The 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment, also known as 2nd Palmetto Regiment, was a

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 ...

regiment in 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 ...

History

Formation

The 2nd Palmetto Regiment was formed for state service on April 9, 1861 under the command of Colonel

Joseph Brevard Kershaw Joseph Brevard Kershaw (January 5, 1822 – April 13, 1894) was a prominent South Carolina planter and slaveholder. He was also a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Early life Kershaw was born on January 5, 1822 ...

and Lieutenant Colonel James D. Blanding with ten companies. When called on to fight in Virginia, six of the ten refused to leave South Carolina and stayed under the command of Lt. Col. Blanding while the other four were led by Col. Kershaw into Virginia. Eventually six more companies joined them in Virginia.

Initial duty

The unit started its first services on Morris Island, SC, helping to build fortifications for the soon attack of Fort Sumter. They soon participated in the bombardment of Fort Sumter from Morris Island. Afterwards they were ordered to Virginia, but only four of the ten companies were to leave for Manassas, as the other six would not agree to leave. There the four companies fought at

First Manassas The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

as part of

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Brigade.

After First Manassas

Soon after their baptism of fire, they were on the Virginia Peninsula. Their original Colonel, Joseph Brevard Kershaw was soon promoted to Brigadier General, commanding the brigade that the 2nd was part of, and Captain

John Doby Kennedy John Doby Kennedy (January 5, 1840 – April 14, 1896) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, as well as a post-war planter, attorney, politician, and the 57th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina serving ...

of Company E was promoted to Colonel. They fought at Williamsburg and Yorktown, and eventually at the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

. Once the federal

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

was defeated, 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 ...

went to Northern Virginia and fought at the

Second Battle of Manassas The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

. Kershaw's Brigade, and the 2nd South Carolina, missed the battle as they were on detached duty; but they rejoined the main army in time for the first invasion of the north.

First Invasion of the North and afterwards

At the beginning of the First Invasion of the North, the 2nd along with McLaws Division and Jacksons Wing successfully forced the surrender of the Harpers Ferry garrison. During the actual fighting phases, Kershaw's Brigade and Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade were to attack a fortified position in unison, Kershaw attacking the front while Barksdale pressured the flank. As the attack started, Barksdale waited until the third time Kershaw's South Carolinians attacked, which caused many to die in the charges beforehand. After the surrender the rest of the troops at Harpers Ferry, excluding Hill's "Light Division", met with the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia at

Sharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately south of Hagerstown. Its population was 705 at the 2010 census. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Sharpsb ...

. Here they fought in the West Woods. Earlier the federal I and

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Corps pushed Confederate troops away from the Dunker Church and Cornfield and the lead division of the II Corps was marching forward into the West Woods, a formation of brigades in line of battle on after the other. Whilst they were moving forward, the other two division of the II Corps swung around in front of the Sunken Lane. McLaws Division was waiting in the West Woods and once the leading division, under Major General

Israel B. Richardson Israel Bush Richardson (December 26, 1815 – November 3, 1862) was a United States Army officer during the Mexican–American War and American Civil War, where he was a major general in the Union Army. Nicknamed "Fighting Dick" for his prowess on ...

, was in their front, oblivious to the fact of the waiting confederates, they attacked in one of the greatest flanking movements of the war. Kershaw's Brigade fought here for the entire day, eventually helping to retake the lost grounds at the Dunker Church, it was here that Colonel Kennedy was wounded. After the retreat from Maryland, Kershaw's Brigade participated in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

. From the 2nd, Companies D, E, and G, under the command of Captain William Z. Leitner of Company E, were almost in the center of the stone wall on Marye's Heights. After the days fighting, Sergeant

Richard Rowland Kirkland Richard Rowland Kirkland (August 1843 – September 20, 1863), known as "The Angel of Marye's Heights", was a Confederate Army, Confederate soldier during the American Civil War, noted by both sides for his bravery and the story of his humanit ...

of Company E/G gave water to the wounded union soldiers, earning him the nickname "The Angel of Marye's Heights". Soon afterwards they fought at Chancellorsville, participating in the opening fight on May 1, 1863.

Second Invasion of the North

Now as part of the 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, the 2nd with the rest of the army started for Pennsylvania. There they fought at Gettysburg, specifically Kershaw's Brigade fought in

the Peach Orchard The Peach Orchard is a Gettysburg Battlefield site at the southeast corner of the north-south Emmitsburg Road intersection with the Wheatfield Road. The orchard is demarcated on the east and south by Birney Avenue, which provides access tvario ...

and the Wheatfield, two of the most savage fighting spots of the battle. At the Peach Orchard the 2nd advanced with two other units of Kershaw's Brigade, the 3rd SC Battalion and the 8th SC Infantry, through the orchard and eventually came under strong artillery fire. Thousands of pieces of shrapnel and canister hit their lines, and the 2nd lost about 50% of their numbers when an unknown officer ordered the regiment to turn, a perfect opportunity for the federal artillerist. Eventually pushing the federals away, they marched forward into the Wheatfield, where the fought in a bloody melee/rifle engagement. By the end of the day the regiment had lost more than half their men, and soon they would make the retreat to Virginia with the rest of the army.

Retreat to Virginia and Tennessee

After Gettysburg the Army of Northern Virginia retreated back into Virginia to rest and recuperate. It was then chosen that as the winter came and the armies settled down that the 1st Corps under Lt Gen

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

would transfer to the Army of Tennessee to help it achieve a victory. When they arrived in northern Georgia, the Battle of Chickmauga had occurred all the day before and Longstreet's fresh troops were chosen to lead an assault on the federal line. When the assault began, Kershaw's Brigade fought troops from Maj Gen

Thomas L. Crittenden Thomas Leonidas Crittenden (May 15, 1819 – October 23, 1893) was a lawyer, politician, and Union general during the American Civil War. Early life Crittenden was born in Russellville, Kentucky, the son of U.S. Senator John J. Crittenden, who ...

's XXI Corps and pushed them back until stopped at Snodgrass Hill, where 2nd Lieutenant Richard R. Kirkland, the "Angel of Marye's Heights" was killed. After the retreat of the federal Army of the Cumberland the Army of Tennessee moved in to begin the Siege of Chattanooga but arguments between army commander

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Weste ...

and other commanders including Longstreet forced his Corps to return to Virginia. Before doing so Longstreet tried to recapture Knoxville but failed in doing so. Soon afterwards, the new overall commander of Union forces, Lt. Gen.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, started the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

, opening with the Battle of the Wilderness. The Confederate 3rd Corps under

A.P. Hill Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, Daniel Harvey H ...

, after a whole day of inconclusive fighting was suddenly attacked the day after on May 6, 1864, completely breaking and running. But just in time to aid the 3rd Corps was the arrival of the 1st Corps, with Kershaw's Brigade in the lead. Here they successfully pushed back troops of the federal

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

under Maj. Gen.

Winfield S. Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

, before the end of the battle Lt. Col. Franklin Gaillard was mortally wounded. Fighting became inconclusive and the Army of Northern Virginia soon retreated to Spotsylvania Court House. Here the Brigade, under the command of Colonel John Henegan of the 8th SC Infantry whilst Gen. Kershaw was commanding the division, dug in and prepared for the battle soon to come. On May 8, 1864 troops from the 3rd Division,

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

attacked the entrenchments of Henegan's Brigade and were repulsed after tough fighting. They were attacked again on May 12, and again repulsed the federal advance. Then they had limited combat in the Battle of North Anna. The troops of the confederate 1st Corps were soon moved to counter Grant's flanking maneuver and soon dug in at Cold Harbor. When the federals approached, the Confederates unleashed a devastating fire and the battle ended with thousands of federal casualties. Soon afterwards they were forced into the Siege of Petersburg and fought in the First Deep Bottom.

Carolinas and Surrender

After First Deep Bottom, the 2nd and the rest of the brigade, commanded by now Brigadier General Kennedy, as well as other units were sent to join 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 ...

; which was a force falling apart that could no longer fight independently. They were joined together with forces from the Department of SC, GA, and FL by General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia seceded ...

and retreated into North Carolina. On March 16, 1865, Kennedy's Brigade as well as other units successfully delayed the federal army facing them under Maj. Gen.

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

at the Battle of Averasboro. On March 19–21 they fought their last engagement, Bentonville, where they faced down troops of the federal XX Corps in an inclusive battle. Soon afterwards, on April 9, 1865, exactly 4 years after their acceptance into state service, they were consolidated with the remains of the 20th South Carolina Infantry and part of Blanchard's Reserves. On April 26, 1865, they surrendered with the rest of the Army of Tennessee; dissolving the regiment and sending its members home.

References

{{reflist *"Battle Unit Details." National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017. *Wycoff, Mac. "2nd." 2nd , eHISTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. *"2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment)." 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment) Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017. *"2nd Regiment SCV." 2nd Regiment SCV. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2017. Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from South Carolina 1861 establishments in South Carolina Military units and formations established in 1861