History of the 20th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry

By Vincent J. Simonowicz

In January of 1862, the Confederate Congress called upon the state of South Carolina to provide 12000 additional troops for the war effort. This lead South Carolina to form the 17^th through the 27^th Regiments. The roots of, what would soon be, the 20^th SC had already been formed as various companies in their respective counties. These companies were already formed and had entered their respective camps of instruction when the orders came through. The 20^th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry was to comprise the following 10 companies from the associated areas:

And in following with the legion concept of the day, combined with the agrarian nature of the region, M- Co. was formed as "Keitt's Mounted Rifles"

 These Companies assembled at the race course in Charleston, SC in the fall of 1862 and elected Regimental Officers:

 During the fall of 1861 the men of what would become Company H, 20^th SCVI were drilling at Hampton's Plantation in Diamond Hill, SC. As the Regiment formation order was issued, the Company was ordered to Charleston with the rest of the elements forming the new Regiment 20^th South Carolina.

As in every unit in the south, communities and families joined up together, and the 20^th would be no exception. Company I of the 20^th, had 28 members by the name of Gunter. The Captain, all three Lieutenants and seven NCOs all held the name, which it was, needless to say from that point on called the Gunter Company.

After several months of drill and instruction at the racecourse in Charleston, the 20^th, in February of '62, was transferred to the west end of James Island near the little town of Secessionville for Guard and Picket duty. In the fall of that year they were thereafter transferred to Sullivans Island, where most of their tour of duty in the Charleston area was served. They were housed in the old Moultrie House and its adjacent cottages & buildings charged with garrisoning the surrounding forts.

As the 20^th was being formed in North Charleston, on November 7^th , 1861, Port Royal finally fell to the Federal forces, which gave them a permanent base of operations to assault the South Carolina coastal fortifications. General Robert E. Lee, then commanding the Department of South Carolina - Georgia - Florida, ordered the coastal defense forces to "abandoning all exposed points" within the reach of the "those peoples'" gunboats. The redeployment was to relocate the Confederate forces to interior positions were the enemy could be meet on more equal terms. In addition every effort was to be made to strengthen and secure the defenses of Charleston. As the re-deployment of the defenses took place, the Federals moved to occupy the abandoned Edisto Island in February 1862. In March of 1862 General Lee was recalled to Richmond, leaving General John C. Pemberton to assume command of the Department. By June the Federals occupied Folly Island and made preparations to press onto Morris Island. On July 10^th , 1862 the Federals obtained their initial foothold on the southern tip of Morris Island. Confederate reinforcements were rushed to James Island anticipating further assaults. The Federals advanced up Morris Island and begin a series of costly assaults on Battery Wagner, including the famous charge of the 54^th Massachusetts. As the Federal assaults failed to directly take Wagner, they settled into a 58-day siege of the Fort. Here is where the 20^th SC received their initiation to battle. On the 16^th of July, under the command of Gen. Taliaferro assault force, with elements of the 20^th SC, was sent forward to make an advance on the Federal forces building in front of Battery Wagner. The raid resulted in the discovery of a well-fortified rifle pit along the entire Federal front. In the engagement that ensued, 40 Federals were killed, 2 captured, to one casualty for the 20^th SC of which the intent of the Federals was brought to light. Over the next two-months, the 20^th would be one of the Regiments, which were to be shuttled into and out of the fort every two days. With only a brackish water supply and constant bombardment by the Federals, the defending Regiment had to endure stifling days in the hot cramped bombproofs to hold the fort.

During one of the exchanges of the fort's garrison, 600 men of the 20^th SC and 23rd Ga. boarded the steamer Sumter after being relieved. The tide was low and the Steamer had to take the alternate route through the deep-water channel entering Charleston harbor. As the steamer passed Cumming point, the sentries at Fort Sumter failed to launch the proper identification flares, causing Fort Moultrie to open fire on her and subsequently sinking her. The captain of the steamer seeing the pending doom, quickly redirected the steamer's direction so a to beach her, thereby helping to reduce the loss of life. The steamer's compliment abandoned ship and waited in chest deep water until dawn for rescue boats to arrive. 16 men of the 20^th SC did not return.

On August 21^st , 1862, Lt.Col. Dansler led two companies of men from the 20^th in successfully retaking the rifle pits before Battery Wagner, taken the previous night by the Federals. Its veterans thought of the Battery Wagner tour of duty as the most trying condition men had to fight under during the war. And to close out this engagement, the 20^th was assigned the unsavory duty of being the last Confederate force to hold the Fort before its abandonment.

By September 6^th , 1862, Colonel Keitt commanding Battery Wagner, determined the fort was no longer maintainable, thereby ordered its evacuation. Embarkation of the troops began a 9pm and continued until 11pm. With only the rear guard remaining in Wagner they spiked the three remaining serviceable guns and finished the evacuation by 1:30am, thereby concluding the Confederate presence on Morris Island. During their service on Morris Island, the 20^th lost 11 men killed and 39 wounded. Due to the deplorable conditions the men were fighting in, after the 58-day siege only 307 men and officers out of the 1100 plus contingency was still fit for duty.

Over the winter of 1862-63 the Regiment was refitted and drilled. During this time the Regiment's health and strength was restored to a fighting force. They quickly became known for their precise mastery of the drill. Over the next year the Regiment saw action in and around Charleston on various coastal duties in and around the forts and batteries defending the area.

Finally in April of 1864, with little hope of the Federals capturing Charleston, the Federal commander, General Gilmore, was transferred from the South Carolina coast, with the bulk of his force, to join General Grant in Virginia. In response, the Confederates began moving the available troops to Virginia in April & May of '64. Keitt's 20^th SC, the last major Confederate infantry regiment in the Charleston area, left Charleston on May 16th. By the 22^nd of May the Regiment had joined Kershaw's Brigade near the North Anna River, north of Richmond. They were in the battle line by the 28^th of May. General Kershaw had replaced General Mclaws, as the Division commander after their Knoxville Campaign. Kershaw had suffered over 1000 casualties in Knoxville, and the 20th's 1100 man contingency was enthusiastically welcomed.

General Longstreet was wounded three weeks earlier at the Wilderness; General Anderson, commanding Longstreet's First Corp, had not yet named a replacement to head Kershaw's old Brigade. Thus Colonel Keitt when he arrived, being the most senior Colonel now in the Brigade, assumed command of the Brigade. This meant that Lt. Colonel Boykin was now in command of the 20^th SC Regiment.

When the 20^th arrived in Virginia, it was said that the 20^th was "as healthy, well clad, and well feed a body of troops as anyone could hope to wish to see." The 20^th was so large in comparison to the units in Northern Virginia at that time, that Kershaw's old timers called the 20^th the "20^th Army Corp." These fine looking South Carolinians offered a tragic illustration of the effects of President Davis' dispersal of troop policy. Healthy from a regimented life of garrison duty, they were totally unsuited to and unprepared for the total war environment that had developed over the past year in northern Virginia. Through no fault of their own, the 20^th were a hard drilled parade ground precise group of soldiers, well disciplined, but wholly unfamiliar with the current battleground brigade maneuvers they were soon to face and would certainly need to survive. Their leader, Lawrence Massilon Keitt was just shy of his 40^th birthday, he was well educated, a lawyer, and a former congressman from South Carolina. He was thought to be one of the most gifted and gallant men of the South. However, the veteran soldiers seen at a glance his arrogant inexperience and want of self-control which would soon lead to his final demise.

On May 31^st , 1864 after faints toward a general engagement, General Grant withdrew his army from General Lee's front at the North Anna River, and continued his slide to the southeast. Lead elements of the advanced Federal Cavalry attacked and pushed the Confederate Cavalry guarding the vital intersection at Old Cold Harbor, east of Richmond and a direct route to the city. Lee, however, had moved his army swiftly enough so as to cut Grant off once again, preventing him from gaining the advantage and his goal of taking Richmond. Lee however, now planned to retake the crossroads at Cold Harbor, and once again the offensive. With two divisions the crossroads were to be attacked, and with success, an all out general assault against the Federal left would begin. Although Lee's plan was aggressive, heavy casualties from the previous month was beginning to take its toll. Since May 6^th , Lee's Army has been engaged everyday to some degree, resulting in heavy casualties, including the loss of 22 general officers. Inexperience, unfamiliarity between the general staff, breakdowns in cooperation and fractures in the communication paths presented the Army of Northern Virginia a somewhat insurmountable handicap to go into battle. With Lee's command structure also decimated, the stage was set for disaster for the 20^th . The 20^th now part of the Army of Northern Virginia First Corp, General Kershaw, with his battle knowledge, promoted to Division commander, the faith of Kershaw's Brigade and the 20^th SC fell into the inexperienced hands of Colonel Lawrence M. Keitt, now its brigade commander.

On pressing orders to stop the onslaught of Grant's newest flanking maneuver, General Kershaw decided to sent his old Brigade, under command of Col. Keitt, and Hoke's Brigade forward as a reconnaissance in force spearhead to locate and engage the enemy reported to be near Old Cold Harbor. Col. Keitt, having overall command of the assault, formed his line of battle along an old roadway west of Cold Harbor. He was said to be like a knight of old, leading his men mounted upon a superb gray charger, scoffing at the warning he received on this demonstration of gallantry. He ordered the assault to be made across the open cotton field just south of Beulah Church. Without a skirmish line or flankers, he led his battle line forward in parade dress fashion, proudly mounted high upon his steed before the line's center. The 2^nd & 3^rd SC was placed on the left, the 15^th and 20^th SC in the center, and 3^rd Battalion, the 7^th and 8^th SC on the right of the line. Unbeknownst to Col. Keitt, he had marched his troops out into the middle of an open field, before two well entrenched, battle hardened, Federal Cavalry divisions under General Sheridan, just waiting patiently behind breastworks on the opposing tree line for the fool-hardy Confederate assault. Knowing the realities of the battlefield, veteran's in the Confederate ranks were heard to say, "there goes a gallant fool to his death" as Col. Keitt lead them forth. Brandishing his gleaming sword, Colonel Keitt lead his brigade forward, when all of a sudden, thousands of repeating carbines released their first deadly volley. With this gale of shot from the Federal volley, Col. Keitt toppled from his horse, and fell to his death, fulfilling the veteran's claim. With that volley, the center of the Confederate assault was riddled and shaken. With heavy casualties, fear grabbed the Confederate center and the handsomely ordered ranks of the 20th SC were no more, but the troops continued to push forward. As they reached the wood line the troops crept and crowded their way through the tangled mass of undergrowth, seeking shelter the best they could. Being met with a solid column of resistance, the broken and disorganized ranks of the Brigade could not cope with the retaliation. As subsequent volleys poured into the Brigades position, the remaining regimental officers seeing the great disadvantage of their position. They ordered a full withdraw, and with this consensus the remainder of the brigade fled back under the cover of the dense smoke from the battle, to their step off point at the road. Once back at the roadway the brigade would hold that position as the troops worked feverishly to throw up fortifications. This ended the planned offensive and the Confederate assault. Colonel Davis of the 15^th assumed command of the Brigade.

Although, General Lee had hoped for a two-division assault on the Federal left, breakdowns in communication and cooperation between Hoke, Kershaw and Anderson, had resulted in a suicidal charge by a single brigade, off which the 20^th paid dearly with massive casualties. Colonel Keitt and the 20^th showed no lack of dedication and aggressiveness, but were victims of a poorly coordinated attack coupled with their lack of experience and their naiveté of battlefield realities. Although their baptism in open field battle was disastrous, the 20^th did not have time to dwell on this ramification, for a desperate fight was still at hand.

By 4 p.m. on June 1^st , the Federal 2^nd Corps had arrived on the field at Old Cold Harbor and had started an all out assault upon the Confederate defenses. The lack of cooperation between the Confederate units once again almost proved disastrous for them, as the Federal troops drove a wedge into the undefended sedan between Kershaw and Hoke in the Confederate center. Kershaw's old brigade, of whom the 20^th was now part, was thrown into the breach. This counterattack drove the Federals back and secured the breach, of which the ensuing darkness brought the day's battle to a close.

During the 2^nd of June both armies' full compliments had arrived on the field and heavy fortification and entrenching had begun. By this time Kershaw's Brigade and the 20^th were now the center of the Confederate line. By 4:30 a.m. on the 3^rd of June, General Grant was ready to launch the 3^rd Corps against the Confederate center. Just as Grant had attempted at Spotsylvania to just " lower his head and bull through the Confederate lines," he once again planned to use this strategy at Old Cold Harbor. However, over the last month the Federal forces had consistently been ordered to perform suicidal frontal assaults on well entrenched Confederate positions, resulting in over 60,000 Federal casualties in just one month, of which was more men than General Lee had at the beginning of this campaign. Knowing the folly of the Federal battle plan, Federal troops were pinning their names to the backs of their jackets so that their bodies could be identified, little wonder on why the Federal moral was low. The attack began and was ferociously repulsed, within one hour the Army of the Potomac suffered over 7000 casualties. The 20^th, now the battle hardened center of Kershaw's brigade after only three days of action in Virginia, redeemed their credibility by holding their ground under the heart of the Federal attack. For another three days the armies confronted each other until Grant finally called for a truce to collect the dead and wounded. One Confederate veteran remarked that "Grant was trying to stink us out" as the confederate lines held their positions over those three days while the federal dead and dying "putrefied the air".

By the 13^th of June General Lee had learned that Grant had once again evacuated his army and was once again threatening a flank assault. Reports were coming in that Federal assaults were being made against the patched together garrison at Petersburg under General Beauregard. For three days the Federal vanguard were assaulting the first line of the Petersburg defenses. Under the assault, Beauregard had to withdraw his forces to the second line of defense, while continuing to alert Gen. Lee. Finally by the 17^th of June, Lee realized that Grant had given him the slip and was in mass pressing his advantage on Petersburg. Lee then ordered his army on a forced march to rush to the city's defense.

Kershaw's Brigade was already in motion on a slow march to the south on the night of the 17^th, when orders were received to proceed to Petersburg at all haste. With a forced march, the 20^th although having gotten their baptism of battle and could fight with the best of them, they still have not yet been seasoned for this type of forced march as the rest of the ANV had mastered already. With this, the 20^th would loss up to half of its force due to fatigue due the unrelenting pace. The men having to stop to catch their breathes thereby joining the long line of stragglers following the brigade. The remaining men of the Brigade continued pushing forward on the forced non-stop march. They were even pushed to the point of running, so that by daylight of the 18^th of June they could reached the outskirts of Petersburg, of which they would be the first ANV troops to arrive in the city's defense. The streets were of a festive flare as the ladies cheered and waved flags as the troops marched hurriedly by. The Brigade was rushed into position on the Confederate right. As the men of Gracie's Brigade holding the Confederate position, of which Kershaw's men were to shortly be thrown into protect, caught sight of the sunrise glimmering off the Brigade's bayonets, causing them to weep and cheer with joy, for they were no longer alone.

As the Brigade came onto line, with no time to adjust, Warren's Federal Corps began their assault on the Confederate position. Several hours of stubborn fighting ensued in which the 20^th once again was in the center of the fray. Warren finally withdrew his forces by mid-afternoon. With the sense of urgency at hand, General Lee personally directed the Confederate reinforcements to their placement. As the Confederate front took shape, Federal General Meade, around 4 p.m., once again ordered the 3^rd Corps to assault this position. The raging fight ensued to nightfall, when the Federal forces finally withdrew. By noon of the 18^th, General Lee had re-deployed the entire Army of Northern Virginia before Grant in protection of the city of Petersburg. General Lee's force had dwindled to just over 20 thousand troops ready for service and were now facing Grant's 90 thousand plus army. The battered and demoralized Federal army settled in for what looked to be a long siege.

As the heart of July meandered forward, Gen. Grant launched diversionary attacks North of the James River. This was to spread the already meager resources and forces of the ANV even thinner, as a primer for the planned offensive, which would late be famed as the Battle of the Crater. The 20^th's position in the Confederate defenses was right over top what was soon to be the crater. However luck would have it, Elliot's SC troops were sent in to occupy this strong hold while the 20^th and Kershaw's Brigade, on July 13^th, were sent north of the James to respond to the perceived assault from Grant. The brigade crossed the James River at Chaffin's Bluff to a swampy area known as Deep Bottom. Upon arriving north of the James River, along Long Bridge Road, the 20^th SC were involved in a very severe and confusing fight, which included a rare night assault to dislodge the Federals from the area. It would later be referred to as the Deep Bottom Affair, of which Kershaw's division lost another 300 plus men, of which Colonel Partlow of the 20^th was severely wounded (he would later recover and be able to return to duty near the close of the war). By the 29^th the Federals had relinquished their advanced positions in this area, and the next day would re-cross the James to retake defensive positions around the city.

By August 6^th, 1864, the 20^th was ordered into the Shenandoah Valley to re-enforce General Early's II Corps, fresh off the campaign to raid Washington DC in July. Early was contending with a far superior Federal force in a series of maneuvers that never really got down to fighting. This led some to begin referring to the Valley campaign of 1864 as the "Mock War", were there was plenty marching, but little fighting. General Lee grew greatly distressed with Early's inaction and on the 14^th of September he ordered Early to return Kershaw's 3800 men, they were immediately to be sent back to Petersburg where they were desperately needed.

By the 19^th of September, Early's force was attacked by converging Federal armies at Winchester resulting in a lose of nearly 4000 of his 12000-man contingency. Once again Sheridan attacked Early at Cedar Creek and inflicted another 1200 casualties. By this time Grant also issued orders to Sheridan to systematically destroy the alley (the Shenandoah Valley) and all its commerce. Early desperately requested reinforcements, where on the 25^th of September Kershaw's Division now at Culpepper, Va. in route to Petersburg, were ordered once again to rejoin Early's II Corps.

Moving into the southern Shenandoah, Early rested and refitted his army, and planned on attacking Sheridan's 30,000-man force. On the 19^th of October the Federals were camped at Cedar Creek, without a clue as to what was to happen. Early had moved his 10,000-man army up the Valley to its step off point for an attack on Sheridan. The 20^th and Kershaw's Division was to be the center of a surprise three prong attack on the Federal's encampment. Marching all night, the Confederates were insight of the Federal campfires by 3:30 a.m. At 4:30, the assault began as the Confederates crossed Cedar Creek to catch the Federals fully by surprise. The Federal camps were quickly overrun, and they retreated en masse with only Wright's VI Corps maintaining some kind of steady battle-line and orderly retreat. The dispersed and weak Confederate force did not have the means to push their advantage, and the final assault could not be coordinated or mounted. Sheridan, who was attending a war conference in the Federal rear, arrived on the field by 10:30 a.m. and began immediately reestablishing his position. By the early afternoon, Sheridan launched coordinated counterattacks against the Confederate positions. The Confederates were in process of ransacking the Federal camps, only to be surprised by the counter offensive and subsequently routed. An orderly disciplined retreat was hampered by the total disintegration of some Confederate units. Kershaw's old Brigade, now lead by General Corner, suffered 205 casualties. Both Colonel Boykin and Lt. Colonel McMicheal of the 20^th were captured, Captain Kinard of Company F, known as one of the finest line officer in the command, was killed. General Conner was severely wounded causing the later lost of his leg. Although the Confederate forces only lost 3000 men, to the Federal's 5700, the loss essentially removed the threat of Early's Corps fighting ability and subsequently their ability to defend the Shenandoah Valley.

By November 13^th the remnants of Earl's army were returned to the ANV at Petersburg. Kershaw's Division officially rejoined the ANV on the 21^st of November, being placed on the extreme left of the Confederate line above Richmond. Colonel Kennedy of the 2^nd SC was given command of the Brigade, with Lt.Col. Lewie of the 15^th SC was given temporary command over the 20^th SC.

General Longstreet, having recovered from his wounds received in May at the Wilderness, returned to service in mid-December to assume the command of the First Corps. His Corps was then assaulted by 20,000 Federal troops under General Butler, of which they properly repulsed the attack at a loss of 1300 men. Only to have Sherman present the City of Savannah to President Lincoln as a present on Christmas day. The panic in the Deep South, beckoned for assistance to be sent to South Carolina. Kershaw's Brigade (i.e. Kennedy's Brigade) was ordered to in early January to immediately move south to Charleston, South Carolina. Upon their arrival the Brigade was placed in the division under their old commander General McLaws. Whereby they were moved west, and placed in a defensive line along the Salkehatchie River. Less than 10,000 troops were spread out over 30 miles to defend against the onslaught of over 60,000 of Sherman's Federals. The big question being where would Sherman go? Charleston? Columbia? or Aiken?

On February 3^rd 1865, McLaws positioned his troops at the River's and Buford's Bridges. Two divisions of Blair's Federal Corps easily flanked Mclaws, forcing him to withdraw towards Branchville, SC and made a valiant stand on February 11^th at the North Edisto River near Orangeburg. Once again he was outflanked and had to retire towards Charleston. On the 17^th of February, Federal troops entered Columbia and the city burned. The situation was equally untenable in Charleston, where General Hardee evacuated the City on the 18^th, whereby the enemy moved in the next day. The stage was set for a mass exodus from South Carolina, in hopes of assembling the Confederate forces somewhere in North Carolina. Remnants of the Army of the Tennessee and three divisions under General Bragg from the North Carolina coast began to assemble. On the 22^nd of February, General Lee appointed J.E.Johnson to command all troops in the Carolinas. By the 3^rd of March, all Confederate troops were north of the Pee Dee River and all the bridges had been burned or destroyed.

On March 16^th General Hardee fights a delaying action at a cost of 800 men, against the left wing of Sherman's Army at Avenasboro, NC, thereby allowing Johnson to consolidate his army around Bentonville. By the 18^th , Johnson had assembled over 17,000 troops and attacks the Federal right wing on the 19^th . He had apparent initial success but after extremely heavy fighting was forced to retire to the Confederate original positions. Sherman brought up the rest of his army by the morning of the 20^th and demonstrations are made towards the Confederate center. A coordinated Federal Attack is made on the 21^st of March. This assault was contained but during that evening Johnson was forced to evacuate his position and withdraw across Millcreek. The Confederate losses at Bentonville topped 2600, whereas the Federals only lost 1500 men. In this, their last major fight, the 20^th SC suffered 7 casualties. Once over 1200 in number, on the 23^rd of March 1865, the 20th South Carolina now only numbered 243 effectives as they migrated with Johnson northward in retreat.

From Bentonville, to Smithfield, the remnants of the Army of Tennessee proceeded. By the 23^rd of March, Sherman's army was joined by General Schofield's army from the North Carolina coast to provide Sherman with the insurmountable total of 90,000 troops ready for battle. The pursuit and destruction by the Federals would continue the need for delaying actions and forced marches. As Johnson moved his army north and west away from Sherman's insurmountable force, on April 9^th the remnants of the 20^th SC, and those left in the 2^nd SC were consolidated under one command, and placed in Walthall's Division. By now the heart of the troops were gone, as the army lost men every day, as they seen the hopelessness of further fighting and threw down their arms to start their journey home. Johnson proceeded on to Raleigh, then Durham and finally on towards Greensboro. General Johnson began surrender talks on the 17^th of April and signed the same terms offered General Lee in Virginia. The remnants of Kershaw's brigade would gather for one more roll call, this last meeting of the brigade was held on the 28^th of April. Of the consolidated force of the 20^th SC and 2^nd SC, the last roll call would only show 213 men remaining. Of the over 2600 that the two regiments started with in the beginning, these few remained to draw a close to the valiant history.

References: Kershaws Brigade; D.Augustus Dickert

History of 2^nd SC Infantry; Mac Wyckoff

Units of the Confederate army; J.H. Crute Jr.

Battery Wagner; Timothy Bradshaw Jr.

War of the Rebellion, the ORs of Union and Confederate Armies

SC State Archives; Records of CS Provisional Army

Last modified: February 16, 2002