21st Infantry Regiment was organized in November, 1861, with men from what is known as the Pee Dee region of the state. It served for some time in the Charleston area attached to General Hagood's Brigade in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. During the spring of 1864 it moved to Virginia and was active at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor. The unit continued the fight in the Petersburg trenches, then took part in the North Carolina operations. On Morris Island, July 10-11, it lost 14 killed, 112 wounded, and 56 missing, and on August 7, there were 20 officers and 277 men fit for duty. The regiment reported 133 casualties from May 6-9, 1864, in front of Petersburg, 75 at Deep Bottom, and 61 at the Weldon Railroad. All of the men defending Fort Fisher were captured and the few who later served in the regiment surrendered with the Army of Tennessee. The field officers were Colonel Robert F. Graham, Lieutenant Colonels Alonzo T. Dargan and George W. McIver, and Majors J. Harleston and S.H. Wilds.