There were 224 living Citadel graduates when South Carolina announced it was seceding from the Union and 209 served in the confederate armed forces during the period referred to as The War Between the States (1861-1865). Of the 15 who did not serve 5 were ministers of the gospel, 2 were physicians, 2 civilian engineers for the confederate government, 1 railway official, 3 resided in California and one was studying in Germany. By proclamation, the South Carolina legislature declared that “all graduates of The South Carolina Military Academy (The Citadel) be qualified for officer status, up to Colonel,” so most served as officers. Those alumni who did not graduate, but resigned in order to serve, were not necessarily granted officer rank.
On 9 January 1861 Citadel Cadets under the command of the college’s Superintendent, Col. Peter Stevens, fired what many consider to be the first shots of the War Between the States when the battery at Morris Island opened fire on the federal ship Star of the West that had been ordered to re-supply the federal garrison manning Ft Sumter in Charleston harbor. The cadet battery was exceptionally accurate, and by the 5/6th round, the ship had turned about, having been struck 3 times. South Carolina had already announced its secession in December 1860, and this event served to accelerate other southern states to join the Confederacy.
In June, 1862, 37 cadets resigned from The Citadel and enlisted, forming the famous “Cadet Rangers,” later to participate in the largest cavalry battle of the war at Trevilian Station, Va. In that battle, two “Rangers” were killed in action, and six were wounded in action. During the war, a total of 11 Cadet Rangers were wounded in action and 4 made the ultimate sacrifice.
The Battalion of State Cadets was formed by order of the Governor and was made up of the combined classes of Citadel and Arsenal cadets. Among their numerous engagements was the Battle of Tulifinny Creek, SC. This battle may be the only time in U.S. history that an entire student body participated in a combat engagement and fought as a unit…… suffering eight casualties in the fight. The Battalion never surrendered in battle and never retreated, in fact they were the last armed confederate force in SC, and they fought what is arguably the last skirmish of the war at Williamston, SC on May 1, 1865. They finally disbanded themselves at Newberry, SC Courthouse on May 9, 1865. It should be noted for historical purposes that a member of this unit, W. McKenzie Parker, 1868, was arguably the last battle casualty of The War east of the Mississippi River when killed by federal soldiers on May 12, 1865, also at Williamston.
The Citadel knows of 90 graduates and cadets ( those who resigned while a cadet to join the fight, and those called to serve in the Cadet battalion) who died in the war as a result of being combatants, including those killed on the battlefield by hostile fire, those who died of wounds suffered on the battlefield, and those who died after contracting an illness on the battlefield. They are listed below to include the college’s first graduate and first cadet combat deaths (KIA), as well as our first to be listed as Missing In Action (MIA). In total numbers, approximately 2275 students have been identified as having been enrolled as cadets from 1842-1865, and an estimated 325 were lost. There were 240 graduates (224 living at the time of hostilities) and 25% of those were lost. A known total of 31 cadets lost their lives serving in Confederate forces during the war. Another result of the aftermath of this terrible conflict was that The Citadel was occupied by federal armed forces for 17 years, reflecting the historical note that there were no graduating classes from 1865-1886.
As a result of actions on the battlefield by The Battalion of State Cadets, The Citadel earned the right to post nine “institutional” battle streamers for “significant participation in a battle of historical importance.” Only VMI (one “institutional” streamer), Florida State, William & Mary and Univ. of Hawaii Army ROTC units (each with one) have also been authorized that right. The national service academies post the battle streamers of their respective services, but none for “institutional” participation by the cadet corps.
Much of Citadel record keeping was either lost or intentionally destroyed during the evacuation of the college in advance of Sherman’s march into South Carolina in early 1865. Some records were transported to The Arsenal in Columbia as federal forces entered Charleston and physically occupied The Citadel for 17 years. Sherman’s troops then marched on Columbia, and many of the school records that survived from Charleston were forever lost in the chaos that ensued. The data illustrated below is the result of referencing and repeated cross-referencing of SC state and local archives, family genealogy, books, Citadel record-keeping, online sources relating to Southern and South Carolina history of the period, and even the engraving on various tombstones. Each name has been cross-referenced twice at a minimum, however one’s unit and/or rank listed could be faulty due to eventual transfers/promotions. Research continues to uncover the identities of the other alumni who have made the ultimate sacrifice in answer to their state’s call to arms and information from outside sources about alumni during this period is welcome. Dates, units, and ranks can be erroneous due to record keeping, re-assignments, or promotions. On the list below, ‘SOW’ refers to one being a member of the battery on Morris Is. in 1861—a “Star of the West cadet”.
| Class | Rank, Name, Unit | Battle | Death Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1846 | Col. Charles C. Tew (2nd NC) | KIA, Sharpsburg | September 17, 1862 |
| 1847 | Lt. Col. Augustus J. Lythgoe (1st SC) | KIA, Stones River, TN | December 31, 1862 |
| 1849 | Lt. Col. Franklin Gaillard (2nd SC) | KIA, Wilderness, VA | May 6, 1864 |
| 1850 | Cpt. S. N. Kennerly (1st SC) | KIA, Weldon RR, VA | August 21, 1864 |
| 1851 | Cpt. Thomas B. Colding (Ga. Volun.) | KIA, Winchester, VA | June 13, 1863 |
| 1851 | Lt. Col. F. Gendron Palmer (Holcombe’s Legion) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | September 14, 1862 |
| 1851 | Col. Edward J. Walker (3rd Ga.) | KIA, Atlanta | August 21, 1864 |
| 1852 | Cpt. W. S. Brewster (SCM 17th Reg) | KIA, Fredericksburg, VA | December 11, 1862 |
| 1852 | Cpt. T. W. Fitzgerald (12th ALA) | KIA, Chancellorsville, VA | March 6, 1864 |
| 1852 | Capt. George E. Gamble (SCM 3rd Reg) | KIA, James Is., SC | September 14, 1861 |
| 1852 | Cpt. H. B. Housel (7th Fla.) | Undetermined | 1862 |
| 1852 | Col. R. A. Palmer (2nd Miss.) | KIA, 1st Manassas, VA (1st graduate KIA) | July 21, 1861 |
| 1852 | Lt. George Seabrook (1st SC) | Battlefield Disease, Morris Is., SC | April 2, 1861 |
| 1852 | Maj. D. T. Williams (2nd SC) | KIA, Gettysburg, PA | July 2, 1863 |
| 1854 | Col. D. G. Fleming (22nd SC) | MIA, The Crater, VA | July 30, 1864 |
| 1854 | Cpt. C. T. Haskell (1st SC) | KIA, Morris Is., SC | July 10, 1863 |
| 1854 | BG Micah Jenkins (Army of No. VA) | KIA, Wilderness, VA | May 6, 1864 |
| 1854 | Cpt. J. S. Palmer (10th SC) | KIA, Atlanta, GA | July 22, 1864 |
| 1855 | Cpt. J. M. Dean (7 ARK.) | KIA, Shiloh, TN | April 7, 1862 |
| 1856 | Cpt. J. A. Evans | KIA, Kinnesaw Mt., TN | June 27, 1864 |
| 1856 | Maj. J. A. Finch (6th SC) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | August 30, 1862 |
| 1856 | Cpt. J. H. Hart (12th SC) | KIA, So. Mt., MD | September 14, 1862 |
| 1856 | Col. J. D. Nance (3rd SC) | KIA, Wilderness, VA | May 6, 1864 |
| 1856 | Cpt. George A. Ross (Ark. Vol.) | KIA | 1861 |
| 1857 | Col. C. W. McCreary (1st SC) | KIA, Gravely Run, SC | May 31, 1865 |
| 1857 | Col. William D. Rutherford (3rd SC) | KIA, Strasburg, VA | October 13, 1864 |
| 1859 | James E. Delorme | Undetermined | Undetermined |
| 1859 | Cpt. James L. Litchfield (7th SC) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | September 13, 1862 |
| 1859 | T. O. McCaslan (1st SC) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | August 30, 1862 |
| 1859 | Lt. G. M. McDowell (2nd SC) | KIA, Gettysburg, PA | July 3, 1863 |
| 1859 | Col. William H. J. Mitchell (17th SC) | MIA, Petersburg, VA (1st MIA) | June 18, 1864 |
| 1859 | Maj. W. P. Shooter (1st SC) | KIA, Spotsylvania, PA | May 12, 1864 |
| 1859 | Col. O. J. Youmans (2nd SC) | KIA, Wilderness, VA | May 6, 1864 |
| 1860 | Lt William Alisson (__) | KIA, Unknown | May 4, 1862 |
| 1860 | Frank DeCardeuc (1st SC) | Battlefield Disease, Staunton, VA | November 3, 1863 |
| 1860 | Maj. E. A. Erwin (1st SC) | KIA, Morris Island, SC | September 7, 1863 |
| 1860 | Capt. Francis H. Harleston (1st SC) | KIA, Ft. Sumter, SC | November 24, 1863 |
| 1860 | 2/Lt. S. S. Kirby (Palmetto Light Artillery) | KIA, Rivers Bridge, SC | February 2, 1865 |
| 1860 | __ Theodore K. Klinck (Washington Light Infantry) | WIA, Seven Pines | June 11, 1862 |
| 1860 | 2/Lt. Joshua Moses (3rd Palmetto) | KIA, Ft. Blakely, Al. | April 9, 1865 |
| 1860 | Cpt. J. Nettles (10th SC) | Died while POW | January 14, 1863 |
| 1861 | Lt Robert S. Bryce | KIA, Chickamauga, GA | September 22, 1863 |
| 1861 | 1/Lt. James H. Burns (6th NC ) | KIA, Gettysburg, PA | July 2, 1863 |
| 1861 | D. P. Campbell (11th SC ) | KIA, Pocataglio, SC | October 22, 1862 |
| 1861 | Lt. J. J. Coward (5th SC ) | KIA, Seven Pines, VA | June 1, 1862 |
| 1861 | Capt. Randall Croft (16th SC SOW CADET) | Battlefield disease, Aiken, SC | July 26, 1862 |
| 1861 | 1/Lt James Horlbeck (3rd SC Arty SOW Cadet) | WIA, Avasboro, NC | died from wounds 13 Jan 1866 |
| 1861 | 1/Lt. John Dosier Lee (9th SCV ) | KIA, Gaines Mill, VA | June 30, 1862 |
| 1861 | J. C. Palmer (24th SC ) | KIA, Fayetteville, NC | September 19, 1863 |
| 1861 | Maj. John Marshall Whilden (23rd SC SOW Cadet) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | August 30, 1862 |
| 1861 | Nicholas Wilson (12th SC ) | KIA, Sharpsburg, MD | September 17, 1862 |
| 1861 | T. H. Wylie (6th SC) | WIA, Seven Pines, VA 1862-06-05 | Died of wounds1865-11-17 |
| 1862 | Lt Thomas B. Alisson (__) | WIA 1865, In Virginia | Died of wounds1866-10 |
| 1862 | Cpt. G. B. Dyer (2nd SC ) | KIA, Cold Harbor, VA | June 1, 1864 |
| 1862 | Capt. G. M. Lalane (25th SC ) | KIA, James Island, SC | July 30, 1863 |
| 1862 | Cadet Ranger G. A McDowell (6th SC) | KIA, Johns Island, SC | February 9, 1864 |
| 1862 | William McKewn (5th SC ) | KIA, Fredericksburg, VA | December 14, 1863 |
| 1862 | Lt. J. T. Norris (19th SC) | KIA, Stones River, TN | January 10, 1863 |
| 1863 | 2/Lt. John A. Craig (21st SC) | KIA, Drury’s Bluff, VA | May 16, 1864 |
| 1863 | J. B. Dotterer (24th SC) | KIA, New Hope Church, GA | May 24, 1864 |
| 1863 | Cadet Ranger John S. Dutart (6th SC Cavalry) | KIA, Johns Island, SC | February 9, 1864 |
| 1863 | William Gregg (21st SC) | KIA, Gaines Mill, VA | June 29, 1863 |
| 1863 | P. Hamilton (24th SC) | KIA, Chickamauga, GA | September 19, 1863 |
| 1863 | Col. M. B. Humphrey (6th SC “Cadet Ranger”) | KIA, Bentonville, NC | April 30, 1865 |
| 1863 | John C. Neil (Palmetto Sharpshooters) | KIA, 2nd Manassas, VA | August 30, 1862 |
| 1863 | “Cadet Ranger” W. J. Nettles (6th SC Cavalry) | KIA, Franklin, TN | October 27, 1864 |
| 1863 | Maj. T.A. Quattlebaum (7th SC SOW Cadet) | MIA, The Crater, VA | July 30, 1864 |
| 1863 | William Mason Smith (27th SC) | KIA, Cold Harbor, VA | June 1, 1864 |
| 1864 | Cadet Ranger A.W. Dozier (6th SC) | Died from POW wounds, POW Confinement | June 2, 1869 |
| 1864 | Cpt. A. F. Miller (1st SC) | KIA, Petersburg, VA | November 30, 1864 |
| 1864 | “Cadet Ranger” James O. Sheppard (6th SC) | KIA, Trevilian Station, VA | June 12, 1864 |
| 1864 | Cadet Ranger Joseph Willingham (__) | Joseph P. Huger (Manigault’s Battalion) | Jan 1865 |
| 1865 | “Cadet Ranger” Ross Davis (6th SC) | KIA, Petersburg | June 12, 1864 |
| 1865 | George W. McKenzie (2nd SC) | KIA, Mt. Jackson, VA | January 4, 1864 |
| 1865 | R. F. Nichols (add 7th SC) | Battlefield Disease | December 10, 1864 |
| 1865 | W. J. B. Patterson (Battalion of State Cadets) | KIA, Tulifinny Creek, SC (first cadet KIA) | December 7, 1864 |
| 1866 | John Culbreath (7th SC) | Battlefield Disease | April 17, 1865 |
| 1866 | B. T. Gibbs (16th SC) | Battlefield Disease | March 12, 1864 |
| 1866 | H. S. Morrison | Battlefield Disease | August 16, 1863 |
| 1866 | William Ravenel | Battlefield Disease | August 23, 1863 |
| 1867 | Brooks (6th SC Cavalry) | June 12, 1864 | |
| 1867 | Joseph P. Huger (Manigaults Battalion) | KIA, Ft. Sumter, SC | April 13, 1864 |
| 1867 | Joseph E. Sams (8th SC) | Battlefield Disease | March 22, 1865 |
| 1868 | Albert O. Brown (26th SC) | Battlefield Disease | January 29, 1865 |
| 1868 | George O. Buck (7th SC) | Battlefield Disease | January 22, 1865 |
| 1868 | George Grant (18th SC) | MIA, Bentonville, NC | March 21, 1865 |
| 1868 | Thomas Albert Johnson (7th SC) | Battlefield Disease | March 23, 1865 |
| 1868 | Osma Knox | Battlefield Disease | November 28, 1864 |
| 1868 | Johnnie C. Mangrum (26th SC) | Battlefield Wounds | 1866 |
| 1868 | Robert E. Muldrow (25th SC) | Battlefield Disease | April 7, 1865 |
| 1868 | Russell Noble (7th SC) | Battlefield Disease | January 12, 1865 |
| 1868 | W. McKenzie Parker (Battalion of State Cadets) | KIA, Williamston, SC (last confederate death) | May 9, 1865 |