And the winner is….

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the little poll that I ran while I was gone.

The 18th North Carolina received the most votes. The 18th NCST’s claim to fame is that they were the regiment that mortally wounded General Jackson (whose birthday was yesterday) at the battle of Chancellorsville. In their defense, they did not know that Jackson and his staff were in front of them that night. As the regiment marched up that afternoon, they could see the remnants of the Federal cavalry charge, and they were nervous as they came on line that evening. There was already a lot of firing to their right, and well, Jackson and his staff were moving at a brisk rate in their front through the dry underbrush. No one, not the 18th NCST, nor their officers, nor Brig Gen. James H. Lane, were ever officially blamed for the mistake.

I guess the other interesting fact about the 18th NCST is the large number of immigrants within the ranks. Company A of the regiment was known as the “German Volunteers” and you will find men from Hanover, Wurttemberg, Prussia, Hesse-Cassel, Hesse Nassau, Konigsberg, Cologne, Oldenburg, Ludwighafen am Rhein, Lubeck, Garmstadt, Luxembourg, and Bremerhaven in Germany. Other countries represented in Company A include Prussia, France, Bavaria, Denmark, and England. Company B’s first captain, Robert Haft, hailed from Haddington, Scotland. Company E had a man from Ireland (Edward Stanton). Company F had a fellow from Italy (Lewis Capalini). Lt. James D. McPeake of Company G was from County Derry, Ireland, Pvt. Samuel I. Dyer was from Guernsey, England, and Henry Webb was from Stratford on Avon, England. Company K’s first captain was George Tait, from Haddington, Scotland, and Pvt. Daniel Sullivan was from County Cork, Ireland, not to mention men from Virginia, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, New York, Florida, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

Could there be a more cosmopolitan unit in the Confederate service--men from eight different counties and twelve different states?

Thanks again to everyone who voted.