15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers

Brief History
Organized as the 5th Infantry Regiment Volunteers and mustered into Confederate service for 12 months at Garysburg, Northampton County, on 11 June 1861. Re-designated as the 15th Infantry Regiment on 14 November 1861. Reorganized on 2 May 1862. Companies L and M became 2nd Companies K and I, 32nd Infantry Regiment on 4 July 1862. 1st Company D traded for Company B, 49th Infantry Regiment, on 9 January 1863. It surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The records show 16 officers and 122 men were present on April 9, 1865.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 3037 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A - primarily from Northampton County

Company B - primarily from Union County

Company C - primarily from Cleveland County

1st Company D - primarily from Cleveland County

2nd Company D - transfers

Company E - primarily from Franklin County and Granville County

Company F - primarily from Harnett County

Company G - primarily from Franklin County

Company H - primarily from Alamance County

Company I - primarily from Edgecombe County

Company K - primarily from Edgecombe County

Company L - primarily from Franklin County

Company M - primarily from Chatham County

The information about the companies comes from A Guide to Military Organizations and Installations North Carolina 1861-1865 Information about the companies and their rosters are in Manarin and Jordan, North Carolina Troops 1861-1865 A Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘North Carolina in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * North Carolina in the Civil War describes many sources, specifically for North Carolina, and how to find them. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * John Wheeler Moore. Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War between the States. (Raleigh: Ash & Gatling, State printers, 1882). Internet Archive.