Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/28

This page needs to be proofread.

20 Southern Historical Society Papers.

this University manifest their devotion to the cause. The Univer- sity of North Carolina saw its alumni occupying positions in the Confederate army from private to Lieutenant-General, and it made its offerings on the altar of the grim god of war from every rank with the sole exception of major-general, and she was not less lib- eral with the highest in rank than with the lowest. Of the Confed- erate officers highest in rank who were slain in battle, one had at- tained the rank of general ; three were lieutenant-generals and Jiere again, the University was called on to give more than her share to the sacrifice, in the person of Leonidas Polk. She lost besides, Lieutenant-General Polk, four Brigadier-Generals, Anderson, Branch, Garrottand Pettigrew, eleven colonels, nine lieutenant-colo- nels and eight majors.

This University claims further, more than her proportion of the commanders of North Carolina regiments that became distinguished because of their heavy losses in individual battles. There are nine regiments of which we have records of the numbers carried into battle, and the losses sustained in each. Thus the 33rd North Car- olina, under the command of C. M. Avery, met with a loss of forty-one and four-tenths per cent at Chancellorsville; the 3d North Carolina lost fifty per cent at Gettysburg; the 4th North Carolina under G. B. Anderson, fifty-four and four-tenths per cent at Seven Pines; the yth North Carolina, fifty-six and two-tenths per cent at Seven Days: the i8th, under R. H. Cowan, fifty-six and five-tenths per cent at Seven Days; the ,ist North Carolina battalion, under John D. Taylor, fifty seven percent at Bentonsville; the 27th North Carolina, sixty-one and two-tenths per cent at Sharpsburg; the 2nd North Carolina battalion, sixty-three and seven-tenths per cent at Gettysburg; the 26th North Carolina, under H. K. Burgwyn, eighty-six and three-tenths per cent at Gettysburg. It will be seen that four of the nine regiments were under command of University men at the time of meeting their heaviest loss.

The following list of North Carolina regiments suffering heavy losses is extracted from Colonel Fox's book. It is given for general infor- mation and for the reason that about one-half of these regiments at the time of sustaining their losses had University men as colonels or lieutenant-colonels [viz: 33, 26, 21, 4, 23, 35,49 (Major), 18, 48, 13, 6, 49, 57, 48 (Major), 18, 13, 17, 4, 33, 23, 18, 26, u, 45, 55, 6, 5, 43. 23]: