Hampton's Legion

Last updated
Hampton's Legion
Flag of South Carolina.svg
Flag of South Carolina
ActiveSummer 1861–1865
CountryFlag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States of America
AllegianceFlag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg  Confederate States
BranchBattle flag of the Confederate States of America.svg Confederate Volunteer Army
TypeMultiple Component Legion
Engagements American Civil War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Wade Hampton

Hampton's Legion was an American Civil War military unit of the Confederate States of America, organized and partially financed by wealthy South Carolina planter Wade Hampton III. Initially composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery battalions, elements of Hampton's Legion participated in virtually every major campaign in the Eastern Theater, from the first to the last battle.

Contents

History

Wade Hampton statue on the South Carolina Statehouse lawn Statue of Wade Hampton (lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse).jpg
Wade Hampton statue on the South Carolina Statehouse lawn

A Civil War legion historically consisted of a single integrated command, with individual components including infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The concept of a multiple-branch unit was never practical for Civil War armies and, early in the war, the individual elements were often split up.

Organized by Wade Hampton in early 1861, Hampton's Legion initially boasted a large number of South Carolina's leading citizens, including future generals J. Johnston Pettigrew, Stephen Dill Lee, Martin W. Gary, and Matthew C. Butler. Originally, the Legion comprised six companies of infantry, two of cavalry, and one of light artillery. The infantry fought in the First Battle of Manassas, where Colonel Hampton suffered the first of several wounds in the war. In November 1861, the artillery was outfitted with four Blakely rifles imported from England and slipped through the Union blockade into Savannah, Georgia. By the end of the year, each element of the Legion had been expanded with new companies to bolster the effective combat strength.

With the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia in mid-1862, Hampton's Legion was broken up and reassigned. The cavalry battalion was consolidated with the 4th South Carolina Cavalry Battalion and two independent companies on August 22, 1862, and became the 2nd South Carolina Cavalry, under Colonel Butler. It remained directly under General Hampton's control and served in his brigade and then division for the rest of the war. The artillery was converted to horse artillery and renamed Hart's Battery, after its commander, Captain James F. Hart. Lieutenant Colonel Gary's infantry, retaining the designation Hampton's Legion, was initially brigaded with Georgia troops in Stonewall Jackson's command, but was transferred in June to John Bell Hood's "Texas Brigade." The Legion served in General Longstreet's Corps through mid-1863, before being transferred with that corps to the Army of Tennessee in September. On March 11, 1864, the infantry was mounted and assigned to General Gary's Cavalry Brigade and served in the Department of Richmond until January, 1865, when it was transferred to the Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

The various elements of the Legion fought in most of the major Eastern operations of 1862, including the Peninsula, Northern Virginia, and Maryland campaigns, suffering horrific losses. The Legion helped to dislodge Union troops at the battle of Chinn Ridge, and the Second Battle of Bull Run, and to inflict a substantial number of casualties on the 5th New York Regiment. Battered at Antietam, the much-depleted Legion infantry was sent to the rear and performed garrison duty for months while refitting and recruiting. It did not participate actively in the early part of the Gettysburg Campaign (unlike the cavalry and artillery elements, which played a major role in several battles during the campaign). It fought a minor rear-guard action at Boonsboro, Maryland, during the army's retreat from Gettysburg. It returned to action in the fall of 1863 in Longstreet's Corps during the Battle of Chickamauga and the subsequent Chattanooga campaign. The Legion infantry later returned to Virginia and in March 1864 was converted to mounted infantry and assigned to Gary's Cavalry Brigade in the Department of Richmond. They served in that department until January 1865, when the brigade was reassigned to Fitzhugh Lee's Cavalry Division. [1] It harassed Federal supply depots throughout northern Virginia and fought in several actions during the lengthy Siege of Petersburg.

What was left of the Hampton Legion infantry surrendered with General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House in early April 1865. The South Carolina cavalry regiment and the horse artillery (by then renamed as Halsey's Battery after Hart's wounding) participated in the Carolinas Campaign with General Hampton and surrendered at Bennett Place in North Carolina along with the rest of General Joseph E. Johnston's forces on April 26.

Organization of the Legion

Original composition

Six companies of infantry:

Co. A Washington Light Infantry Volunteers (Charleston)
Co. B Watson Guards (Edgefield)
Co. C Manning Guards (Sumter)
Co. D Gist Riflemen (Anderson)
Co. E Bozeman Guards (Greenville)
Co. F Davis Guards (Greenville)

Cavalry battalion:

Co. A Edgefield Hussars (Edgefield)
Co. B Brooks Troop (Greenville)

Co. C Beaufort District Troop (Beaufort)

Brothers Private Stephen D. and Private Moses M. Boynton of Co. C, Beaufort District Troop, Hampton Legion South Carolina Cavalry Battalion Brothers Private Stephen D. and Private Moses M. Boynton of Co. C, Beaufort District Troop, Hampton Legion South Carolina Cavalry Battalion, with pistol LCCN2012649867.jpg
Brothers Private Stephen D. and Private Moses M. Boynton of Co. C, Beaufort District Troop, Hampton Legion South Carolina Cavalry Battalion

Artillery:

Washington Artillery (Charleston)

Additional units

Infantry:

Co. G Claremont Rifles (Statesburg) 19 Aug 1861
Co. H (1st) German Volunteers (Charleston) 22 Aug 1861
Co. H (2nd) South Carolina Zouave Volunteers 29 Jul 1862
Co. I Capt. D.L. Hall's company 11 Nov 1862
Co. K Capt. John H. Bowen's company 11 Nov 1862

Cavalry:

Co. D Congaree Troop (Columbia) 5 Aug 1861

Artillery:

Co. B German Artillery (Co. H (1st)) 1 Nov 1861

Major engagements

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Hampton III</span> American soldier and politician

Wade Hampton III was an American military officer who joined the Confederate States of America in rebellion against the United States during the American Civil War and later a South Carolina politician. Hampton came from a wealthy planter family. Shortly before the war, he was one of the largest slaveholders in the Southeast and a state legislator. During the American Civil War, he joined the Confederate cavalry, where he was a lieutenant general.

The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). His severe training program and ascetic standards of military discipline turned enthusiastic but raw recruits into an effective military organization, which distinguished itself from the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 to Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Its legacy lives on in the 116th Infantry Brigade, which bears the unofficial nickname "Stonewall Brigade," and in several living history reenactment groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milledge Luke Bonham</span> American politician

Milledge Luke Bonham was an American politician and Congressman. He was later the 70th Governor of South Carolina from 1862 until 1864, and a Confederate General during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Butler</span> American politician

Matthew Calbraith Butler was a Confederate soldier, an American military commander and attorney and politician from South Carolina. He served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, postbellum three-term United States Senator, and a major general in the United States Army during the Spanish–American War.

Cobb's Legion was an American Civil War unit that was raised on the Confederate side from the State of Georgia by Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb during the summer of 1861. A "legion" consisted of a single integrated command, with individual components from the infantry, cavalry, and artillery. When it was originally raised, the Georgia Legion comprised seven infantry companies, four cavalry troops, and a single battery. The concept of a multiple-branch unit was fine in theory, but never was a practical application for Civil War armies and, early in the war, the individual elements were assigned to other organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Witherspoon Gary</span> American politician

Martin Witherspoon Gary was an attorney, soldier, and politician from South Carolina. He attained the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He played a major leadership role in the 1876 Democratic political campaign to elect Wade Hampton III as governor, planning a detailed campaign to disrupt the Republican Party and black voters by violence and intimidation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Brigade</span> Brigade of the Confederate States Army

The Texas Brigade was an infantry formation of the Confederate Army that distinguished itself in the American Civil War. Along with the Stonewall Brigade, they were considered the Confederate Army's shock troops. It fought in every major battle of the Eastern Theater except Chancellorsville.

The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Second Battle of Bull Run, called the Second Battle of Manassas by Confederate records, of the American Civil War. The Union order of battle is listed separately. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the battle, the casualty returns and the reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia</span>

The Cavalry Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was an organized unit of cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Starting out as a brigade in late 1861, becoming a division in 1862 and finally a Corps in 1863; it served in the Eastern Theater until the ANV's surrender in April 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Virginia Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in the Commonwealth of Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The Pee Dee Light Artillery was a distinguished Confederate light artillery battery during the American Civil War. The origins of the battery began as the Darlington Guards, a local militia of Darlington, South Carolina. The Darlington Guards volunteered their service to South Carolina on January 4, 1861, for a period of six months. These men were the very first soldiers to volunteer to fight in Civil War. They became Company B, First South Carolina Volunteers, commanded by Captain F.F. Warley and Lieutenant David Gregg McIntosh. After six months on the Charleston, South Carolina, coast and a short campaign in Virginia, the unit was released. Half the unit remained with Captain Warley and served the remainder of the war as the Darlington Guards. The other half reformed in Darlington, South Carolina, under McIntosh. The unit called themselves the Pee Dee Rifles and in August 1861 rendered their service as an infantry unit to the Confederate States of America for the duration of the war. While in training in Suffolk, Virginia, in the winter of 1861-62, the unit was reorganized as Company D, First South Carolina Regiment, a light artillery battery, and became the Pee Dee Light Artillery.

The Jeff. Davis Legion was a cavalry regiment of the Confederate States Army. Made up of companies from Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia; it fought primarily in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. In 1865, it was reassigned to the Army of Tennessee, surrendering at Greensboro, N.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillips' Legion</span>

Phillips' Legion or Phillips' Georgia Legion was a unit of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The following list is a bibliography of American Civil War Confederate military unit histories and are generally available through inter-library loan. More details on each book are available at WorldCat. For an overall national view, see Bibliography of the American Civil War. For histories of the Union, see Bibliography of American Civil War Union military unit histories. For a guide to web sources see: Carter, Alice E.; Jensen, Richard. The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites—Completely Revised and Updated (2003).

The 24th South Carolina Infantry Regiment was a Confederate infantry regiment in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holcombe Legion</span>

The Holcombe Legion of South Carolina fought in the American Civil War as part of the Confederate States Army. It was a true legion, being made up of different types of units, in this case cavalry and infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Battery F, Pennsylvania Light Artillery</span> Military unit

Independent Battery F, Pennsylvania Light Artillery, also known as the "Pittsburg Battery", was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized in December 1861, the unit first served in the Shenandoah Valley. Battery F fought at Hancock, Winchester, Sulphur Springs, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, and Antietam in 1862. The following year the unit fought at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Bristoe Campaign, and Mine Run. In 1864–1865, Battery F fought at Morton's Ford and served in the garrisons of Washington, D.C. and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia before being mustered out in June 1865. One enlisted man from the battery won the Medal of Honor for heroic action at Gettysburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Guard Battery</span> Military unit

The Louisiana Guard Battery was an artillery unit recruited from volunteers in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Formed from an infantry company sent to fight in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, it was converted to an artillery company in July 1861. The battery fought at Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg in 1862, and at Chancellorsville, Second Winchester, and Gettysburg in 1863. Most of the soldiers and all of the battery's guns were captured at Rappahannock Station on 7 November 1863. The surviving gunners manned heavy artillery pieces in the defenses of Richmond, Virginia, and the battery's remnant surrendered at Appomattox.

References

Further reading

References

  1. Sifakis, Stewart (1995). Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia. Facts on File. ISBN   0-8160-2290-9. page 106-107