 The regiment was organized at the race track near Warrenton, North Carolina during the spring of 1861 and finally mustered in June with nearly 1600 officers and men.Its first commanding officer was Colonel Montford S. Stokes, a West Pointer turned regular Navy officer who had also been a Major with the North Carolina Volunteers during the Mexican–American War.The other field officers were Lieutenant-Colonel Matt W. Ransom and Major John A. McDowell.