3rd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry

United States   U.S. Military    South Carolina    South Carolina Military    South Carolina in the Civil War    South Carolina Civil War Confederate Units 1st through 4th      3rd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry

Brief History
3rd Cavalry Regiment completed its organization during the spring of 1862 at Charleston, South Carolina, and included the 8th South Carolina Cavalry Battalion. Many of the men were from Marion, Colleton, Beaufort, Barnwell, and Calhoun counties.

Service records of soldiers found on Footnote.com state that the 8th (also called the 2nd and Colcock's) Battalion South Carolina Cavalry was organized in May, 1862, from seven independent companies of Cavalry. This battalion was increased to a regimnet in August 1862 by the addition of three companies and designated the 3rd (also called 2nd) Regiment South Carolina Cavalry. A large number of the men previousoy served in the 1st Regiment South Carolina Mounted Militia. Also soldiers from some of the companies of the First Mounted Militia served in the 3rd Regiment South Carolina Cavalry.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.


 * Company A (also known as marion Men of Combahee)
 * Company B (also known as Colleton Rangers) - Colleton County - Roster (one man)
 * Company C (also known as Beaufort District Troop) - Beaufort County
 * Company D (also known as Barnwell Dragoons) - Barnwell County
 * Company E (also known as Calhoun Mounted Men) - Hampton County
 * Company F (also known as St. Peter's Guards) - Barnwell County, Hampton County - Roster (couple of names)
 * Company G (also known as German Hussars) - Charleston County
 * Company H (also known as Ashley Dragoons) - Charleston County
 * Company I (also known as Rebel Troop) - Colleton County, Sea Islands
 * Company K (also known as Savannah River Guards) - Barnwell County
 * Field Staff and Band

Source Material

 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System can be searched by soldier's name or by regiment; includes regimental rosters and additional history of the regiment. This site uses Joseph H. Crute's book, Units of the Confederate States Army, as their main source for the regiment history. Family History Library book 973 M2crua,, WorldCat.
 * Footnote.com (A subscription website, but is available for use at the Family History Library and some Family History Centers). It has digital Civil War soldier service records and brief regiment histories (located at the bottom of some of the muster rolls).
 * "3rd Cavalry Regiment". The War for Southern Independence in South Carolina. Eastern Digital Resources an Internet site, accessed 12/02/2010. Lists a brief Regiment history and a few names in the Company rosters.
 * South Carolina Cavalry - Third South Carolina Cavalry Regiment. South Carolina's Service in the War Between the States, Steve Batson's Internet site, accessed 12/02/2010. This website also lists the counties of orgin and nicknames of the company, plus officers of the regiment and companies, and battles the regiment was involved in. See also "South Carolina Cavalry Battalions".
 * "Confederate Post in 1864", The Historical Marker Database, Internet site, accessed 12/03/2010. Location of a marker listing Company F of the Third South Carolina Cavalry's involvement in the area of South Newport, Georgia.