1st Battalion, South Carolina Rifles

Brief History
1st South Carolina Battalion of Rifles also known as 5th Infantry Battalion was oranized on Sullivans Island on 10 December 1861; served as basis for 2nd South Carolina Rifle Regiment formed 12 May 1862.



Joseph H. Crute, Jr.'s book, "Units of the Confederate States Army", contains no history for this unit. This regiment most likely transferred into another regiment or was combined with another regiment to create a new regiment, or is&amp;nbsp;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 in this Battalion 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 - many men from Abbeville District (County)


 * Company B - many men from Pickens District (County)


 * Company C - many men from Pickens District (County)


 * Company D - many men from Anderson District (County)


 * Company E - many men from Pickens District (County)


 * Company F - many men from Anderson District (County)

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, but is available for use at the FamilySearch Library and some FamilySearch Centers). It has digital Civil War soldier service records and brief regiment histories (located at the bottom of some of the muster rolls).