1st Regiment, Charleston Guard, South Carolina

Brief History
Joseph H. Crute, Jr.'s book, "Units of the Confederate States Army", contains no history for this unit. Footnote.com lists this regiment being a part of the First State Troops with Soldiers whose names begin with A-D listed. At the bottom of one of the service records for a soldier it states: "This regiment appears to have been composed of South Carolina Militia in the service of the Confederate States." Robert S. Seigler's book states this "regiment was part of the 5th Subdivision under DeSaussure in the 1st South Carolina Military District commanded by Ripley in the summer of 1863. The exact dates of its organization are unknown, but it served from July 10 to September 26, 1863, at the Military Hall in Charleston".

This regiment most likely transferred into another regiment or was combined with another regiment to create a new regiment, or is another name for an existing regiment. Looking at the service records of the soldiers may give clues to the different regiments they may have served in.

Companies of this Regiment with County 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.

It appears from the soldier service records that many of the men enlisted at Charleston, South Carolina.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 553 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘South Carolina in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * South Carolina in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for South Carolina, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Footnote.com ($ A subscription website. It is available for use at the FamilySearch 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).


 * 1st Regiment Charleston Guard from The War for Southern Independence in South Carolina. Eastern Digital Resources, accessed 11/20/2010.


 * Seigler, Robert S. South Carolina's Military Organizations During the War Between the States. Charleston, South Carolina : The History Press, c2008. . This book has an overview about the creation of the military units for service during the Civil War. There are four volumes which are divided into areas of the State. There is information about the different military units including dates of organization and service, company officers, battle engagements, company names and places of origin, and a few pictures. The 1st (Charleston) Batallion Infantry. Also known as Gaillard's Battalion, an the 1st infantry found in Vol 1 page 45. This book is also available through other libraries.