| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis is to uncover the history of those men who fought an irregular war in eastern North Carolina during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Within Union occupied counties, men took up arms against their common enemy and against each other. A civil war within the Civil War developed as Unionists and Confederate sympathizers fought to defend themselves and inflict injury upon their adversaries. By examining regimental histories, from both sides, newspapers, diaries, and official records, a picture of these soldiers emerged and who they were became apparent. Men who simply tired of the war sought only to defend their homes from the outlaws who directed their aggression against the helpless people of the region. To express the historical record of these men, I have examined the legal aspects of their style of warfare. The Preface defines the terms "guerrilla" and "partisan," and their relationships during the Civil War. The first chapter sets the scene of the conflict in the occupied region of North Carolina. Chapter Two discusses the rise of the Buffaloes, the North Carolinians who took up arms in support of the Union. Chapter Three looks at the Confederate Partisan Rangers as they arose to defend their homes. Chapter Four, the conclusion, brings the irregular war in North Carolina to an end and looks at some of the aftermath. Guerrilla warfare emerged as a defensive measure for many Confederate men. They sought to defend their families and property from a Union occupation force that strived to diminish their will to fight. |
