Willis, Co. I

Missing/Captured:
Private Alex Epps, Co. C
Private Caleb Hobbs, Co. B
Private Edward F. Howell, Co. C
Private Thomas Moore, Co. E
Private William S. Robinson, Co. C

Brigadier General Roswell Ripley's Brigade, (Maj. General. D.H. Hill's division)

Wounded: 2
Missing/Captured: 1

Ripley's brigade, in an attempt to outflank the Union left at Fox's Gap, marched to far west and off of the mountain. These casualties are likely from minor skirmishing that took place as the brigade went into line on the western face of the mountain.

1st North Carolina Infantry, Lt. Colonel Hamilton Brown commanding

Captured/Missing:
Private George Hagans, Co. B

3rd North Carolina Infantry, Colonel William D.L. Rossett commanding

Wounded:
Private George T. Calcutt, Co. C
Private John H. McClenney, Co. D


Brigadier General George B. Anderson's Brigade (Maj. General D.H. Hill's Division)

Killed: 5
Wounded: 35
Captured/Missing: 15
Total: 55

It was two regiments from Anderson's brigade that saved the day when Garland's brigade was swept from the field in the morning fight at Fox's Gap. The brigade would be an integral part of the planned afternoon counterattack but, while going into position, a fatal gap of nearly 300 yards opened between Anderson's left and the right of Thomas Drayton's brigade. Anderson would claw his way back towards the gap but it would be to late for those Confederates fighting near the Daniel Wise house. Again, as was the case with Garland's brigade, General Hill recalls that G.B. Anderson's brigade suffered 84 killed and wounded and 29 missing as a result of the fighting at Fox's Gap. So using these numbers as the official number of casualties, the list I have compiled accounts for 48% of the total casualties.


2nd North Carolina Infantry, Colonel C.C. Tew commanding

Killed:
Private Patrick Darden, Co. D
Private Wiley Gay, Co. D
Private W. M. Mason, Co. D
Private F.E. Sauis, Co. D
Private Benjamin White, Co. F

Wounded:
Private W.R. Carroll, Co. F
4th Corporal Haywood Davenport, Co. K (captured)
Private John Donald, Co. F
Private James Duncan, Co. E
Private W.R. Green, Co. I
Private Henry L. Hall, Co. K
Private Giles Hawkins, Co. F
Private Benjamin Howard, Co. D
Private Joel Jones, Co. C
Private William Jones. Co. G
Private John C. King, Co. C
Private William Koonce, Co. G
Private James H. Kornegay, Co. C (died of wounds Sept. 1862)
Private William B. Martin, Co. C (died of wounds Oct. 1862)
Private Southy McCaffity, Co. F
4th Corporal John McDaniel, Co. G (captured)
Private Thomas B. Moore, Co. D (mortally)
Private Thomas Mumford, Co. D (captured)
Private David Sutton, Co. F

Captured/Missing:
Private Berry M. Bizzett, Co. B
Private Benjamin Blackwell, Co. C
Private David J. Brock, Co. C
Private William N. Carter, Co. K
Private John W. Dowdy, Co. K
Corporal Amos B. Fulford, Co. K
Private John O. Ives, Co. I
Private Stephen W. James, Co. K
Private Jacob Koppell, Co. I
Private George W. Lamb, Co. K
Private James T. Land, Co. K
Private Jonathan Mann, Co. D
Private Robert Rice, Co. K
Private William Seslicamp, Co. K
Private John M. Wise, Co. K

4th North Carolina Infantry, Colonel Bryan Grimes commanding

Moore laments that while he has a roster of the men of this regiment, he was unable to find records about the service of each man.

Wounded:
Sergeant C.D. Murdock, Co. A
2nd Lieutenant James P. Burke, Co. B
Private John W. Kestler, Co. B

14th North Carolina Infantry, Colonel Risden Tyler Bennett commanding

Wounded:
Corporal J.M. Green, Co. F

30th North Carolina Infantry, Colonel Francis M. Parker commanding

Wounded:
Private E.B. Edwards, Co. F
Private W.G. Morgan Co. F
Private H.C. Baker, Co. H (died of wounds, Sept. 1862)
Captain Jesse Wicker, Co. H


Colonel Evander Law's brigade (Maj. General John B. Hood's division):

Killed: 1
Wounded: 4
Captured/Missing: 6
Total: 11
6th North Carolina, Lt. Colonel Robert F. Webb commanding

The 6th North Carolina entered into the fray at Fox's Gap just as the sun was going down on September 14, 1862. The counterattack of Hood's division stopped the Union tidal wave that was sweeping northward towards Turner's Gap. The number of casualties are unknown from Hood's division for their fight at Fox's Gap but it can be ascertained that the numbers were rather low.

Killed:
Private Lawson L. Honk, Co. D
Wounded:
Private William G. Clements, Co. I
Private Anderson G. Gibbons, Co. G
Private Guilford T. Laws, Co. A
Adjutant Cornelius Mebane, Regt.
Missing/Captured:
Private  Portland Bailey, Co. D
Private Rufus Barbee, Co. I
Private Roswell Elliot, Co. A
Private W.A. Jenkins, Co. I
Private John Kelly, Co. I
Private T.H. Smith, Co. I


Crampton's Gap

Brigadier General Howell Cobb's brigade, (Maj. General Lafayette McLaws' division)

Killed:  14
Wounded:  47
Captured/Missing:  21
total: 82

At Crampton's Gap, the 15th North Carolina infantry was the only North Carolina unit to suffer casualties in the fight. It came up late in the action and was going into position when the Union 6th Corps broke the main Confederate line at the base of the mountain. The North Carolinian's put up a stubborn resistance but the weight of numbers and the confusion of those men fleeing through their lines cause the regiment to break and run as well. According to Timothy Reese in Sealed With Their Lives: The Battle of Crampton's Gap, the regiment suffered 18 killed, 58 wounded, and 91 missing. Those listed account for 49.1% of those casualties.

15th North Carolina Infantry, Lt. Colonel William McRae commanding

Killed:
Private Thomas O. Bulluck, Co. I
Private John Delap, Co. D
Private L. Fultcher, Co. D
Private W.H. Harper, Co. C
Private J.B. Humphries, Co. C
Private E. Hunt, Co. C
Private C.G. Jolly, Co. C
Private William Lankford, Co. H
Private J.H. Leonard, Co. G
Private J.B. McSwain, Co. C
Private L. Spaugh, Co. D
Private Robert Sterns, Co. B
Private Robert D. Wimberly, Co. I
Private D. Zimmerman, Co. H

Wounded:
Private George Andrews, Co. G
Private Isaiah Barnes, Co. A
Private John W. Batts, Co. K
2nd Lieutenant James M. Bonner, Co. G
Private Howell Boswell, Co. B
3rd Sergeant Eli Branson, Co. H
Private W.A. Breedlove, Co. G
Private G. Byerly, Co. B
Private Virginius Copeland, Co. A
Private James A. Clark, Co. A
Private D.R. Chandler, Co. E (died of wounds)
Private William Colville, Co. F
Sergeant David G. Cuthbertson, Co. B
Private J. O. Daws, Co. K (captured)
Private Ranson Edwards, Co. I
Private T.G. Ellis, Co. F
Private C. Everhart, Co. D
Private Franciz Faltz, Co. B
Private F. Foltage, Co. D
Private James S. Freeman, Co. B
Sergeant James W. Gardner, Co. K (captured)
Private Stephen Ham, Co. F
Private John Hawkins, Co. B
Private Jesse D. Helms, Co. B
Private M.C. Holmes, Co. E
Private W.N. Harris, Co. G
Private A.M. Honeycutt, Co. K
Private Issac N. Howard, Co. B
5th Sergeant John B. Howine, Co. F
Private G.G. Kennedy, Co. E
Private A.A. Koonts, Co. K (captured and died of wounds Oct. 1862)
Private John R. Matthews, Co. A
Private Henry Marks, Co. A
Private Ambrose M. Massey, Co. B
Private James C. McCall, Co. B (died of wounds Oct. 1862)
Private William McCall, Co. B
3rd Corporal Thomas A. Morrow, Co. H
Private Nelson Neighbors, Co. G
Private B.F. Outland, Co. A
Private Marcus L. Parker, Co. A
Private Samuel Rogers, Co. B
2nd Corporal C.N. Stephenson, Co. A (Captured also)
Private Sole Tesb, Co. H
Private John Whitsett, Co. H
Private W.W. Whitsett, Co. H
3rd Sergeant J.C. Withrow, Co. D
Private Marion York, Co. H

Captured/missing:
Private B.C.C. Armstrong, Co. K
Private Gay Bennett, Co. K
Private Charles B.B. Boykin, Co. A
Private Calvin H. Brooks, Co. B
Private R.B. Clinard, Co. K
Private William Cuthbertson, Co. B
Private James Gay, Co. A
Private H.H. Griffin, Co. K
Private James Griffith, Co. H
Private H. Grubb, Co. C
Private David Hendrick, Co. K
Private Henry Hendrick, Co. K
Private Kelan Hill, Co. K
Private Jackson Hill, Co. K
Private Micheal Hunter, Co. K
Private Andrew Jackson, Co. B
Private A. Marshall, Co. H
1st Sergeant James M. Mclarty, Co. B
Private Bedford B. Miles, Co. B
Private Alvin Noah, Co. H (missing)
Private Richard Pendleton, Co. G (missing)

From Hill's recollections and Timothy Reese's book, there are reports of 260 killed and wounded with 320 missing. From what I've collected here, there are 63 killed, 145 wounded, and 58 missing listed here for a total of 266 men. This accounts for 45.8% of the casualties numbers reported.



Sources:
 
John W. Moore. Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War between the States: Vol. 2. Raleigh, NC: Edwards, Broughton, and Co., 1882. Rosters of 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th,12th,13th,and 15th Infantry regiments
 
John W. Moore. Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War between the States: Vol. 2 Raleigh, NC: Edwards, Broughton, and Co., 1882. Rosters of 20th, 23rd, and 30th Infantry regiments
 
Timothy J. Reese. Sealed with There Lives: The battle of Crampton’s Gap Burkittsville, Maryland September 14, 1862. Baltimore: Butternut and Blue, 1998.