1st Tarborough - November 5, 1862




North Carolina in the American Civil War

November 5, 1862 -- 1st Tarborough*
CSA Commander:	Col. George C. Gibbs	Union Commander:	Maj. Gen. John G. Foster
Killed:	-	Killed:	-
Wounded:	-	Wounded:	-
Captured:	-	Captured:	-
Original County:	Edgecombe	Current County:	Edgecombe

* Spelling changed to Tarboro in 1894. The next move of the 42nd NC Regiment (State Troops) was to Tarborough, NC, to meet the advance of the enemy from Little Washington, which resulted in a slight skirmish by the advance guard. The enemy having retired, the regiment was ordered to Franklin, VA, with headquarters at Blackwater Church. Immediately above written by former Major Thomas J. Brown on April 26, 1901, and provided as Pages 788-807, in the compilation known as "Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-'65 - Volume II," edited by Walter Clark. On November 4, 1862, the 42nd NC Regiment (State Troops) entrained for Weldon; from there the men marched to Tarborough, where they joined a Confederate force that was being concentrated to oppose a 5,000 man Union army advancing from New Bern under Maj. Gen. John G. Foster. The 42nd NC Regiment was engaged in a skirmish with this large Union army nine (9) miles east of Tarborough that same day. The Union army moved to within a few miles of Tarborough where they faced a growing Confederate force and decided to fall back, retiring to Plymouth where they boarded navy transports and returned to New Bern. There is no mention of any casualties on either side. The large Union army referenced above was led by Maj. Gen. John G. Foster (U.S. Army, Department of North Carolina), with three (3) brigades, three (3) batteries of artillery with twenty-one (21) field pieces, and a detachment of cavalry; totalling 5,000 men. Portions of this large army were involved in two (2) separate skirmishes just three (3) days earlier, on November 2nd — Little Creek, and Rawls's Mill in the adjacent Martin County. Three (3) Union officers provided reports about those two (2) earlier skirmishes, but none mentioned the Skirmish near Tarborough. It is likely that many or all of the units involved in the two (2) earlier skirmishes were involved in this one. Also likely that different units participated as well. For that expedition, all units have not been identified in the Official Records, but probably exist somewhere — this Author has not located them yet.
Known CSA Participants		Known Union Participants
42nd NC Regiment — Col. George C. Gibbs, Commanding Officer Lt. Co.. John E. Brown, Maj. Davidson A. Underwood Some or All of the Following Companies: Company A — Capt. Charles W. Bradshaw, 2nd Company B — Capt. William H. Crawford Company C — Capt. JAmes A. Howell, Company D — Capt. Joseph M. Roark, Company E — Capt. Thomas J. Brown, Company F — Capt. Wiley A. Clement, Company G — Capt. James A. Blackwelder, Company H — Capt. Jackson M. Hartsell, Company I — Capt. Edwin D. Earnhardt, Company K — Capt. Sydenham B. Alexander		Maj. Gen. John G. Foster — Commanding Officer - - - - - - -
Sources:
Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-'65 - Volume II," edited by Walter Clark, PP.788-807. North Carolina Troops: 1861-1865, A Roster, Volume X, P.188.