42nd
North Carolina Troops at Bentonville
Compliled by Dave Hunter
The regiment was assigned to Kirkland’s Brigade, Hoke’s
Division during the Carolinas Campaign. Our focus is normally on
the NC regiments that fought in the Army of Northern Virginia,
but the 42nd NCT is not typical of those regiments.
This regiment was organized at Salisbury in April 1862 and was used to
guard Federal prisoners at the Salisbury prison. The company was
organized with men from Mecklenburg, Union, and Wilkes Counties in
February and March 1862. It joined the regiment at Salisbury and
mustered in as Company K, 42nd NCT, on 26 May 1862.
The unit then deployed to Petersburg in June 1862 to reinforce Lee’s
Army , but was diverted to defend the Richmond area as an unassigned
regiment until the fall of 1862. For the remainder of 1862 and
1863 the regiment operated in southern Virginia and eastern North
Carolina, including a stint at Fort Branch and as part of the
Wilmington garrison. The unit conducted a variety of local
security, reconnaissance, and counter-guerilla operations and
participated in some small skirmishes. By October 1863, the regiment
was assigned to Martin’s Brigade, under the command of the former NC
Adjutant General, James G. Martin. In January 1864, the Regiment
received a new commander, Col. John E. Brown, who had been the
Lt. Col. of the 42nd NCT since 1862. Under Brown’s leadership,
the regiment was thoroughly drilled and obtained a reputation as a
well-trained and disciplined unit. According to the regiment’s
history:
His troops were drilled until they attained the utmost proficiency in
the manual of arms and when ordered to execute a
difficult movement at a critical moment, they never faltered nor blundered.
Also, is should be noted that Col Brown insisted that “...in the
Forty Second Regiment swearing was strictly forbidden”
The 42nd NCT saw its first major action in Maj.Gen George Pickett’s
operations against New Bern in February 1864. The brigade marched
from Wilmington and captured the Federal position at Newport Barracks
before returning to Wilmington. In April 1864, the brigade
returned to Virginia in time to fight in the Bermuda Hundred campaign
and was then assigned to the newly formed division of Maj.Gen Robert F.
Hoke. The regiment then participated in the repulse of the
Federals at Cold Harbor on 3 June. The unit returned to
Petersburg and deployed to the area of the defenses later known as
Colquitt’s Salient, by the Appomattox River, alternating duties on the
line with Colquitt’s Brigade. The brigade rotated out of the
position just two days before the Battle of the Crater began; the 42nd
NCT had occupied the position of the line directly over the mine. The
brigade moved back from reserve and defended the northern side of the
crater after the explosion on 30 July.
Grim days of trench warfare continued for the regiment until the
Federal threat to Wilmington forced Lee to detach Hoke’s Division in
December of 1864. The brigade, now commanded by William Kirkland,
consisted of the 17th, 42nd, and 66th NCT. It arrived in
Wilmington on midnight of 23 December and marched to Sugar Loaf . The
42nd was positioned along the ocean side of the works there to assist
in the defense of Fort Fisher. Company A was sent to Battery
Anderson and later overwhelmed by a Federal landing force. By the end
of the month, the brigade was withdrawn to Wilmington, and evacuated
the city on 22 February with Bragg’s forces. The 42nd NCT, less
Company A, formed the rear guard for Bragg’s retreat and
skirmished with Federal cavalry during this movement.
Hoke’s Division moved to intercepted a provisional Federal Corps moving
north at Wyse’s Forks, near Kinston, on 8 March. The brigade
occupied the left of the division’s line. After a difficult march
through swamps and dense woods, the 17th and 42nd NCT attacked the
Federal position from the flank and rear at 1100. After an hour and a
half of combat, they had driven the Federals back and captured between
1000 to 1800 prisoners (reports vary) and four pieces of
artillery. Later Confederate attacks were unsuccessful and Hoke
withdrew towards Goldsboro on 10 March. Company K of the 42nd was
particularly hard hit in these later attacks, losing 3 sergeants and 12
privates captured out of the approximately 44 officers and men
engaged. The division then moved to Smithfield to join Johnson’s
forces marshalling to confront Sherman’s main advance into the state.
The regiment arrived at Bentonville on 18 March, and spent the night
without fires and under orders to remain quiet. Company K
consisted of 4 officers, the First Sergeant and 24 privates (numbers
approximate) On 19 March, the 42nd NCT, as part of the brigade, covered
the deployment of the Johnson’s army at Bentonville. Returning to the
division line of battle, near the center of the Confederate position,
the brigade helped repulse the early Federal attacks, and participated
in the Confederate assault on the Morgan’s division of the XIV
Corps. On 20 March, Kirkland’s Brigade successfully defended from
its hasty entrenchments on the division’s right (just south of the
“Devil’s Racepath”), then withdrew with the army to the north on 22
March. Company K, 42nd NCT reported no losses at Bentonville. The
brigade passed through Raleigh on 11 April, Durham on 13 April,
marching on through Chapel Hill west toward High Point. By 26
April, the 42nd NCT was with Kirkland’s Brigade at Center Church in
Randolph County, three miles from High Point, where it was disbanded on
2 May.
Portraying the
42nd NCT
The appearance of the 42nd NCT at Bentonville would show the effects of
hard campaigning. The regiment moved from the Petersburg defenses
directly to the works at Sugar Loaf, then on the move from late January
through early March. We have not located much information on the
supply situation within the Brigade or Regiment. Eric Cleveland
was able to see the September/October 1864 muster rolls for several of
the companies and all noted that the company records/books were left
behind at Weldon “by order of Gen’l Martin” when the brigade deployed
to Virginia in 1864. He did locate the returns from one brigade
inspection conducted on 30 October 1864, which showed that the brigade
was in need of clothing and that the overall condition of the clothing
in use was rated “poor”. The brigade was armed with “rifles .58
caliber” and the only accouterment missing in any quantity was bayonet
scabbards.
Inspection of Hoke's Division, Kirkland's Brigade, October 30th 1864
(Consisted of 3 Regiments, 31 Companies, 1 General Officer, 8 General
Staff Officers, 90 Officers, and 1336 Enlisted Men)
Rifles .58 Caliber
Cartridges 40 rounds per man
“Clothing, Camp, and Garrison Equipment Deficient”
(although not specified on the form, “deficient” was probably both
missing and unserviceable items, as determined by the inspector)
Cartridge boxes |
18 |
Caps |
22 |
Bayonet Scabbards |
171 |
Shoulder Belts |
77 |
Waist Belts |
25 |
Overcoats |
1325 |
Coats |
662 |
Trowsers |
671 |
Shirts |
615 |
Drawers |
320 |
Shoes |
538 |
Hats |
00 |
Stockings |
1202 |
Blankets |
694 |
Haversacks |
878 |
Knapsacks |
237 |
Canteens |
592 |
Tents |
250 |
Axes |
95 |
Spades |
75 |
Camp Kettles |
180 |
Mess pans |
455 |
Condition of clothing: “poor”.
Soldiers reported as being well disciplined, with soldierly bearing,
etc.
The 42nd NCT would probably have been well supplied with NC issue
clothing through spring of 1864, since it was easily reached by rail
while at Kinston, Wilmington, and Petersburg. Once on campaign in
Virginia in 1864, continuous movement, battles, and duty in the
Petersburg trenches would quickly wear out existing clothing and
equipment. The arrival of clothing from the State would have
slowed down but some soldiers may have received clothing and equipment
from the Richmond depots as the situation permitted. Most of the
those wounded in Virginia from Company K did not return to the company
prior to Bentonville, so hospital issues of CS clothing would have been
negligible. Participation in successful actions at Bermuda
Hundred, Cold Harbor, and later at Wyse’s Forks would have given the
soldiers an opportunity to obtain some Federal items from these
battlefields. We have no information on what clothing or
equipment may have been obtained while in the Wilmington area. Based on what would logically have been available to the soldiers of
the regiment, here is a guide to what we should wear and use at
Bentonville.
Portraying the
42nd NCT
Jacket: NC
issue, Tait, RD Type III
Trousers: NC Issue, CS
Shirt: NC, CS/English, Civilian
Shoes: CS, English, captured US
Hat/Cap:
appropriate to ANV, 1864
Weapon:
M1861, Richmond, and P1853 rifle muskets, with Bayonets.
Sling optional, but appropriate to weapon. No cal..69 muskets,
M1841 or Lorenz rifles.
Cartridge Box: CS, captured US
Cap Box: CS, captured US
Bayonet
scabbard: CS, captured US
Waist belt:
CS frame, forked tongue, painted canvas with iron
roller buckle
Canteen:
CS tin or wooden drum, captured US
Haversack:
CS or captured US
Knapsack:
CS, English, or captured US
Blanket:
NC, CS or captured US
Oilcloth:
CS or captured US rubber blanket/poncho, US Shelter
Half
Mess equipment:
appropriate to NC troops on campaign in 1865
Personal items: appropriate to NC soldiers on campaign in 1865.
Ammunition: Unmarked
or Richmond Arsenal stamped cartridge
packets. There are no surviving packages or wrappers from the
Fayetteville Arsenal.
Rations: The
usual corn meal and salt pork, small amounts of fresh
beef, rice, potatoes and dried fruit. Any hardtack taken from the
Federals at Wyse’s Forks would have probably been consumed well before
Bentonville, so don’t bring any captured crackers.
Civilian clothing
and captured Federal items: Homemade jeans trousers, shirts, socks are
acceptable on a few, but nothing fancy. Hoke’s Division was
in and around Wilmington about two months. While the availability
of civilian or “private purchase” items might have been better due to
the items run through the blockade into the port, high prices would
have severely limited the average soldier’s ability to purchase
them. The locals in and around Wilmington, facing an uncertain
future, may have been reluctant to part with their goods. “Boxes
from home”, in this case from Mecklenburg, Union and Wilkes counties,
would have been problematical after the move to Virginia in 1864.
Transportation problems and shortages on the home front would hinder
families trying to send items to soldiers in the regiment. Captured
items should be limited as well; not every soldier captured a complete
set of Federal accouterments at Wyse’s Forks; same for individual
equipment. Limit other uniform items to shoes and a few
trousers. (...and remember that Alfred May was not in the
42nd NCT!).
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