17th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry (6th)

Brief History
17th Cavalry Battalion [also called 6th Battalion] was assembled during the spring of 1862. It contained four companies and was attached to the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. After serving along the coast near Charleston, the unit merged into the 5th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment.



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.

A Company - (also known as South Carolina Rangers)

B Company - (also known as Willington Rangers)

C Company - (also known as Dixie Rangers)

D Company - (also known as Beech Hill Rangers)

E Company -

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 600 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * 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. FS Library book 973 M2crua,, WorldCat.


 * Footnote.com (A subscription website, but 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).