The Edgefield Hussars comprised a military company raised in 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 = ...

. It served 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 ...

, being redesignated as Company A, Cavalry Battalion,

Hampton Legion Hampton's Legion was an American Civil War military unit of the Confederate States of America, organized and partially financed by wealthy South Carolina planter Wade Hampton III. Initially composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery battalions ...

. It fought in numerous battles in the Eastern Theater. The original

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 ...

company was formed in 1833 by Capt. Andrew Pickens Butler, in

Edgefield, South Carolina Edgefield is a town in Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Edgefield County. Edgefield is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. Geography Edgefield is l ...

. By 1851, it was a part of the Edgefield Squadron, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, South Carolina Militia. On May 8, 1861, the company was accepted into Confederate service as part of Hampton’s Legion. It later became Company I, 2nd South Carolina Cavalry Regiment, when the cavalry battalion of the Legion was reorganized on August 22, 1862.

Civil War

Officers

Matthew Calbraith 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 Ci ...

, Captain * J. J. Bunch, 1st Lieutenant * J. D. Crafton, 2nd Lieutenant * James M. Lanham, 3rd Lieutenant

Uniform

The original uniform of the Edgefield Hussars most likely consisted of an eight-button light-colored (probably grey) sack coat with tape trim of lighter hue around a low standing collar. A single small button was sewn at the end of a blind button hole on either side of this collar. Pants were the same color, and the headgear consisted of an M1851 dress cap of darker hue with stiffening removed with the initial ‘EH’.

Flags

The original flag carried by the company consisted of a dark blue silk field, 34 ½ inches on the staff by 40 ½ inches on the fly, bounded on three sides with a ¼ inch gold border, to which is attached a 1 ½ inch gold metallic fringe. The obverse bears a palmetto tree embroidered in green, brown, gold and white, standing on an island of the same colors. Arched above the tree ‘SOUTH CAROLINA’ is embroidered in 1 ¾ inch gold metallic block letters. Counterarched below the tree is the unit designation ‘EDGEFIELD HUSSARS’ in a similar style. The reverse contains a single six-pointed star in the center, measuring 3 ½ inches across, worked in gold metallic thread. The mottos ‘STATE SOVEREIGNTY’ and ‘EDGEFIELD HUSSARS’, arc above and below this star are embroidered in the same style as on the reverse. A second flag was presented to the unit on June 24, 1861, made by the wife of Lieutenant James Lanham. The ''

Edgefield Advertiser The ''Edgefield Advertiser'' is a newspaper published in Edgefield, South Carolina. Founded in February 11, 1836, it is the oldest newspaper in South Carolina to publish continuously under the same nameplate. History The predecessor to the ''Ed ...

'' described it as a Confederate flag with the following additions, where one side is a Palmetto tree overtopped with the Crescent, with the name ‘Edgefield Hussars’ gilded on a white bar. On the other side contains a full circle of stars, and on a white bar, the motto ‘OUR CAUSE, OUR HOMES, OUR HONOR’

Arms and equipment

The original arms consisted of whatever could be locally procured mainly consisting of shotguns and revolvers.

References