The Hampton Legion was one of the infantry regiments of the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War . The Legion was formed in June 1861 and consisted of a battalion of eight infantry companies, four cavalry companies and two artillery companies. In the summer of 1861, the legion acted as an independent unit, then in August 1862 cavalry and artillery were withdrawn from it and supplemented with companies to the size of a regiment. Since July 1862, the Legion was part of the Texas brigade and went through all the battles in the east, then in November was transferred to the South Carolina brigade of Mickey Jenkins . He participated in all battles in the east except Chancellorsville , and in 1864 he was turned into a cavalry regiment. In April 1865, he surrendered with the rest of the army at Appomattox.
| Hampton Legion | |
|---|---|
 flag of south carolina, 1861 | |
| Years of existence | 1861 - 1865 |
| A country |  KSA |
| Type of | mixed |
| Number of | 600 people (July 1861) |
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders |
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Content
Formation
Battle Path
On June 26, companies A, D, F, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, were sent to Richmond, and arrived there on June 29, stationed in Camp Manning camp on Chimboraso Hill. On the morning of July 2, companies B, C, E under the command of Colonel Hampton received an order to advance to Richmond. They arrived at the venue on July 5 and also settled in Camp Manning. At noon on July 19, the battalion received orders to go by rail to Manassas, and on July 21 at 04:00 arrived at Camp Pickens [1] .
On the morning of the same day, the first battle of Bull Run began : the federal army began a march to bypass the left flank of the army of Beauregard. General Joseph Johnston decided to strengthen the flank and at 07:00 sent three brigades and a Hampton battalion there. The battalion stood at Portici's farm, and only at 11:00, when the teams of Evans, Bee and Bertow began to retreat from Matthews Hill, Hampton was ordered to come to Henry Hill and cover the retreat of the brigades. Hampton led the regiment to Robinson’s house, descended into the lowlands of the Young Branch Creek and, under the fire of Ricketts-Griffin guns, took up a position along the Warrenton Road [2] . The appearance of Hampton coincided with the first attempt by the northerners to begin the persecution. When the 27th New York Infantry Regiment arrived on the battlefield, he was ordered to advance in the direction of the Stone House and the Imboden battery. Colonel Henry Slokam led the regiment forward along the Sadley Road, and at this time the remnants of the Evans people (4th Alabama and 2nd Mississippi) left the Young Branch and took a position along the Young Branch Creek. A skirmish ensued, to which Hampton's battalion joined. In this battle, Hampton lost his horse, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Johnson was killed, but the Southerners held their position and the Sloks ordered to retreat [3] .
In the literature
In Margaret Mitchell's novel, Gone With the Wind, the legion is referred to as the unit in which Charles Hamilton, Scarlett's first husband, served. Charles was in the legion when he was standing in a camp in South Carolina and died of measles there. His son was named after the commander - Wade Hampton Hamilton.
Notes
- ↑ Hampton Legion
- ↑ Hennessy, 2015 , p. 46 - 76.
- ↑ Hennessy, 2015 , p. 76 - 77.
Literature
- Field, Ron, The Hampton Legion, Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, 1994, ISBN 1-874683-20-4 .
- Field, Ron, The Hampton Legion, Part 2, Company Histories, Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, 1995, ISBN 1-874683-25-5 .
- Hennessy, John J. The First Battle of Manassas: An End to Innocence, July 18-21, 1861. - Stackpole Books, 2015 .-- 224 p. - ISBN 978-0811715911 .
- Priest, John Michael, Ed., Stephen Elliott Welch of the Hampton Legion, White Mane Publishing Co. Inc. Shippensburg, PA, 1994, ISBN 0-942597-66-4 .
- Sturkey, O. Lee, A History of the Hampton Legion Infantry, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 2008, ISBN 978-1-56837-409-3 .
- Wells, Edward L. Hampton and His Cavalry in 64, originally published in 1899, Charleston, SC republished in 1991 by Owens Publishing Co. Richmond, VA. ISBN 0-942631-03-X .