8th Regiment, Confederate Cavalry (Dearing's)

HISTORICAL NOTES:
Yhr 8th Regiment, Confederate Cavalry (Dearing's) was composed of the former 12th North Carolina Cavalry Battalion and several other companies, as well as a battery of light artillery. It was formed in January, 1864, to serve under General Pickett.

In April 1864, while Dearing participated in the operations at New Bern and Plymouth, he was ordered back to the Army of Northern Virginia with his official rank of Lieutenant Colonel; to take command of its horse artillery. Virtually at the same time the opening phases of the Siege of Petersburg changed Colonel Dearing's service branch again. On April 29, 1864, he was slated for promotion to brigadier general; and though his promotion was not approved by the Congress of the Confederate States he served with that rank as commander of a cavalry brigade. Still in the Department of Southern Virginia and North Carolina, now under command of P.G.T. Beauregard, Dearing and his confederate brigade (with its own artillery) served as scout and fire brigade.

In July Dearing was given a command in the ANV again, serving in the cavalry division of Major General W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee. His new brigade consisted of the 8th Georgia, 4th and 65th North Carolina cavalry regiments as well as the 16th North Carolina Battalion; later changed included the addition of the 7th Confederate Cavalry. He was falsely reported to be killed in the Battle of Boydton Plank Road. When Beauregard gained command of the Department of the West in winter 1864 he recommended Dearing for a division command, but his recommendation was not followed.

During the Appomattox Campaign Dearing was given another brigade in the division of his old friend and West Point classmate Major General Thomas L. Rosser, composed of the 7th, 11th and 12 Virginia Cavalry regiments and the 35th Virginia Battalion. At the Battle of High Bridge on April 6, 1865, Dearing and his cavalry clashed with a union force of infantry and cavalry. He fought a close range pistol duel with the union commanders, Colonels Theodore Read and Francis Washburn. Read was killed on the spot, supposedly by Dearing. While Washburn was mortally wounded by a bullet through the mouth Dearing was mortally wounded himself when he was shot through the lungs, and he was taken prisoner. Brought to Lynchburg's old city hotel (christened "Ladies´ Relief Hospital"), on April 13 he was visited and paroled by his old West Point classmate, Brigadier General Ranald S. Mackenzie, then commanding in Lynchburg. Dearing died on April 22 (like Colonel Washburn), and is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery.

Members of Dearing's brigade cut through the Federal lines at Gettysburg and made their way to join Johnston in North Carolina where they surrendered with the Army of Tennessee. OFFICERS:

Lieut. Colonel James Dearing

ASSIGNMENTS:
Assigned to Dearing’s Brigade, W. H. F. Lee’s Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. SERVICE:

Boydton Plank Road

High Bridge

ROSTERS:
The compiled service records of this unit contains the names of 472 men.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:



REFERENCES: