The Pettigrew-Kirkland-MacRae Brigade was one of North Carolina's
best-known and most successful units during the Civil War. Formed
in 1862, the brigade spent nearly a year protecting supply lines
before being thrust into its first major combat at Gettysburg.
There, James Johnston Pettigrew's men pushed back the Union's famed
Iron Brigade in vicious fighting on July 1 and played a key role in
Pickett's Charge on July 3, in the process earning a reputation as
one of the hardest-fighting units in Robert E. Lee's Army of
Northern Virginia. Despite suffering heavy losses during the
Gettysburg campaign, the brigade went on to prove its valor in a
host of other engagements. It marched with Lee to Appomattox and
was among the last Confederate units to lay down arms in the
surrender ceremony.
Earl Hess tells the story of the men of the
Pettigrew-Kirkland-MacRae Brigade, and especially the famous 26th
North Carolina, chronicling the brigade's formation and growth
under Pettigrew and its subsequent exploits under William W.
Kirkland and William MacRae. Beyond recounting the brigade's
military engagements, Hess draws on letters, diaries, memoirs, and
service records to explore the camp life, medical care, social
backgrounds, and political attitudes of these gallant Tar Heels. He
also addresses the continuing debate between North Carolinians and
Virginians over the failure of Pickett's Charge.