Military service records for all wars are fairly simple and straightforward -- they don't actually tell a story, unless you know the background history involved. The best way to get a detailed history would be to find a history of his regiment, which is fairly easy for most North Carolina commands. You may also want to read a good book about the Army of Northern Virginia and/or the battle in which this soldier was wounded. You'll also be interested in the daily life of average soldiers. If you know the story of a soldier's command, you'll understand much more about what he did and where he went.

Please reply if you have questions. Try this for a regimental history:

http://members.aol.com/jweaver303/nc/53ncinf.htm

Here's an electronic version of a soldier's diary [L. Leon, Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier, which covers his service in this brigade -- 53rd North Carolina, Daniel's Brigade, Rodes' Division:

http://docsouth.unc.edu/leon/leon.html

For instance, Leon writes for May 29th, 1863: "Had a general review to-day. General Rodes is our division commander. He and General Lee reviewed us. I see a great change in the appearance of General Lee. He looks so much older than when I saw him at Yorktown. Then his hair was black. Now he is a gray-headed old man."

James Ausband Martin, 53rd NC Regiment, Company "G"