The South Carolina Secessionist
Dateline Week of May 9th
News from the Front
1861
Col. Gregg reports that there are ongoing discussions regarding
transferring his brigade, The First South Carolina Volunteers, aka
Gregg's Brigade to Virginia. Currently the men are stationed in
and around Charleston on picket duty where they have been since
their engagement at Fort Sumter. Letters may be posted to
the members of the brigade as before - they will be forwarded to
Virginia should the men be transferred there.
1862
Our troops which have been involved in the siege of Yorktown,
evacuated that town on the night of May 3rd in the face of
overwelming Federal artilley which had been placed outside the city
and were about to open fire. A line of battle was set in the town
of Williamsburg, away from the Federal artillery. On May 4th and
5th, nine South Carolina regiments were involved in a battle at
Williamsburg. The regiments involved were:
Hampton Legion Cavalry Battalion
2d Infantry Regiment
3d Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Battalion
5th Infantry Regiment
6th Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment
8th Infantry Regiment
Palmetto Sharp Shooters (Jenkins Infantry Regiment)
This was the first open battle for most of these men. Previously
they have faced only sniper fire while on picket duty. Fighting
continued throughout the two days in the streets of the town and
the college grounds of William and Mary College. Jacob Freeman of
Company A, 5th Inf. Regiment is listed as missing in action. Our
men evacuated Williamsburg on May, 5th "through rain and mud and
bottomless roads, as one said, 'neither by land nor by water, but
by a mixture of half and half.'"
There was a minor engagement at Eltham's Landing on May 7th
involving Hampton Legion (Infantry Regiment only) as the Cavalry
was assigned to the battle at Williamsburg.
1863
Another big battle involving the men of South Carolina this week at
Chancellorsville (1-4 MAY 1863). The fight opened on Friday, and
continued into Monday. The following regiments were involved:
Capt. Ficklin's Co. Artillery (Brooks Light Artillery)
Capt. Zimmerman's Co., Artillery (Pee Dee Artillery)
Washington Artillery Battery
1st (McCreary's) Infantry Regiment (1st Provisional Army)
1st (Orr's Rifles) Infantry Regiment Rifles
2d Infantry Regiment
3d Infantry Battalion (Lawmen's and James')
3d Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment
8th Infantry Regiment
12th Infantry Regiment
13th Infantry Regiment
14th Infantry Regiment
15th Infantry Regiment
The battle of Chancellorsville was fought, where the well
appointed, and so much boasted of "Grand Army of the Potomac," met
with a most crushing, overwhelming defeat that had ever befallen
the army of the Federal Government. Many consider the Battle of
Chancelorsville as one the most brilliant battles fought by Lee and
Jackson. Though the Confederates were heavily outnumbered, they
forced the Union army to retreat and prevented a possible seige of
Richmond and the occupation of central Virginia. The Union
suffered approximately 17,000 casualties while the Confederates
suffered 13,000. Exact numbers are unknown at this time, but
South Carolina may have suffered as many as 2,500 casualties.
Partial reports have come from the field. The 1st Infantry regiment
lost 12 killed, 88 wounded, none missing, for a total of 100
casualties. The 13th regiment lost 6 killed, 84 wounded, 1 missing
for a total of 91 casualties. The 14th regiment lost 8 killed, 137
wounded, none missing for a total of 145 casualties. Orr's Rifles
lost 20 killed, 91 wounded, 3 missing for a total of 114
casualties.
Here is a partial list of the known casualties among the
officers:
Seabrook, C. P.
Miller, A. F.
Haskell, A. C.
Dubose, E. D.
Smith. D. A.
McIntyre, G. A.
Sweeney, John
Pool, J. F.
Edwards, O. E.
McGowan, Gen.
Fuller, H. L.
Copeland, J. D.
Hunter, T. F.
Weir, S. L.
Proctor, J. T.
Pean, J. P.
Leitzsey, D. M.
Robinson, W. J.
Bowers, M.
Andrews, J. H.
Trewitt, J. M
Dorrah, S. L.
Stevens, W. L.
Leroy, A. A.
Perrin, James M.
Chapman, B. B.
Bryan, B. B.
Fricks, J. H.
Campbell, A.
Miller, G. M.
Sloan, J. P.
There was also a skirmish at Murray's Inlet on Monday, the 4th,
involving the 12th Cavalry Battalion (4th Squadron Cavalry).
1864
There was fighting all around Dalton, Georgia this week as Gen.
Sherman began a push out of Chattanooga towards Atlanta. The
following South Carolina regiments are involved there:
16th and 24th (Consolidated) Infantry
24th Infantry Regiment
A much bigger news item however, is the terrible battle which
occurred on the 5th and 6th on the penninsula area in Virginia,
known as the Wilderness. The following South Carolina regiments
were engaged:
Capt. Ficklin's Co. Artillery (Brooks Light Artillery)
Capt. Garden's Co. Light Artillery (Palmetto Light
Battery)
Capt. Zimmerman's Co., Artillery (Pee Dee Artillery)
Washington Artillery Battery
4th Cavalry Regiment
5th Cavalry Regiment
6th Cavalry Regiment
1st (Hagood's) Infantry Regiment
1st (McCreary's) Infantry Regiment (1st Provisional Army)
1st (Orr's Rifles) Infantry Regiment Rifles
2d Infantry Regiment
2d Infantry Regiment Rifles
3d Infantry Battalion (Lawmen's and James')
3d Infantry Regiment
5th Infantry Regiment
6th Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment
8th Infantry Regiment
12th Infantry Regiment
13th Infantry Regiment
14th Infantry Regiment
15th Infantry Regiment
Palmetto Sharp Shooters (Jenkins Infantry Regiment)
Once again, the men of South Carolina suffered severe loss - maybe
as many as 1,500 casualties, of the 6,000 Confederate casualties.
Federal losses however were listed at 27,310.
For South Carolina, the two losses which will be most widely
lamented are the death of Gen. Micah Jenkins of SC and the severe
wounding of Gen. Longstreet, also a native South Carolinian. Both
were hit in the same volley. Gen. Jenkins was killed immediately,
and Gen. Longstreet was wounded through the throat and right
shoulder.
Other casualties from South Carolina:
J. Cox
J. G. Barnwell
W. A. Kelly
B. S. Howard
L. G. Bellott
H. C. Heise
John L. Miller
J. R. McKnight
J. A. Garvin
E. F. Bookter
J. A. Watson
J. A. Beard
S. L. Weir
A. Copeland
J. C. Anderson
H. H. Harper
H. P. Griffeth
J. J. McCarley
B. J. Watkins
J. H. Tolar
R. Junkin
Jas. Pratt
J. H. Robins
J. R. Saddler
J. B. Means
Some casualties from the battle of the Wilderness have been removed to hospitals at Macon, GA, but owing to the threatening of Sherman's troops around Atlanta, they are being transported to Orangeburg, SC.
TERRILL L. HAMPTON who was wounded at the Wilderness on 6 May 1864 was one of those transferred to Macon, GA for treatment and removed ahead of Sherman's March and died in a hosptial at Orangeburg, SC. His burial place is unknown. He was a PVT, Co. H, 5th Texas Infantry, Hood's Brigade ...
A minor skirmish was also reported at Port Walthall Junction (6 MAY
1864). The following regiments were engaged.
21st Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Regiment (Eutaw Regiment)
27th Infantry (Gaillard's Regiment)
On 7 MAY, Holcombe's Infantry Legion was involved in action at
Stony Creek Station and again on the 8th at Nottoway Bridge and
Jarratt's Station.
The same men who were involved in the Wilderness battle were also
engaged on the 8th at Spotsylvania Court House. Losses were heavy
- comparable to those lost at the Wilderness, but due to space
constraints, and the fact that the battle is on-going, and reports
incomplete, we will give a detailed account of that battle at a
later time.
Today (9 MAY, 1864), the following South Carolina troops were
involved in an action at Swift Creek.
7th Infantry Battalion (Nelson's Battalion) (Enfield
Rifles)
11th Infantry Battalion (9th Volunteers)
21st Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Regiment (Eutaw Regiment)
27th Infantry (Gaillard's Regiment)
REFERENCES:
EMAIL from gene@argohouston.com (Betty & Gene Shuffield)
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