the 33rd North Carolina. On March 14, 1862,
Hoke fought conspicuously at the defeat of
New Bern, North Carolina, and was the only
officer to acquire any distinction. His regiment
then shuttled back to Virginia as part of Gen.
Robert E. Lee’s forces. Hoke fought aggres-
sively through the Peninsula campaign against
Gen. George B. McClellan, and at Glendale on
June 30, 1862, his men captured a federal bat-
tery. He performed similar work at Second
Manassas that summer and at Antietam in the
fall, winning high praise. Hoke was rewarded
with a promotion to colonel of the 21st North
Carolina Infantry, then part of Gen. Jubal A.
Early’s division. On December 13, 1862, he ren-
dered extremely useful service at the climactic
Battle of Fredericksburg, when, commanding
the entire brigade of Gen. Isaac R. Trimble, he
repulsed Union troops under Gen. George G.
Meade and sealed off a break in the Confeder-
ate line. Pursuing vigorously, the surging North
Carolinians went on to capture 300 additional
prisoners. In recognition of this fine perform-
ance, Hoke became a brigadier general as of
January 19, 1863. He was then but 26 years old.
In the spring of 1863 Hoke returned home
for the express and unsavory task of rounding
up deserters in the North Carolina backcoun-
try and the suppression of banditry. He subse-
quently fought well in the opening phases of
the Chancellorsville campaign and was se-
verely wounded in the arm. Hoke conse-
quently missed Gettysburg, although his
brigade was present and fought well. Return-
ing to North Carolina to convalesce, Hoke
performed recruiting duty while also direct-
ing statewide sweeps for deserters and other
undesirables. In January 1864, he joined a
force under Gen. George E. Pickett that had
been detailed for the reduction of New Bern,
still in Union hands. Pickett’s attacks failed,
but several weeks later Hoke received per-
mission to commence operations against an-
other coastal garrison at Plymouth, on the
southern bank of the Roanoke River. Backed
by the mighty ironclad ramAlbemarle,Hoke
forced Gen. Henry W. Wessels to surrender on
April 21, 1864, with nearly 3,000 prisoners. It
was a startling victory for such a young sol-
dier, and Hoke received the thanks of the
Confederate Congress. President Jefferson
Davisalso personally authorized his promo-
tion to major general, the South’s youngest.
Hoke enjoyed a sterling reputation as a
regimental-grade officer and a brigadier gen-
eral, and the Army of Northern Virginia enter-
tained high hopes for his future performance
at the head of a division. He fought well
enough under Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard at
Bermuda Hundred (May 10, 1864) and helped
bottle up the army of Gen. Benjamin F. Butler.
Unfortunately, the young leader’s talents
seemed to have been stretched to the limit
with increasing amounts of troops and re-
sponsibilities. In a succession of battles from
Drewry’s Bluff to Cold Harbor, his attacks
lacked their usual dash and decisive effect.
More serious, Hoke seemed incapable of co-
ordinating his efforts with those of other com-
manders. During the siege of Petersburg on
June 24, 1864, he launched a mistimed attack
that recoiled with great loss. Three months
later, Hoke unsuccessfully tried three times to
recapture Fort Harrison away from federal
troops. By December 1864, his division had
been pulled out of line and sent home. There
Hoke joined up with Gen. Braxton Braggfor
the defense of Fort Fisher, a massive fortifica-
tion guarding the entrance to Wilmington,
North Carolina. When Union forces finally
stormed the works, Bragg prevented him
from launching attacks that may have recap-
tured it. Hoke last saw combat as part of
Joseph E. Johnston’s army at the Battle of
Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865). There Con-
federate forces failed to stop the advance of
Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, and Hoke
surrendered with Johnston the following
month.
Despite his justly won celebrity, Hoke lived
modestly and quietly during the postwar era.
He overcame poverty and dislocation to run
several iron mines, and he also functioned as
the director of the North Carolina Railroad.
The dashing, capable Hoke died in obscurity
at Raleigh on July 3, 1912, not perfect but cer-HOKE, ROBERTFREDERICK