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26th South Carolina Infantry

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Muster In: Organized by the consolidation of the 6th and 9th South Carolina Infantry Battalions on September 9, 1862.1
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel Alexander D. Smith
Commander Image

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson
Joshua H. Hudson 26th SC3

Major Ceth Smith Land
Ceth Smith Land 26th SC4

First Offensive Order of Battle: Elliott’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army5

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson6
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons: Austrian Rifles (.54 caliber)(?)7

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Elliott’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army8

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson9,10
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Elliott’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army11

  • Commander:
    • Colonel Alexander D. Smith (wounded in the shoulder on July 30, 1864)(Smith commanded a temporary brigade on July 30 of patched together units)12,13
    • Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson (on July 30, 1864 while Smith commanded a temporary brigade)14,15
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Elliott’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army16

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson17,18
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Wallace’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia | Confederate Army19,20

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson21,22
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Wallace’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army23

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson24,25
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Wallace’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army26,27

  • Commander:
    • Colonel Alexander D. Smith (no reason given for absence in November)(November & December 1864)28,29,30
    • Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson (took a leave of absence starting November 25, 1864) (November 1864)31
    • ? (after Hudson went on leave on November 25, 1864 and assuming Smith was not present) (November 1864)32
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Wallace’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army33,34,35,36,37

  • Commander:
    • Colonel Alexander D. Smith (no reason is given for his absence in January)(took a leave of absence starting February 14)(January & February 1865)38,39
    • Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson (January & February 1865)40 by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176],41,42,43
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Wallace’s Brigade | Johnson’s Division | Fourth Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army44,45

  • Commander:
    • None listed. (March 1865)46
    •  

      Lieutenant Colonel Joshua H. Hudson (wounded and captured April 1, 1865 at Five Forks)47,48

    •  

      Major Ceth S. Land (after Hudson was wounded)(April 1-2, 1865)49,50

  • Unit Strength: ~500 officers and men PFD (March 25, 1865)51
  • Weapons:

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles52:

  • Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
  • The Crater (July 30, 1864)
  • Fort Stedman (March 25, 1865)
  • Five Forks (April 1, 1865)
  • Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

Links:

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 103-104 ↩
    2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 103-104 ↩
    3. Image of Hudson accessed via http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scsumter/26threg.html; accessed 28 Dec 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    4. Boddie, William W; A History of Williamsburg: Something about the People of Williamsburg County, South Carolina from the First Settlement by Europeans About 1705 until 1923; Columbia, SC; State Company, 1923; accessed via www.ancestry.com on 25 Jun 2014. This is likely a postwar image of Major Land. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    6. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 35. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    7. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Virginia, National Archives, Roll 353 (Hugh M. Lofton, 26th South Carolina, Fold3.com Page 82): Invoice of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores turned over…: Lofton, commanding Company C of the 26th South Carolina, turned over 34 Austrian rifles and bayonets to the quartermaster for transportation on March 17, 1864.  For now, I am assuming the entire regiment had Austrian Rifles and that they still had these weapons in June 1864.  This is a stretch, but I’m going with it until I find information confirming or refuting this assumption.  Hat tip to Bill Callaway, who maintains the 26th Souh Carolina Infantry Page. and who pointed me to Captain Lofton’s CSRs and the information contained within. ↩
    8. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    9. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 115 ↩
    10. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 35. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    11. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
    12. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
    13. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 35, Colonel Smith was wounded at the Battle of the Crater accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 124 ↩
    15. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 35, Colonel Smith was wounded at the Battle of the Crater accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    16. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 133 ↩
    17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 133 ↩
    18. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 40, accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 141 ↩
    20. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1314. ↩
    21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 141 ↩
    22. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 40, accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
    24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 150 ↩
    25. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 40, accessed via books.google.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    27. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
    28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    29. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 167 ↩
    30. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 40, accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 158 ↩
    33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
    34. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1174: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, January 31, 1865”; This list contains many commanders who were not there.  They were the “official” commanders but may have been gone on leave.  I have used none of the leaders from this list as a result. ↩
    35. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1183: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from January 26-31, 1865, and the leaders should be accurate for this time frame. ↩
    36. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
    37. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1273: “Organization of the Infantry and Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, February 28, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from February 28, 1865.  However, leaders listed are from January.  I’ve chosen to ignore the leaders and just use this source for the organization of the order of battle. ↩
    38. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
    39. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
    40. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 176 ↩
    41. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 1183: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from January 26-31, 1865, and the leaders should be accurate for this time frame. ↩
    42. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 186 ↩
    43. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 40, accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013. Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    44. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
    45. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    46. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 195 ↩
    47. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, p. 43: Hat tip to 26th South Carolina researcher Bill Callaway, who maintains the 26th South Carolina Infantry: 1861-1865 page. ↩
    48. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    49. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, p. 43: Hat tip to 26th South Carolina researcher Bill Callaway, who maintains the 26th South Carolina Infantry: 1861-1865 page. ↩
    50. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 204 ↩
    51. Hudson, Joshua Hilary. Sketches and Reminiscences. Columbia, SC: State, 1903, page 44, Hudson claims the regiment numbered 500 men at Fort Stedman on 25 March; 60 surrendered at Appomattox Court House;  accessed via Googlebook.com on 25 March 2013.  Information courtesy of 26th South Carolina researcher Barry Truluck. ↩
    52. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina and Georgia by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 103-104 ↩

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