Origins of the 3rd Company Battalion of Sharpshooters
Company E, Orr’s Rifles
(1861-1862)
The 1st South Carolina Regiment of Rifles (Orr’s Rifles), was originally raised in July of 1861. Its members were recruited in the western and northwestern counties of Abbeville, Pickens, Anderson, and Marion. The unit was first stationed as a garrison on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. In April 1862, they moved to Virginia with 1,200 men and were assigned to Brigadier General Gregg's, later to become McGowan's, Brigade of the Light Division under Major General A. P. Hill.
The unit fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days Battles to the Appomattox campaign. Orr’s Rifles were heavily engaged at Gaine's Mill, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, where it gained the dubious distinction of having fought the Yanks hand to hand, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg, where the Rifles lost 115 men missing and unaccounted for on the last day of the Yorktown-like siege, as Grant's army crushed the left of Lee's line, Deep Bottom, Poplar Springs Church, and the last day’s fighting at Gettysburg; the Rifles had been guarding the army's line of supply, before rejoining McGowan's Brigade. At war's end, the regiment surrendered just 9 officers and only 148 men. Sobering casualties, especially when one considers that the regiment at one point mustered 1,500 men, making it the largest regiment in the entire Confederate army. The regiment’s founder was James L. Orr, who resigned to serve in the Confederate Congress in 1862, and was commanded during the War by Colonels Orr, Ledbetter, Livingston, Marshall, Miller, and Perrin.
The Rifles initial uniform regulations called for a medium gray nine button broadcloth frockcoat with dark green trim on the collar and square cuffs. The frock was trimmed down the front of the button line with piping (enlisted) or a wide trimming (officer) to a wide band around the hem of the coat. Officers wore an elbow to cuff stripe designating officer’s rank rather than Austrian knots, as Confederate regulations called for. The first set of Orr’s uniforms differed greatly in execution from company to company, as interpretation of the guidelines and availability of material and cloth dictated. When these coats wore out, they were replaced with the common gray brown Richmond Depot Type II issue, jean cloth shell jacket (late 1862 to late 1864; a mixture of Richmond Depot Type IIs and Type IIIs were present from 1864 to 1865).
Orr’s original Headgear was the Model 1858 Hardee hat turned up on the right side with a S.C. Palmetto emblem. The enlisted men wore a centered Palmetto device; officers wore the 1834 unlooped horn with the numeral “1” centered upon the front of the hat. The Hardees were eventually turned into weathered and battered slouch hats, or were replaced with the ubiquitous jean cloth kepi or civilian slouch hat.
Trousers at the War’s start were of fine dark gray wool with a wide dark green stripe down the outer seam of the leg for all ranks. These were replaced as they wore out with Central Government issued trousers (either “mule ear” or seam pockets) in gray brown jean cloth; often trousers were replaced with captured Federal blue wool trousers, or whatever came to hand, either in a company issue or from home. Footwear was the old army standard Brogan, although the Sharpshooters tended to relieved their opponents of their boots on occasion!
The regiment’s weapons were varied within its companies; some having started with the venerable 1842 Springfield smoothbore (see Benson, 1992, "Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter"). The smoothbores or 1841 Mississippi rifles were quickly superceded by the excellent two and three band Enfields. By far the most common and preferred weapon was the three band (“long”) Enfield rifle-musket. Sharpshooters of the Army of Northern Virginia were often given preferential issue of the two band (“short”) Enfield rifle (Confederate Veteran VOL. XXIII, JAN., 1915, pp 20-21) when available. Of note is the fact that two Whitworth rifles were issued to the Sharpshooter Battalion of McGowan’s South Carolina Brigade.
Accoutrements were of black leather; a large number were of the Enfield pattern of English manufacture, smuggled through the Union blockade at Charleston harbor. In addition to Confederate issue canteens, canteens carried were either the 1858 “smoothside” or captured post 1861 “bullseye” types. Haversacks could be either tarred or untarred canvas patterns. A number of militia style or Isaacs, Campbell & Co. supplied Enfield pattern knapsacks (black painted canvas soft pack) were issued early on in the War Against Federal Oppression; few were issued from about 1863 on, many knapsacks were discarded in favor of the much more comfortable blanket roll by the troops.
The finest shots from the 1st South Carolina Rifles and its sister regiments of McGowan’s Brigade; 1st South Carolina Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS), 12th South Carolina Volunteers and 14th South Carolina Volunteers, were used to constitute the brigade’s three sharpshooter companies, which formed the sharpshooter battalion. The Sharpshooter Battalion was organized into the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies; this independent battalion organization was only semi-permanent in status within the brigade, being often dispersed and reorganized, from December, 1862 to early 1865. As the value of skirmishing was recognized as part of “modern warfare” the Battalion’s methods became a standard feature of the Brigade.
Companies of Orr's Rifles:
Company A Keowee Rifleman, Captain J. W. Livingston
Company B McDuffies Guards, Captain James Perrin
Company C Mountain Boys, Captain J. J. Norton
Company D Orr’s Rifles, Captain Frank E. Harrison
Company E Oconee Riflemen, Captain Miles M. Norton
Company F Blue Ridge Riflemen, Captain Robert A. Hawthorne
Company G Marshal Riflemen, Captain C. McDuffie Miller
Company H Pee Dee Guards, Captain George M. Fairlee
Company K Marshall Guards, Captain George W. Cox
Company L Calhoun Guards, Captain John B. Moore.
Third Company, Battalion of Sharpshooters
McGowan’s South Carolina Brigade
(1863-1865)
The Sharpshooters of McGowan's Brigade, a part of A.P. Hill's Division of Jackson's II Corps, were formed in January of 1863 from volunteers from the entire brigade, by Captain William Thomas Haskell of the 1st South Carolina Infantry Regiment (PACS). The battalion numbered about a hundred and twenty men, with at least one man from each company of the brigade, and was divided into three companies, designated 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Companies.
As honored by a plaque placed on Confederate row at Gettysburg National Battlefield, the South Carolina Sharpshooters were the first scouts to infiltrate the town. Captain Haskell was subsequently killed at Gettysburg and replaced by Major Thomas P. Alston. The battalion was briefly disbanded during the fall of 1863 on account of battle attrition, as no provisions had been made for routine replacement when the battalion was organized. The group reconvened, as needed, for scouting and reconnaissance duty when tactics dictated their use. Captain William S. Dunlop of the 12th South Carolina Infantry Regiment permanently revitalized the Battalion in 1864. The battalion continued to serve the Army of Northern Virginia until Captain Dunlop was wounded and captured at Amelia's Courthouse during the retreat from Richmond in April 1865. The remainder of the sharpshooters found their own way to Appomattox, many were present for the surrender; others defied surrender and silently withdrew to their homes.
The South Carolina volunteers brought with them whatever uniform and equipment they had when they volunteered for, and were accepted by, the Sharpshooter battalion. Many brought their issue uniforms and equipment from their original company/regiment: these were eventually replaced by whatever was available, usually central government or battlefield requisition equipment. (A shell jacket lasted about 3 months on campaign, trousers and shoes lasted about 1 month.) Issue trousers were in short supply so the volunteers, like others of the Army of Northern Virginia, relied on battlefield re-supply and packages from home, which consisted of a wide variety of civilian-style trousers and other personal items.
Footwear was a constant problem, the issue brogan lasted about a month when on campaign and re-supply was slow and inadequate; therefore, there was a large range of footwear-- from various kinds of civilian shoes and boots, to homemade moccasins, and even footwear made of canvas and wood. J.F.J. Caldwell, in his book on McGowan's Brigade of South Carolinians, of which the Sharpshooters were a part, writes that when a wagon train of Federal shoes was captured, only one man in nine received shoes. When Captain Brunson, of the 2nd Sharpshooter Company, surprised a troop of Union cavalry: "A single volley from my line unhorsed nearly the last man of them, and in a few minutes a number of my barefooted crowd were up to their knees in cavalry boots," he reported.
While things might not be in a good state for the Army of Northern Virginia, South Carolina's sharpshooters, however, were not seriously affected by the scarcity of shoes, clothing or the poor quality of rations furnished by the army, for, be it known, they were just as faithful foragers as they were furious fighters. Constant early morning forays behind enemy lines supplied the sharpshooters with all the plunder they could carry, (i.e. tents, clothing, rations, etc.) whatever their northern brethren had in their works was carried off by the sharpshooters. The Battalion of Sharpshooters in McGowan's Brigade had their own special wagon train, usually consisting of 5 wagons, which carried all their gear and ammunition for any odd caliber target rifles not handled by the ordinance department.
The only special item offered to the sharpshooter by the government in 1863 was a 2-banded .577 Enfield rifle for those who wished to turn in their issued long, 3-band rifle-musket. Most sharpshooters preferred a 2-banded Enfield for its superior accuracy and durability. Captured ammunition for the Federal .58 Springfield was compatible with either British Enfield. A few sharpshooters preferred their personal weapon brought from home or had sent to them after joining the sharpshooters. A small and select group of individuals possessed one of the coveted Whitworth Rifles, the most accurate long range rifle of its time; the Whitworth virtually doubled the effective range for sharpshooting. With its slender 530gr bullet of hexagonal .451 caliber, the hitting of targets of opportunity at ranges up to 1500 yards were well within the Sharpshooters' capabilities. After extensive shooting competitions these weapons (the 4000-4500 troops of the South Carolina Brigade had but two Whitworths available) would be awarded, sometimes with a horse and equipment, to the victor. Besides long range shooting the Sharpshooters engaged in numerous excursions through the Union lines searching for prisoners and useful information. They were, truly, the eyes and ears of Gen'l Lee.
