4th North Carolina Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries * North Carolina

4th North Carolina State Troops

1861
May 16 Organized at Garysburg at Camp Hill.

  • Company A – Iredell County.
  • Company B – Rowan County – Captain James H. Wood
  • Company C – Iredell County
  • Company D – Wayne County
  • Company E – Beaufort County
  • Company F – Wilson County
  • Company G – Davie County
  • Company H – Iredell County
  • Company I – Beaufort County
  • Company K – Rowan County.
June 28 Mustered into Confederate Service.
July 16 Governor John W. Ellis appointed Colonel George B. Anderson as commander of the 4th North Carolina. John A. Young as lieutenant colonel and Bryan Grimes as major.Lieutenant Colonel Young was detached from the regiment from the beginning. He was a clothing manufacturer and almost went bankrupt making uniforms for the army. Young supplied every member of the regiment with a uniform and cap at his own expense. He was eventually forced to leave the army due to an incurable skin disease.
August Moved to Virginia and assigned to the Manassas Garrison.
October Assigned to Manassas Garrison, Potomac District, Department of Northern Virginia.
1862
March Assigned to G.B. Anderson’s-Winder’s-Featherston’s Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
May 1 Major Bryan Grimes was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Absolom Simonton of Company A was promoted to major.
April-July

Peninsula Campaign
April 5-May 4

Siege of Yorktown
May 5

Battle of Williamsburg
May 31-June 1

Battle of Seven Pines

The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Grimes, who led the regiment in a charge that earned the regiment its nickname: the Bloody Fourth. It brought 25 officers and 520 enlisted men to the field, and lost 24 officers and 462 enlisted men killed and wounded. Major Simonton was killed. Lieutenant Colonel Grimes was the only unwounded officer in the regiment. After the color guard were killed John Stikeleather became the color bearer and remained so until the end of the war.
June-September Assigned to G.B. Anderson’s Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
June 9 Colonel George Anderson was promored to brigadier general.
June 19 Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Grimes was promoted to colonel.
June 25-July 1

Seven Days Battles
June 26

Beaver Dam Creek (Ellison’s Mills)
June 27

Battle of Gaines’s Mill (First Cold Harbor)
June 30

Glendale (Nelson’s Farm)
July 1

Battle of Malvern Hill
September 5 Engagement at Malvern Hill
September Assigned to G.B. Anderson’s Brigade, D.H. Hill’s Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
September 5 Crossed the Potomac River at White’s Point. Colonel Bryan Grimes was badly injured when he was kicked by a horse, and had to accompany the regiment’s march in an ambulance.
September 6 Skirmish at Mouth of the Monocacy
September 14

Battle of South Mountain

The regiment fought at Fox’s Gap. Colonel Bryan Grimes left his ambulance had himself placed on his horse for the battle. The regiment lost 12 casualties.
September 15 Colonel Bryan Grimes’s leg worsened and there was discussion of amputation. He was taken to Sherpherdstown and then Winchester, where he remain until November.
September 17

Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

The regiment was commanded at the start of the battle by Captain Edward Osborne. It lost six men killed and 40 wounded, with every officer killed or wounded. After Captain Osborne was wounded (and later captured) in the brutal fighting in the Sunken Lane, Captain William T. Marsh commanded the regiment until he was killed. Captain Daniel P. Latham then took command until he was mortally wounded.
September 19-20

Battle of Shepherdstown (Boteler’s Ford)
November Colonel Grimes returned from sick leave and resumed command of the regiment.
December 13

Battle of Fredericksburg

Colonel Bryan Grimes temporarily commanded the brigade.
Late December Captain Osborne was exchanged and returned to the regiment. He was promoted to major.
1863
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign
May 1-4

Battle of Chancellorsville

The regiment lost 45 men killed and 110 wounded. Captain Samuel Kelly of Company K was wounded.
June 9

Brandy Station and Beverly Ford
June 13 Action at Winchester
June 14 Skirmish at Martinsburg
June 15

Second Battle of Winchester
June 29 Skirmish with Perry’s Militia a few miles north of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment brought 196 men to the field, and lost 61 casualties. On the first day at Oak Hill they took more prisoners than they had men on the field. They claimed the honor of being the first Confederate unit to enter Gettysburg.
July 10–13

Skirmish at Hagerstown, Maryland Skirmish at Warrenton October 13, 1863;
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign

The regiment lost 18 casualties.
October 13

Skirmish at Warrenton
October 26-
November 10		 Operations in Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties
November 7-8 Kelly’s Ford, Operations Against the Advance on the Line of the Rappahannock
November-December

Mine Run Campaign
November 27

Mine Run
November 30 Skirmish with sharpshooters
December 3 Morton’s Ford
1864
February 6-7 Barnett’s Ford; Demonstrations on the Rapidan River
May 5-6

Battle of the Wilderness

Major Osborne commanded the division’s sharpshooter battalion.
May 8-21

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Colonel Bryan Grimes temporarily commanded the brigade after General Ramseur was wounded. He led the regiment in a countercharge and hand to hand fighting to reclaim captured ground in the Mule Shoe on May 12. It lost 46 men killed and 72 wounded. Major Edwin Osborne was wounded, and was afterwards promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Captain Samuel Kelly of Company K was wounded.
May 18-31

Totopotomy River
May 22-26

Battle of North Anna
May 31-June 1
Bethesda Church
June 1-3

Battle of Cold Harbor
June

Lynchburg Campaign

Assigned to Cox’s Brigade, Rodes’s-Grimes’s Division, Army of the Valley
June 18 Arrived at Lynchburg. Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Osborne was promoted to colonel.
June 19 Began the pursuit of Hunter’s Federal forces, skirmish at Liberty.
June 20 Skirmish at Buford Gap
June 21 Skirmish at Salem
June 22-27 After resting for a day the regiment resumed the pursuit to Staunton.
July 4 Arrived at Harpers Ferry, capturing Bolivar Heights in the morning. By evening Federal forces were driven across the Potomac to Maryland Heights.
July 6 Crossed the Potomac at Pack Horse Ford at Shepherdstown, engaged the Federal garrison at Bolivar Heights and moved through Crampton’s Gap to Frederick.
July 9

Battle of Monocacy
July 10 Resumed the march to Washington
July 11 After a very hot, duty and fatiguing march arrived in the evening in front of Fort Stevens of the Washington Defenses, within sight of the Capitol dome and skirmished with Federal troops.
July 12 Reinforcements of the Federal 6th Corps arrived from the Petersburg front and the day was spent in heavy skirmishing in which President Lincoln came under fire. The Confederates began their retreat after sundown.
July 15 Crossed the Potomac near Leesburg during the night, pursued by Federal cavalry.
July 17 Crossed the Blue Ridge at Snickers Gap.
July 18

Snickers Ford

Attacked and forced the Federal position at the ford. Colonel Wood was killed, and Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Osborne was promoted to colonel. Major Stancill was mortally wounded.
July 19-20 Moved toward Stratsburg and to the support of Ramseur’s Division.
July 21 Retired to Fisher’s Hill
July 24 Kernstown
August 17 Skirmish at Winchester
August 21-22 Skirmish at Charlestown
August 29 Skirmish at Smithfield
September 3 Skirmish at Bunker Hill
September 4 Berryville
September 13 Abraham’s Creek
September 14 Skirmish near Berryville
September 15 Sevier’s Ford, Opequan Creek
September 19

Third Battle of Winchester

Captains Henry May Warren of Company F and Samuel Kelly of Company K were wounded and captured.
September 22

Battle of Fisher’s Hill
September 23-24 Withdrew up the Valley to Waynesboro.
September 26-28 Port Republic
October 1-13 Advanced down the valley to Fisher’s Hill.
October 19

Battle of Cedar Creek

Color bearer Ensign John Stikeleather was wounded.
November 23 Skirmish at Rude’s Hill near Mount Jackson
December

Siege of Petersburg

The regiment rejoined Lee’s army around Richmond and was assigned to Cox’s Brigade, Grimes’s Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
1865
February 5–7
Dabney’s Mills
March 25

Fort Stedman
April 1 Colonel Edwin Osborne was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps due to his wounds.
April 2
Fort Mahone
April 5 Rennes Salient
April 6

Battle of Sayler’s Creek
April 7
Farmville and High Bridge
April 9

Appomattox Court House

The brigade fired the last volley of the Army of Northern Virginia in the fight before the surrender. Eight officers and 101 men surrendered with Lee’s army.