Holiday Assignment #4

Lastly, for this assignment, I have decided to write a little about the North Carolina 37th and their role both in and out of the state. This regiment is also known as the Tar Heels. It has so far been difficult to find enough information about them, and the only resources I can find are websites. Some books I have found have small paragraphs of information, but that’s about it. It began in 1861 and was created as soon as the war had begun. Most of its volunteers were from the mountainous west or from around Charlotte. They were initially given muskets and lead balls, a technology that was dated at the time. These were replaced later by converted percussion cap rifles, many of which were converted from muskets captured in the War of 1812. The regiment itself played a major role in battles from Northern Virginia to Gettysburg. Heir most famous battle occurred while deterring the advance from General Ambrose Burnsides down through the Carolinas. Although they were successful in temporarily prolonging the life of the Confederacy, they were unsuccessful in maintaining proper numbers and morale, and their colonel had been captured and was going to be used by federal soldiers, along with 49 other confederate officers, as cannon fodder. By the end of the war, 115 out of 2,000 soldiers, including officers, were able to surrender. They became known as the tar heels due to their ability to stand their ground in the numerous battles that they fought, but this tactic must have also caused such losses.