The 5th North Carolina Regiment was assigned on March 26, 1776, to the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
in the Southern Department. It was organized in the spring of 1776 at Wilmington, North Carolina, as eight companies of volunteers from the districts of New Bern, Edenton and Hillsborough District of North Carolina. On February 5, 1777, the regiment was assigned to the main
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
and assigned to the
North Carolina Brigade on July 8, 1777. The regiment was reduced to a cadre on June 1, 1778, at
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement. It is located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schu ...
and was assigned to the Southern Department. The regiment was re-organized to nine companies during the fall of 1778 at Halifax and assigned on January 11, 1779, to Sumner's Brigade. On 3 June 1779, this brigade was redesignated as Armstrong's Brigade. The regiment was captured by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
on 12 May 1780 at
Charlestown, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
and was officially disbanded on January 1, 1781.
History
The 5th North Carolina Regiment was organized in March 1776 as part of the Southern Department, where it remained till February 5, 1777. The companies from the regiment were first organized in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
and included men from
New Bern
New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...
,
Edenton, and other parts of the Hillsborough District. Soldiers served for tours of nine months at a time. Later that year on July 8, 1777, the regiment was assigned to the Northern Department of the Continental Army.
The 5th North Carolina Regiment was folded into the
3rd North Carolina Regiment
The 3rd North Carolina Regiment was raised on 16 January 1776 at Wilmington, North Carolina for service with the Continental Army. In April, Jethro Sumner was appointed colonel. The regiment was present at the defense of Charleston in June 1776 ...
, commanded by Col
Jethro Sumner
Jethro Exum Sumner ( – c. March 18, 1785) was a senior officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Virginia, Sumner's military service began in the French and Indian War as a member of the state's Prov ...
sometime after May 29, 1778. The soldiers that remained with the army remained with the 3rd until January 1779 when the 5th North Carolina Regiment was reestablished under the Southern Command with
Col Thomas Clark as commander. The command did not last longer than early 1780. It was officially disbanded on January 1, 1781. Most of the remaining men were absorbed into the 3rd North Carolina Regiment.
Officers

Known Field grade officers:
*
Col. Edward Buncombe (April 15 May 1778)
*
Col. Thomas Clark (1779)
* Lt. Col. Henry Irwin
*
Lt. Col. William Lee Davidson
* Lt. Col. Henry "Hal" Dixon
* Maj. Levi Dawson
* Maj. Thomas Hogg
* Maj. Reading Blount (brother of Thomas Blount)
The brother of Major Reading Blount, Lieutenant
Thomas Blount, served with this unit until he was captured and taken to prison in England.
Known engagements
The 5th North Carolina Regiment served with the
North Department in 1777 and with the
Southern Department in 1779:
* September 11, 1777,
Battle of Brandywine Creek
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Am ...
in Pennsylvania
* October 4, 1777,
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American ...
in Pennsylvania
* March 3, 1779,
Battle of Brier Creek
The Battle of Brier Creek was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on March 3, 1779, near the confluence of Brier Creek (Savannah River), Brier Creek with the Savannah River in eastern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. An American Patriot (Am ...
in Georgia
* June 20, 1779,
Battle of Stono Ferry
The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by po ...
in South Carolina
* September 16, to October 18, 1779,
Siege of Savannah
The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...
in Georgia (one unit)
References
{{NCRevWarUnits
North Carolina regiments of the Continental Army
Military units and formations established in 1776
Military units and formations disestablished in 1781