Charleston County, South Carolina in the Civil War

United States South Carolina  Charleston County  Military Records  Civil War

Civil War
Civil War service men from Charleston County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies and regiments that were specifically formed of men from Charleston County.


 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Charleston) (Gaillard's)
 * - Company A (also known as the Charleston Riflemen)
 * - Company B (also known as the Palmetto Guard or the Charleston Light Infantry)
 * - Company C (also known as the Irish Volunteers)
 * - Company D (also known as Sumter Guards)
 * - Company E (also known as the Calhoun Guards)
 * - Company F (also known as the German Fusiliers and Union Light Infantry Volunteers)


 * - 1st Regiment, Charleston Guard, South Carolina


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery (Militia) - Company A, B and C
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Militia) (Branch's), Charleston Zouave Cadets
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Militia (Charleston Reserves)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Mounted Militia
 * - Christopher's Company (also known as Parish Mounted Rangers)
 * - G. C. Heyward's Company (also known as Charleston Mounted Guard)
 * - Jefford's Company (also known as South Carolina Rangers)
 * - Simon's Company (also known as Etiwan Rangers)
 * - 2nd Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry Reserves
 * - Ashley Dragoons or Ashley Rangers (also known as Captain Colcock's Company, South Carolina Cavalry)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company D (also known as McKewn's Cavalry, Wassamassaw Cavalry)
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company G (also known as the German Hussars)
 * - Company H (also known as the Ashley Dragoons or Rangers)
 * - Company I (also known as the Rebel Troops)
 * - 16th Regiment, South Carolina Militia
 * - Charleston Arsenal Battalion, South Carolina Local Defense Troops
 * - Charbonnier's Company, South Carolina Militia (Pickens Rifles)
 * - Dotterer's Company South Carolina Ordinance Guards
 * - Estill's Company, South Carolina Infantry Local Defense (Arsenal )


 * Harris, W.A. The Record of Fort Sumter, from Its Occupation by Major Anderson, To Its Reduction by South Carolina Troops During the Administration of Governor Pickens. Columbia, S.C.: South Carolinian Steam Job Printing Office, 1862. Digital version at Google Books.
 * "Our Women in the War," The Lives They Lived; the Deaths They Died, from The Weekly News and Courier, Charleston, S.C. Charleston, S.C.: The News and Courier Book Presses, 1885. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Manigault, Edward. Siege Train : The Journal of a Confederate Artilleryman in the Defense of Charleston (Columbia, S.C. : Published for the Charleston Library Society by the University of South Carolina Press, ©1986), 364 pages. Book at WorldCat.
 * Wilcox, Arthur M and Warren Ripley.The Civil War at Charleston (Charleston, S.C. : News and Courier : Evening Post, [1980] ©1966), 84 pages. Originally published between 1960 and 1965 in the News and courier and Evening post. "A Post-Courier booklet."  Book at WorldCat.
 * Porter, Anthony Toomer.  Led On! : step by step : scenes from clerical, military, educational, and plantation life in the South, 1828-1898 : an autobiography ( Charleston, S.C. : Home House Press, ©2010), 462 pages. Autobiography of Anthony Toomer Porter... He was an Episcopal minister in Charleston, South Carolina before, during and after the Civil War...he collected funds and opened a school for colored children, which became the Porter Academy. He also influenced the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina to allow the admission of colored parishes. Digital copies at  and Google Books. Book found at other libraries.
 * South Carolina. Confederate Pension Board. Confederate Veterans and Widows Applications For Pensions, 1916-1959. ( Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959). Microfilm copy at

Civil War Battles
At least 9 battles were fought in Charleston County, especially in Charleston Harbor. For more information, see Battles in South Carolina.