The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-05-25

Aho ploooV RECORDS OF the civil war
sshow some interesting parallels be-
etween the record Of regiments on the
opposing sides.
Pennsylvania championed the North
San the contest for first place on the
Nroli of honor, and trife over 7 per
-3ent Of her quota of soldiers met death
~on the battlefield South Carolina
;ed the Southern States and sacrificed
over % per cent Of her military popu-
9ation as it stood in 1861.
South Carolina furnished the rcgi-
sfnent that lost the highest number
KILLED in battle during the war
"O1r's S. g. Rifles which piled up
"a death roll Of 334 Maxcy Grcgg's
ast S. G. Vols. scores 28l, thus taking
rthe second place. Orr's Rifles was,
however, a much larger organization
lat the start.
The first place on The Union side
n1as taken by the 5th New Hampshire
with score of 295 and the second
k?lace fell to the 83d Pennsylvania
regiment, which has O score Of 282.
The S3d Pennsylvania score of kill
led and wounded was 957, while the
ast S. q. Vols. has rolled up score
eof $50 killed and wounded.
The 83d Pennsylvania came into
being as q reorganization of rcgi-
Rne 1t composed of volunteer and mill
&ia companies that responded to Presi.
dent Lincoln's first call and served
athree months
The colonel, John w. McLane, had
served as volunteer officer in the
;Mexican war and distinguished him.
self as a master in organization and
drill.
The 1st South Carolina Volunteers
had similar history, for it was form.
ed out Of the disbanded 1st South
Carolina, Of the provisional army
-called into being by the Convention
when the State seeded. That regi-
,ment was made up of the old militia
companies and volunteers enlisted to
serve the State six months.
This provisional regiment and the
.one formed out of it were both of them
created and led by the same colonel,
Maxcy Gregg, who had been volun-
<teer officer in the war with Mexico,
and had acquitted himse as an able
.disoiplinarian and master of military
rtactics, And it happened that at the
very time, to month, and almost to
day, when Col. Gregg was getting his
Palmetto men out Of the old harness
anto the new and touching them up
with his Me: lean war "reminiscences,
Col. McLane was doing the same THU
with his keystone boys. The & /
was ready for orders in the fall Of 1851
and the lst South Carolina also.
AT GAlNEs's S MILL.
Each went to it's respective stations
for assignment to place in line and
both began their fighting careers on
ahe same day and on the same field,
&ithin long.range rifle shot Of each
other. The Pennsylvanians number
ed about $50 men, the Carolinians q
&riae less. They were not directly
opposed upon that field, Gaines's Mill,
June 27, 1862, but were engaged for
4he whole three years in the opposing
armies Of Northern Virginia and the
Potomac, often on the same battle
ground.
No fanoiful comparison could height
en- the parallel. The regiments start
ed fairly equal, and both were in the
thickest Of the fight, with varying
numbers engaged and varying losses
dn different battles against metal tenn
pered by the same heat. They emerg-
.ed with net result almost equal.
The South Carolinians struck "hard
dimes" in that first fight at Gaines 8
mill. They were brigaded with four
other regiments from the same State,
and Col. Gregg, as brigadiel general,
sed the whole column.
The color guard went down to
man, and Col. D. H. Hamilton took
the flag and called on his men to
stand. Gen. Gregg, seeing the
slaughter and the useleesness of try
ing to advance, ordered the regiment
&c retire by filing through the interval
Of the second line. The lieutenant
colonel, one captain and three licutcn-
ants we're killed and FIVE lieutenauts
we're wounded, twenty men were kill
ed and l25 wounded-154 in all.
The following four days the 1st