I do not find a James Skates in any NC unit, however, there is one, a George G. Skates, who may have been his son.

George Martin

George G. Skates

Residence Cleveland County NC; a 19 year-old Farmer.
Enlisted on 4/26/1861 at Surry County, NC as a Private.
On 4/26/1861 he mustered into "D" Co. NC 14th Infantry
He died of disease on 6/12/1862 at Hosp, Petersburg, VA
(Rubeola)
Other Information:
born in York District, SC
Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:
- North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster

His widow, Nancy Jane Scates, [sic] filed claim on August 29, 1863, for his pay and allowances
...............

North Carolina Infantry
77th Infantry
(7th Senior Reserves)

The following was submitted by: Charles Whyte Ellington

The following was taken from:

A Guide to Military Organizations and Installations
North Carolina 1861-1865 (Manarin)

On February 17, 1864, an act to organize "Reserves" was adopted
by the Confederate Congress. A large number of men in the Home
Guard were enrolled in the Confederate service. This reduced the
Home Guard to such an extent that when mobilized they were
consolidated into temporary regiments and were divided into first,
second and third class,, Each class was to serve successive tours of
duty of about, thirty days each. When each class, was mobilized it
was organized into three regiments, thus making nine regiments of
Home Guards.

The law passed by the Confederate Congress on February 17, 1864,
placed in the "Reserves" those men between the ages of 17 and 18
and between 45 and 50. The younger age group was called out in
April and May 1864, and by the end of June eight battalions of
Junior Reserves were organized. As these battalions were
organized into regiments they were given line-numbers. The First
and Sixth Battalions, with two other companies added, were
organized into the First Regiment of Reserves (Seventieth North
Carolina Regiment).

The Second and Fifth Battalions, with two additional companies,
were organized into the Second Regiment of Reserves (Seventy-
First North Carolina Regiment). The Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth
Battalions were organized into the Third Regiment of Reserves
(Seventy-Second North Carolina Regiment).

The words "Junior" and Senior" were not officially used and the
first three "Reserve" regiments were designated First, Second, and
Third Regiment, or Seventieth, Seventy-First, and Seventy-Second
North Carolina. When the men between 45 and 50 were mobilized,
they were organized into regiments designated as the Fourth, Fifth,
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Regiments of Reserves, or Seventy-
Third, Seventy-Fourth, Seventy-Sixth, Seventy-Seventh, and
Seventy-Eighth North Carolina. The Seventy-Fifth was the Seventh
Cavalry.

Up to this time the only large group of men that had escaped
military service were the detailed men. These men were under
Confederate jurisdiction and could not be recruited into any State
organization. In November 1864, the Confederate authorities
directed that the detailed men in North Carolina be organized into
regiments and battalions. Three regiments were organized and
designated the First, Second, and Third Regiments Detailed Men.
Their line-numbers were Eighty-First, Eighty-Second, and Eighty-
Third North Carolina Regiments.

The scarcity of information on State organizations, such as Militia and
Home Guards, is because many of the records were poorly kept, and
these that survived were not turned over to the Federal Government
in quantity.

Most of the companies, enthused with a patriotic
spirit, adopted a nick-name, which usually included the name of their
town or county. These, however, were supplanted as the war
progressed by the use of the commanding officer's name when
referring to the unit. The method of numerically designating
battalions and regiments was established by the State and
Confederate authorities; however, the men in the ranks would
generally refer to their company, battalion, or regiment by their
commanding officer's name.

Consequently, units in the Southern army were more commonly
known by their commanding officer rather than their numerical
designation. It should be noted that often after a commanding
officer was killed or otherwise unable to retain command, the
unit would still be called his company, battalion, or regiment,
even though he no longer commanded it.