 He attended the public schools which he left at the age of 17 years to enter the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War, and on February 25, 1862, enlisted in Company C, 50th North Carolina Infantry Regiment at Smithfield and was mustered into service at Camp Mangum on April 21, 1862, as a sergeant but subsequently was promoted to first sergeant.Robert Darius Lunsford was captain of Company C and Marshall D. Craton was the colonel of the 50th regiment at the time of his enlistment.The last muster rolls of his company available show that for July and August, 1864 young Renfrow was being present.