2nd Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment)

2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment 2nd Palmetto Regiment
Flag of South Carolina
Active	April 9, 1861 to April 26th, 1865
Country	Confederate States of America
Allegiance	Confederate States Army
Branch	Infantry
Type	Regiment
Engagements	American Civil War Battle of Fort Sumter Battle of First Manassas Peninsula Campaign Battle of Yorktown (1862) Battle of Williamsburg Seven Days Battles Battle of Savage's Station Battle of Malvern Hill Maryland Campaign Battle of Harper's Ferry Battle of Sharpsburg Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Chickamauga Siege of Knoxville Battle of Campbell's Station Battle of Bean's Station Overland Campaign Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Battle of North Anna Battle of Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg First Battle of Deep Bottom Carolinas Campaign Battle of Averasboro Battle of Bentonville
Commanders
Notable commanders	Maj. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw Brig. Gen. John D. Kennedy Col. Franklin Gaillard Col. William Wallace

American Civil War

The 2nd South Carolina Infantry, also known as 2nd Palmetto Regiment, was Confederate States Army regiment in the American Civil War.

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

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. Afterwords 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 as part of Bonham's Brigade.

Soon after there 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 of Company E was promoted to Colonel. They fought at Williamsburg and Yorktown, and eventually at the Seven Days Battles. Once the federal Army of the Potomac was defeated, the Army of Northern Virginia went to Northern Virginia and fought at the Second Battle of Manassas. 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.

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. Here they fought in the West Woods. Earlier the federal I and XII 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, 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. 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 of Company E/G gave water to the wounded union soldiers, earning him the nickname "The Angle of Marye's Heights". Soon afterwords they fought at Chancellorsville, participating in the opening fight on May 1, 1863.