The 6th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment (also called Dixie Rangers, Aiken's Partisan Rangers and 1st Partisan Rangers) was a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. They were from the state of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and served at various times in both the

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

theaters.

Organization and history

This unit was originally called the 16th Battalion South Carolina Partisan Rangers - Aiken's Regiment, the 1st Reg. South Carolina Partisan Rangers, and Aiken's 1st Regiment South Carolina Partisan Rangers. It was a part of the state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

troops. The men were formally mustered into Confederate service as the 16th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry on July 23, 1862. The 6th South Carolina Cavalry was then organized in January 1863, using the 16th Battalion as its nucleus. Some of the men were from Columbia, including several students from The Citadel Academy. The 6th Cavalry saw action at Willstown and Pon Pon River in South Carolina, and then moved to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

with about 1,000 men and was assigned to the Cavalry Corps of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. Assigned to General

Matthew C. Butler Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836April 14, 1909) was a Confederate soldier, an American military commander and attorney and politician from South Carolina. He served as a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, the regiment participated in the Wilderness and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

operations and in various conflicts south of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. Later, it was engaged in the

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January 1 ...

assigned to Logan's Brigade. The depleted regiment surrendered with the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...

Bennett Place Bennett Place is a former farm and homestead in Durham, North Carolina, which was the site of the last surrender of a major Confederate army in the American Civil War, when Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman. The first meetin ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Notable battles

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

VA (May 5–6, 1864) *

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

VA (May 8–21, 1864) *

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North ...

VA (May 23–26, 1864) *

VA (June 1–3, 1864) * Siege of Petersburg, Virginia (June 1864 - April 1865) *

Battle of Vaughan Road The Battle of Vaughan Road, also spelled "Vaughn", was an American Civil War engagement between Confederate States Army and Union Army cavalry forces protecting the flank of the main Union attack on Confederate positions on the western end of ...

(October 1, 1864) *

SC (February - April 1865) *Darlington, South Carolina (February 27, 1865) *Solomon's Grove (March 9, 1865) *

Battle of Monroe's Crossroads The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads (also known as the Battle of Fayetteville Road, and colloquially in the North as Kilpatrick's Shirttail Skedaddle) was a battle during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War in Cumberland County, North ...

(March 10, 1865)

Original commissioned officers

*Colonel Hugh K. Aiken *Lieutenant Colonel Lovick P. Miller *Major T.B. Ferguson *Captain Lewis Jones *Captain James J. Gregg *First Lieutenant Z. W. Carwile *First Lieutenant John M. Ward *First Lieutenant Alexander McQueen, from Chesterfield County *Second Lieutenant John Bauskett *Second Lieutenant J. J. Bunch *Second Lieutenant Henry McIver *Second Lieutenant Samuel W. Evans

Noncommissioned officers

* George W. Spencer, 1Sgt from Chesterfield County. Departed

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, after April 9, 1865 - Promoted 1st Lt. June 25, 1863 * John B. Strother, 2Sgt from Chesterfield County. Discharged, over conscript age, June 11, 1862 * Hugh Jr. Craig, 3Sgt from Chesterfield County. Departed Greensboro, NC after April 9, 1865 - Promoted 2Lt, June 25, 1863 * John H. McIver, 4Sgt from Chesterfield County. Transferred to staff as

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

, May 1, 1862 * John E. Sellers, 5Sgt from Chesterfield County. Promoted to 1Sgt, June 25, 1863. Killed in action at Haw's Shop, Virginia * Thomas W. Bouchler, 1Cpl from Chesterfield County. Transferred to Colt's Battalion as SgtMaj in 1864 * Zacharhiah Jr Ellerbe, Cpl from Chesterfield County. Discharged, over conscript age, June 14, 1862 * Samuel H. Roberson, 3Cpl from Chesterfield County. Transferred to Aiken's Partisan Rangers, December 15, 1862 * Nevin S. Smith, 4Cpl from Chesterfield County. Departed Greensboro, North Carolina, after April 9, 1865 * William B. Sellers, Corporal, Chesterfield County. Enlisted June 1, 1863; captured on December 10, 1864, at Armstrong Mills, Virginia, and sent as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Point Lookout, Maryland Point Lookout State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve occupying Point Lookout, the southernmost tip of a peninsula formed by the confluence of Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River in St. Mary's County, Maryland. The state pa ...

; released on June 19, 1865. Walked home to South Carolina

References

*Baker, Gary R. ''Cadets in Gray''. Palmetto Bookworks, 1989. {{ISBN, 0-9623065-0-9. *Crute, Joseph H., Jr. ''Units of the Confederate States Army''. Midlothian, Virginia: Derwent Books, 1987. See p. 254 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service. *''Confederate Military History'', Extended Edition. Vol. 6: South Carolina. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot, 1987. Contains numerous, scattered references to South Carolina units. A history of the war discussing South Carolina troops and their participation. *Sifakis, Stewart. ''Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina''.... New York: Facts on File, 1995. (Unit organizational history).

Organization and history

Notable battles

Original commissioned officers

Noncommissioned officers

See also

References

Further reading