On the 17th December, 1860, in view of the probable passage of the Ordinance of Secession by the State Convention then in session, the Legislature of South Carolina passed "An Act to provide an Armed Military Force." This act provided that whenever it shall appear that an armed force is about to be employed against the State or in opposition to its authority, the Governor be authorized to repel the same, and for that purpose to call into the service of the State such portion of the militia as he shall deem proper and to organize the same on the plan therein indicated. Three days afterward, the Convention passed the Ordinance of Secession, and the revolution which led to the establishment of the Southern Confederacy was inaugurated. Immediately after, the Convention provided for the raising of one or more corps of regulars, and for the acceptance of a regiment of six months' volunteers, both to be received into immediate service. Towards the last of December the Governor issued a call for volunteers under the legislative act, which resulted in the raising and organizing of ten regiments for twelve months' service. Under this call the militia regiments of Barnwell District (the 11th and 43rd of the old organization) assembled at Barnwell Village, and furnished, by volunteering, five companies. The regiment of Orangeburg District (15th old militia) assembled at its rendezvous, and furnished four companies; while the regiment of Colleton District (13th old militia) assembled at Walterboro and furnished two companies;--all on the 3rd January, 1861. The Barnwell and Orangeburg companies and one of the Colleton companies being the first ten companies which responded to the call in the State, were organized by the State War Department into a regiment under the name of "The First South Carolina Volunteers," and elections for field officers ordered. These elections were held on the 27th January, 1861, and the organization of the regiment was complete.

The history of the regiment from this time to the day when it was mustered into Confederate service is to be found in General Hagood's Memoirs of the War of Secession.

General Hagood states that on April 16, 1861, Governor Pickens sent him copies of the following resolutions which had been adopted by the Convention of the People of South Carolina:

Resolved, That whenever a volunteer force shall be called for by the Government of the Confederate States, the Governor be authorized to call for as many regiments of the twelve months' volunteers already organized as may be needed; and that if the said regiments shall consent to go into the service of the Confederate States, they shall be transferred accordingly; and if the whole of any regiment shall not so consent, but companies and men enough shall do so form, by aid of recruiting, an efficient regiment, such regiment shall be transferred in the same manner: Provided, That preference shall be given to the said regiments in the order in which they now rank.

Resolved, That in case a sufficient number be not raised from these organizations, then any other companies, battalions or regiments are hereby authorized to volunteer and tender their services till the requisite number is supplied and received.

For over a month after the receipt of these resolutions the men of the regiment discussed whether they would enter Confederate service or not. Finally toward the end of May, six skeleton companies were formed from the regiment, and the organization of the regiment was preserved. Early in June two more skeleton companies were organized form the regiment; a ninth company, under Captain Rice, was received from Colonel Heyward's regiment of volunteers in exchange for Captain White's company, formerly of this regiment, which had previously unanimously refused to enter Confederate service, and a tenth company, under Captain Steadman, was received from Lexington District, and the regiment was complete. Recruiting officers were sent out to fill up the skeleton companies. They returned in a few days with sufficient man to raise the skeleton companies to an average of eighty men. Just as the regiment was ready to be mustered into Confederate service, with the expectation of being sent to the scene of war in Virginia, Colonel Hagood received a communication from Governor Pickens, dated June 6, 1861, saying that the regiment would not be allowed to go to Virginia, but must serve on the coast of South Carolina. At that time there was no prospect of fighting on the coast of South Carolina and not a man of the regiment would muster in. On this report being made, orders were issued retaining the regiment in service for State defense. A few days later these orders were countermanded, and on June 15, 1861, the regiment was "relieved from duty until further orders."

While so relieved from duty one company, under Captain Mangum, was armed and permitted to go to the West, where it entered the 1st Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers. Men were also recruited from the regiment for other commands.

By orders from Governor Pickens of July 13, 1861, the nine remaining companies of the regiment assembled in Summerville on July 20, 1861. None was full and some of them were mere fragments. Two of the companies failed to obtain a basis to recruit upon for Confederate service, but a considerable portion of their men enlisted in the remaining companies. Two companies from Barnwell District, under Captains Duncan and Brabham, and one from Williamsburg District, under Captain Pressley (who had lately been mustered out of Gregg's regiment of six months troops in State service), supplied the three needed companies; the other companies were recruited up to their proper number, and the regiment was finally mustered into Confederate service, August 22, 1861.

On August 28, 1861, General Ripley, commanding the Confederate forces in South Carolina, ordered the regiment to proceed to Cole's Island, one of the posts on the Stono River, the back entrance to Charleston Harbor, where it remained until the twelve months for which the regiment had originally been received, April 12, 1861, had expired. The history of the regiment during those months has been related in Hagood's Memoirs of the War of Secession.

Just before the expiration of the term of enlistment of the men of the 1st Regiment most of them re-enlisted and all of the companies of the Regiment were reorganized save Company H (Captain Martin), but about twenty of the men of that enlisted in other companies of the Regiment. Company B (Captain Livingston) divided and recruited up to two companies under Livingston and Knotts, respectively, and Company G (Captain Duncan) divided and recruited up to two companies under Duncan and Sanders, respectively. Eleven companies were thus organized for Confederate service in the following order: 1. Captain Sellers, 2. Captain Legar'e, 3. Captain Bamberg, 4. Captain Kirkland, 5. Captain Grimes, 6. Captain Sanders, 7. Captain Duncan, 8. Captain Livingston, 9. Captain Knotts, 10. Captain Pressley, 11. Captain Glover.1

Five of these companies decided to leave the 1st Regiment and join other commands. The 1st, 10th and 11th companies joined the 25th Regiment (Infantry), S. C. V., then forming, and the 2nd and 6th joined the 2nd Regiment, Artillery, S. C. V., then forming.

In order to preserve the regimental organization, while recruiting up to a full regiment, the other six companies went into an election "for an officer to command" them, "his rank and designation to be settled by the subsequent action of the proper authority", and Colonel Hagood was elected by acclamation.

On April 13, 1862, the Regiment was relieved from duty on Cole's Island by the 24th Regiment and marched for Charleston on the 14th.

Under an order dated May 12, 1862, the Regiment then proceeded to the vicinity of Binnaker's Camp Ground on the South Carolina Railroad and such troops thereof as had re-enlisted for the war were furloughed until May 14, 1862. Ten or twelve days later the regiment was recalled into service by a special order and rendezvoused at Bamberg, whence it was transferred to Charleston, where four new companies were received and its complement of companies filled.

Glover was re-elected Lieutenant Colonel and, O'Cain declining to continue in service, Captain Duncan was elected Major. A week or ten days later the Regiment was ordered to Virginia, where it was attached to Jenkins's brigade. Hood's division, Longstreet's corps. The history of the Regiment from this time to the end of the war is told in Johnson Hagood's Memoirs of the War of Secession, in Col. James R. Hagood's memoirs (MS.) and in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.

1Haggod's Memoirs of the War of Secession.

Salley - South Carolina Troops in Confederate Service - Vol. 1