James “Ned” Caldwell was born in Newberry County, South Carolina in December 1838, and when the war broke out, he enlisted as a private in Company E, “Quitman Rifles”, 3rd South Carolina Infantry on June 6th, 1861, mustering in at Columbia. His father, James Caldwell Sr., represented Newberry County as a delegate to vote in the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession. The 3rd South Carolina was sent to Virginia, and James witnessed and fought through all the major engagements the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia experienced. When his regiment was transferred with the rest of General James Longstreet’s command to aid the Army of Tennessee in northern Georgia, James found himself wounded on the bloody battlefield of Chickamauga. He recovered from his wounds, but was absent from the 3rd South Carolina at times, being detailed to work with the supple wagon trains. On October 16th, 1864, James was promoted to sergeant and officially detailed with the Confederate Ordinance Department. While his comrades in the Quitman Rifles and the 3rd South Carolina were transferred to South Carolina to aid in defending the Carolinas from General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Federal armies, James stayed with the Army of Northern Virginia around Richmond and Petersburg.

After the fall of Richmond and Petersburg in early April 1865, James accompanied the Army of Northern Virginia as it made its retreat. He survived, and continued on until he was trapped with the rest of the army at Appomattox Court House on April 9th. James would be paroled and allowed to make his journey home to Newberry County. One interesting note about his parole at Appomattox Court House is rather than list the Ordinance Department as his unit affiliation, James put Company E, “Quitman Rifles”, 3rd South Carolina Infantry instead - probably honoring his former unit he served with for the majority of the war.