March 14
By: Joshua Klein
On this day in 1862, Abner Bynum Carmichael (1831-1862) of the 26th North Carolina Regiment would not see the sun set, dying at the Battle of New Bern. A single, wealthy merchant from Wilkes County, with a real estate value of $3100 and personal estate value of $7800 (roughly $121,000 and $303,000 in 2025 currency), Carmichael helped recruit Company C of the 26th North Carolina, to which he was appointed Captain. On August 27, 1861, while his regiment camped on Bogue Island to defend Fort Macon, Carmichael was promoted to Major. In January 1862, his regiment moved to the defense of the river port of New Bern, and defended the right flank at the Battle of New Bern on March 14, 1862. Carmichael commanded his unit next to the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, a few miles south of the town. Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside fervently attempted to take his position, and respected the 26th North Carolina’s defense. Union observers declared his regiment to be “the best armed and fought the most gallantly of any of the enemy's forces; their position was almost impregnable so long as their left flank resting on the railroad was defended.” As Union pressure became overwhelming, Major Carmichael was killed instantly by gunshots to the mouth and neck at about 11:00 a.m. The Fayetteville Observer reported his death on June 5, 1862, declaring that he and his comrades “sealed their devotion to the cause with their blood.” A beloved man by his family and regiment, comrades declared, “a braver, nobler soldier never fell on field of battle.”
Map of the Battle of New Bern (the 26th North Carolina is circled in blue)
Sources:
Weymouth T. Jordan, Jr. North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster, 7:463; 1860 U.S. Census: Wilkes County, NC; Fayetteville Observer, June 5, 1862; North Carolina in the American Civil War: 26th North Carolina Regiment (Infantry), carolana.com
