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37th North Carolina, Company A Our unit is part of the R.A.C.W. (Reenactors of the American Civil War). We are based in Northern California. |
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ROSTER OF COMPANY A 37TH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Hardee's Rifle and Infantry Tactics Mudcat.org has a database of lyrics for American folk songs. Upcoming Events: Galt Last Updated 11 May 2005
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History of the 37th North Carolina
The Ashe Beauregard Riflemen A
Brief History of the Company A 37th NC State Troops The
Ashe Beauregard Riflemen were raised in Ashe County, NC during the summer
of 1861 and enlisted on Aug. 27, 1861 in Jefferson NC. Ashe County is the
most northwest county in North Carolina. It borders Grayson and Washington
counties, Virginia to the north and Johnson county Tennessee to the west.
In the 1860 census Ashe County had a population of 7,956 of which
7,423 were white, 142 free blacks and 391 slaves.
In the 1860 Presidential Election the county voted 229 for
Breckinridge, 717 for Bell, 1 for Douglas, and none for Lincoln.
In the 1861 vote calling for a State Convention for secession Ashe
County’s retunes were together with Allegheny County.
The vote was 259 yes and 1,013 no.
Ashe and Allegheny counties sent only one Delegate to the Secession
Convention who was for staying in the Union.
During
its time in service there were 206 men who served in Company A of the
37th. Of these 206 men, 22
would be killed in action and another 20 would die of wounds.
Thirty-seven would die of disease and at least two were shot by
firing squad. For 50 of these
men the war would end as POWs. Of these 4 would join the Union Army and 13 would die in
prison. Twenty-one men would
desert, most of them in March of 1865.
One deserter joined the Union Army.
There were only one officer and eight men of Company A to surrender
at Appomattox.
The Ashe Beauregard Riflemen were accepted into North Carolina
state service on November 20, 1861 as Company A 37th NC Inf. at Camp
Fisher, near High Point, NC. During the war 2,021 men served in the 37th and they came
from 37 different NC counties, 12 other states, (AL, MD, SC, GA, VA, IN,
TN, KY, MS, NY, PA, and TX) and three foreign countries (Germany, England,
and Ireland). The 37th
average age was 30.4 years old with the oldest being 65 and the youngest
being 15. Dallas M. Rigler
who enlisted at the age of 16 would become a Lieutenant at age 18. The
members of the 37th averaged five feet, eight and 1/2 inches tall.
The shortest being five foot one and 1/4 and the tallest being six
foot seven. Occupations of
the 37th included two lawyers, seven teachers, three clergyman, two coach
makers, two millwrights, 23 carpenters, two doctors, eight students, six
merchants, four mechanics, two wheel wrights, three miners, two masons,
and one each blacksmith, printer, cabinetmaker, saddler, shoemaker, tinner,
paper maker, moulder, clerk, artist, and cotton spinner.
Added to this were at least 852 farmers. The 37th was of all white
males except Franklin Cossens a free black man who enlisted on Sep. 14,
1861 and was killed in action at 2nd Manassas and Larkin Oxentine who was
Native American. Larkin enlisted Sep 14, 1861 and would serve until being
captured on March 25, 1865. On
Jan. 9, 1862 the 37th was sent to defend New Bern, NC.
They were put into a Brigade with the 7th, 18th, 28th, and 33rd
NCST. These units along with
the 37th would be together for the war and was named Branch’s Brigade.
It was named after General Lawrence O. Branch the brigade commander
until he was killed at Sharpsburg.
After Branch’s death General James Henry Lane took command of the
brigade and it was renamed Lane’s Brigade.
The name it would hold for the rest of the war.
In June of 1862 Branch’s Brigade was sent to Virginia to defend Richmond. The tar heels thought they would be out of their home state for just a short time but would never again fight in North Carolina. After the Seven Days Battles they were assigned to General A.P. Hills famed “Light Division” of General Jackson Corps. After Jackson’s death General Hill moved up to command a corps and General William Dorsey Pender took command of the Light Division until his death at Gettysburg. At Gettysburg during “Pickets Charge” the 37th was part of Trimble’s Division under the overall command of General Pettigrew. After Gettysburg, General Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox was put in command of the Light Division and would command it until the end of the war. The only other command change was after the death of General Hill on April 2, 1865 the division was put into Longstreet’s Corps for the last week of the war for the Army of Northern Virginia.
Things
a North Carolina Soldier Would Know. Governors 1859-1861 John Willis Ellis 1861-1862 Henry Toole Clark 1862-1865 Zebulon Baird Vance NC Units 69 regiments, and 4 battalions of infantry; 1 regiment, and 5 battalions of cavalry; 2 battalions of heavy artillery; and 9 batteries of light artillery. NC Losses In 1861 NC had a military population
of 115,369. NC had 5,151
killed in action or died of wounds. NC
also had 20,602 died of disease. By
comparison Virginia had a military population of 196,587 and had 2.519
killed or died of wounds and another 6,947 died of disease.
NC had less than 60% of the men of Virginia but NC had nearly three
times as many men died as Virginia. Tar Heel Name North Carolinians were noted during the 1700's for their production of tar and other naval stores. However, the state was generally referred to as "The Old North State" from its earliest days; this was also probably the most common nickname for the state during the Civil War There is circumstantial
evidence that the term "Tar Heel" was coined during the early
days of the war by the ANV troops of other states (particularly Virginia)
as a derogatory commentary on the crude and somewhat humble appearance of
the North Carolinians. However, the earliest written use of the term
to surface thus far is in a diary entry of Second Lt. William Lowrance of
the 46th NC Regiment. He wrote, "I know now what is meant by
the piney woods region of North Carolina and the idea occurs to me that it
is no wonder we are called “Tar Heels'". NC State Flag AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO A STATE FLAGBe it ordained by this
Convention, and it is hereby ordained by he authority of the
same, That the Flag of North Carolina shall consist of a red
field with a white star in the center, and with the inscription, above the
star, in a semi-circular form, of "May 20th, 1775," and below
the star, in a semi-circular form, of "May 20th, 1861." That
there shall be two bars of equal width, and the length This state flag, adopted in 1861, is said to have been issued to North Carolina regiments of state troops during the summer of 1861 and borne by them throughout the war. It was the only flag, except the national and Confederate colors, used by North Carolina troops during the Civil War. This flag existed until 1885, when the Legislature adopted a new model.
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