South Carolina Local Defense Troops

Brief History
"Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.



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.


 * South Carolina Local Defense Units, (accessed 5 Apr 2011). This site lists eight units with web links to their rosters.  Some are more complete than others.


 * 1) Captain William Shiver's Company - Richland
 * 2) Arsenal Battalion - Charleston
 * 3) Captain J. N. Shedd's Company, Boyce Guards - Chester
 * 4) Captain Leon H. Charbonnier's Company - Charleston
 * 5) Captain Thomas D. Dotterer's Company - Charleston
 * 6) Captain Alex E. Estill's Company - Charleston
 * 7) Columbia Provost Guard - Richland / Lexington
 * 8) Independent Mounted Infantry - Aiken

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 6 men on its roster for this unit. Possibly this unit did not complete its organization, and the men went to other units. 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, 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).


 * The War for Southern Independence in South Carolina. Eastern Digital Resources, (accessed 2 Apr 2011). This site contains some historical sketches, officers, battles, rosters, bibliographies and references.