In April 1862, the Civil War was entering its second year and North Carolina was rallying to supply more troops for the Confederacy. The Partisan Ranger Act, passed by the Confederate Congress on April 21, prompted local leaders to recruit companies of irregular soldiers for service in the Confederate Army. Seven such companies were banded together into a regiment to form the 4th North Carolina Cavalry: a true cross-section of North Carolina, it contained soldiers from the largest urban areas and smallest rural areas from fifteen counties.
This history of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry is based largely on primary source material—the official records, letters, diaries and recollections of the soldiers. The 4th North Carolina saw action in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and was a part of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The roster comprises a large part of the book and provides biographical, genealogical and military information about each soldier.

Neil Hunter Raiford has written multiple books on military history. He lives in Brownsboro, Alabama.

Neil Hunter Raiford
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 302
Bibliographic Info: 43 photos, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2956-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0412-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments      1

Independent Companies of Partisan Rangers      5
First Taste of Fire: Skirmishes Along the Blackwater      13
The Battle of Whitehall      23
Movements in Eastern North Carolina      32
J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry: Brandy Station      38
Fights in the Loudoun Valley      45
Gettysburg      52
The North Carolina Cavalry Brigade      58
Defending Petersburg      66
Reams’ Station, the Cattle Raid, and Hatcher’s Run      75
To Appomattox: The Final Months of the War      83
The Roster of Troops      89

Appendix: Listing of Missing Troops      253
Notes      255
Bibliography      267
Index      275

Winner, Willie Parker Peace Award—North Carolina Society of Historians.
“a labor of love…valuable”—The Civil War News; “interesting”—The Civil War Courier; “in-depth”—Midwest Book Review.