49th North Carolina Infantry The 49th North Carolina Regiment was a Confederate States Army regiment during the American Civil War attached to the Army of Northern Virginia . Organization and Training . The companies of the 49th North Carolina Infantry Regiment were recruited in the following counties : Many of the recruits were members that had enlisted earlier in the war , but for lack of weapons were not able to be mustered into service . The companies were organized in their home counties and made their way to Camp Mangum in Raleigh , where they were organized as the 49th North Carolina Infantry Regiment . While at Camp Mangum the regimental officers were elected with Stephen Dodson Ramseur as colonel . Campaign Actions . After training , the unit was transferred to Richmond , Virginia , where they were placed in Major General Robert Ransom , Jr . ' s brigade . While here they participated in the Seven Days Battles , with Col . Ramseur being wounded in the arm at the Battle of Malvern Hill . After his recovery he would be promoted to Brigadier General and assigned elsewhere . LeRoy McAfee assumed command of the 49th NCT , being promoted to full Colonel on 1 , November 1862 , and held that post until the army ' s surrender at Appomattox . The 49th fought under General Robert E . Lee as part of the Army of Northern Virginia throughout the Peninsula Campaign . They participated in the capture of Harper ' s Ferry , Virginia , and then were force marched to Sharpsburg , Maryland for the Battle of Antietam . After their arrival in Sharpsburg the 49th was posted in reserve near Burnside ' s Bridge . After some time resting they were ordered to support the attack at the west woods . There they pushed the Union troops out of the woods until they were halted at the edge of the cornfield . They remained in this position , under almost constant artillery shelling , for the rest of the day and into the night . Afterward the army fell back and took up position near Fredericksburg , Virginia . The 49th participated in the battle there being posted on Marye ' s Heights . Shortly after the battle General Ransom ' s Brigade was recalled to eastern North Carolina . The 49th served in the New Bern area and near the Chowan River in North Carolina with the purpose of protecting the Petersburg / Weldon / Wilmington railroad . During this time they fought frequent skirmishes with Union cavalry forces attempting to raid the railroad . Returning to Virginia the unit participated in several battles as part of the Bermuda Hundred Campaign , eventually taking their place in the Petersburg line on the Confederate left just south of the James River . On 30 July 1864 , the Union army exploded thousands of pounds of gunpowder they had placed into a mine dug under the Confederate position . Ransom ' s brigade was at this time being commanded by Colonel McAfee . The 49th was posted close by and was rushed to the crater to help hold off the assault by the Union troops . They took up a position on the left of the crater with their lines at an angle fronting the Confederate breastworks and the crater . They played a conspicuous part in repelling the assault and ensuring that the Army of Northern Virginia was not cut in half . It was during the fighting here that the unit ' s flag was captured by Union troops . This flag is now in the archives of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond , awaiting funding for restoration . After the Battle of the Crater it was determined by General Lee to attempt to break out of the siege . The 49 NCT was part of this attack and hit the Union line at Fort Stedman . The 49th was one of the units that made it into and occupied the fort until they were compelled to retreat to their own lines by the Union counterattack . On 9 April 1865 , General Robert E . Lee ordered a retreat . During the retreat the 49th was surrounded , and many were captured or scattered at the Battle of Five Forks . According to government records , 11 officers and 95 men from the 49th NCT eventually registered on the parole records at Appomattox . Casualties . The 49 NCT lost the following casualties during the war : According to government records it surrendered 11 officers and 95 men on April 9 , 1865 . The " Modern " 49th North Carolina Infantry . The 49th North Carolina Infantry is portrayed by the Southern Piedmont Historical Reenactment Society based in central North Carolina . The group portrays both the 49th NC and the 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry . They participate in battle reenactments and living history demonstrations throughout the eastern United States . References . Brig . Gen Robert Ransom Jr . ' s Official Report for the Battle of Antietam Civil War Letter From Colonel LeRoy M . McAfee , CSA National Parks Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailor System