The Rowan Museum at 202 N. Main St. has for sale the newly released “The Rowan Rifle Guards, a History of Company K, 4th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops 1857-1865.”
The book was written by Phillip Hatfield, Ph. D., of Raeford, and the copies have been signed by the author.
Tom Belton, curator of military history of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, says, “It is a detailed account of the experiences of a North Carolina infantry company in the American Civil War.”
From the back cover: “The Rowan Rifle Guards initially formed in 1857 as a Volunteer infantry company. Those zealous young men saw membership as more of a social stepping stone than military service. When the Civil War erupted in April of 1861, sixty-five excited volunteers hastily stepped forward to help garrison the North Carolina coast. Re-designated as Company K, 4th North Carolina State Troops in July, 1861, the Rowan Rifles ranks swelled with over one hundred men. Company K served in every bloody engagement waged by the Army of Northern Virginia. As in all wars, the harsh realities of active campaign quickly destroyed any naďve misconceptions of finding glory in the war. This epic struggle tested their devotion to principal and to each other. The shattered company surrendered sixteen survivors at Appomattox on April 9, 1865 as a testament to their faithfulness. The transition of this antebellum era Volunteer militia unit into battle hardened veterans is documented using several previously unpublished soldier accounts and military documents.”
The author holds degrees in psychology and history. A member of the Company of Military Historians since 2006, Hatfield has published several articles related to North Carolina and West Virginia in the Civil War.
He is a native of West Virginia and moved to North Carolina in 1992. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and participated in rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Employed by the federal government at Fort Bragg, he is planning more studies related to the 4th NCST for future publication.
The book is $25. The museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.