The 8th North Carolina Regiment was authorized on November 26, 1776, and assigned to the Southern Department of the Continental Army.

A part of the continental army, the Regiment was commanded by Colonel James Armstrong.

Most of the men from the 8th NC were killed or wounded storming the Crew of "Stone House" in the Battle of Germantown on 4 Oct 1777.

Upon the death of Brigadier General Francis Nash as a result of his severe wounds at the Battle of Germantown, the 8th NC Regiment, along with all other NC Continental regiments in the Northern Theater, was placed under the command of Major General Alexander McDougall of New York.

On December 20, 1777, the NC Continental Line was placed under Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh of Georgia, and they were encamped at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania for that brutal winter.