2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment

Confederate Regiments & Batteries * South Carolina

“2nd Palmetto Regiment”

1861
April At Moultrie Island during the bombardment of Fort Sumter.
May 8 The 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment was organized near Richmond under the command of Colonel Joseph B. Kershaw, Lt. Colonel K.P. Jones, and Major Artemis D. Goodwin.Company A “Governor’s Guard”— Captain William H. Casson. Richland District.
Company B “Butler’s Guards”— Captain Augustus P Hoke, Greenville District.
Company C “Columbia Grays”— Captain William Wallace, Richland District.
Company D “Sumter Guards”— Captain John A. Richardson District.
Company E “Camden Volunteers”— Captain John D. Kennedy, Kershaw District.
Company F “Secession Guard”— Captain William W. Perryman, Anderson District.
Company G “Flat Rock Guards”— Captain Columbus C. Haile, Kershaw District.
Company H “Lancaster Invincibles”— Captain Amos W. McManus, Lancaster District.
Company I “Palmetto Guards”— Captain George. B. Cuthbert, Charleston District.
Company K “Brooks Guards Volunteers”— Captain Andrew B. Rhett, Charleston District.

Surgeon—Dr. F. Salmond, Kershaw.
Quartermaster—W. S. Wood, Columbia.
Commissary—J. J. Villepigue.
Chaplain—A. J. McGruder.
July Moved to Manassas and assigned to Bonham’s Brigade
July 21
First Manassas (Bull Run)

The regiment lost 5 men killed and 6 officers and 37 enlisted men wounded
July-October Assigned to Bonham’s Brigade, 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac. Company K transferred 61 men under Captain Andrew Burnett Rhett to become the Brooks Artillery Battery.
October-November Assigned to Bonham’s Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Corps, Potomac District, Department of Northern Virginia
November-January Assigned to Bonham’s Brigade, Van Dorn’s Division, 1st Corps, Potomac District, Department of Northern Virginia
1862
January-April Assigned to Kershaw’s Brigade, Early’s Division, Potomac District, Department of Northern Virginia
February 13 Colonel Kershaw was promoted to brigadier general. Captain John D. Kennedy was promoted to colonel.
April-July Assigned to Kershaw’s Brigade, McLaws’ Division, Magruder’s Command, Army of Northern Virginia.
May 13 Major Goodwin was elected to lieutenant colonel and Captain Franklin Gaillard of Company A was elected to major during the reorganization of the regiment.
June 29
Savage’s Station

The regiment lost 61 men out of 338 men engaged. Lieutenant Colonel Goodwin was wounded in the ankle.
July 1
Malvern Hill

The regiment lost 41 casualties out of 203 men engaged
August 29-30
Second Battle of Manassas (Second Bull Run)
September 1
Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly)
September 17
Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam)

The regiment lost 94 casualties of 253 men engaged. Colonel Kennedy was twice wounded crossing a fence along the Hagerstown Pike in the the initial assault, and Major Gaillard took command of the regiment.

From the first of two tablets to the brigade on the Antietam battlefield:

September 17, 1862

Kershaw’s Brigade crossed the Potomac at Blackford’s Ford about daybreak of the 17th and halted in the western suburbs of Sharpsburg until nearly 9 A.M., when it crossed the fields and took position in the open ground southwest of the Dunkard Church from which, supported by Walker’s Division and Early’s Brigade, it moved to the attack of the 34th New York Infantry of Sedgwick’s Division, Second Corps, and the 125th Pennsylvania of the Twelfth Corps, just west of the church, causing them to retire. Efforts to drive Greene’s Division and the Federal Artillery from the ridge east of the Hagerstown Pike were repulsed and the Brigade fell back beyond the western limits of the West Woods.

Later in the day it moved to the northern part of the West Woods, where it remained until the night of the 18th, when it was withdrawn and recrossed the Potomac.

From the second of the two tablets:

About 9:45 A.M., the 2d, 7th and 8th South Carolina of Kershaw’s Brigade charged out of the woods and across this road upon Tompkins’ Rhode Island Battery on the ridge about 220 yards east of this. The charge was repulsed by the Battery and Greene’s Division of Infantry, and the Brigade fell back beyond the western limits of the West Woods. Nearly one half of the officers and men of the Brigade were killed and wounded in less than fifteen minutes.

This tablet marks where the center of the Brigade crossed the road, its left reached nearly to the church.
September 20

Battle of Shepherdstown
September 22 At Opequon Creek
December 13
Battle of Fredericksburg

Colonel Kennedy returned from his Sharpsburg wound to command the regiment. Major Gaillard was wounded.
1863
May 5
Battle of Chancellorsville
June Major Gaillard promomted to lieutenant colonel.
June 2 Captain Benjamin Clyburn was wounded in the leg and face.
June 3 Lieutenant Colonel Goodwyn resigned due to his wound from Savage Station. Major Gaillard was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment lost 52 men killed, 100 wounded and 17 missing out of 412 men engaged in fighting around the Peach Orchard, Bliss farm and the Wheatfield on July 2.

Colonel Kennedy was wounded on July 2 and Lieutenant Colonel Gaillard took command of the regiment. Captains George M. McDowall and Robert C. Pulliam were mortally wounded, Captain Benjamin Clyburn was wounded, and 2nd Lieutenant William S. Bissell was wounded and captured.

From Kershaw’s Brigade marker on the Gettysburg battlefield:

The 8th and 2d Regiments and 3d Battalion shared in the attack on Peach Orchard and batteries near there on Wheatfield Road.
July 14
Falling Waters
September Transferred to the west with Longstreet and Hood’s and McLaws’ Divisions.
September 19-20
Battle of Chickamauga

Colonel Kennedy recovered from his Gettysburg wound and returned to lead the regiment.
November
Siege of Knoxville

Colonel Kennady was again wounded.
November 16
Campbell’s Station
November 30
Fort Sanders
December 15
Beane’s Station
1864
January 22 Captain David L. Donald of Company F was promoted to major.
March Longstreet’s two divisions returned to Virginia
May 5-7
Battle of The Wilderness

The regiment offered desperate resistance, leading the counterattack in Tapp Field along the Plank Road against Hancock’s assault that had broken the Third Corps. It bought time until the rest of Longstreet’s Corps arrived on the field. The regiment lost 12 men killed and 81 wounded.

Colonel Kennedy was badly wounded, almost dying from loss of blood. He would not return to the regiment until December. Lieutenant Colonel Gaillard was mortally wounded. Major David Donald was wounded in the leg.

After the battle Captain William Wallace was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Benjamin R. Clyburn of Company H was prtomoted to major.
May 8-20
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The regiment lost 15 killed, 36 wounded and 44 missing
May 23-26
Battle of North Anna
June 3
Battle of Cold Harbor
August Moved to the Shenandoah Valley and attached to Early’s Army of the Valley
September 3 Berryville
October 7 Port Republic
October 13 Skirmish at Fisher’s Hill
October 14 Strasburg
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Major Clyburn was wounded, losing his leg, and became a prisoner.
Late October Returned from the Shenandoah Valley to the Richmond defenses
December Colonel Kennedy returned to the regiment from his Wilderness wound and was promoted to Brigadier General. Ervine P. Jones was promoted to colonel
1865
February The regiment was transferred to South Caroina
February-April North Carolina Campaign
March 16
Battle of Averasborough
March 19
Battle of Bentonville

The regiment lost 10 men casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Wallace promoted to colonel
March 23 The regiment mustered 184 men
April 26 The regiment consolidated with the 20th South Carolina Infantry Regiment and parts of the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th Battalions of Blanchard’s South Carolina Reserves to form the (new) 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment.
April 26 Surrendered with the Amy of Tennessee