McRae's Battalion, North Carolina Cavalry

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Brief History
McRae's Battalion North Carolina Cavalry was formed in September 1863 by order of the Confederate Secretary of War. Most of the men assigned to this battalion were liable to conscription, and were between age 18 and 45. McRae was able to raise four companies from conscripted men and was joined at some point by Captain McMillan's Independent Cavalry Company from Ashe County. The battalion was formally disbanded at Raleigh on June 1, 1864. Most of remaining men were assigned to the 9th North Carolina State Troops (1st North Carolina Cavalry). Some were beyond the age of active campaigning, and Captain McMillan was able to keep some of his men together. They returned to Ashe County to patrol the western border of that most loyal of western North Carolina counties.

"Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
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.

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.