Citadel cadets fire the first shots of The War Between The States
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). 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.
In June, 1862, 37 cadets resigned from The Citadel and enlisted, formed 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.
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 Tulifinney Creek, SC. This battle is 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 when killed by federal soldiers on May 12, 1865, also at Williamston.
The Citadel knows of 86 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. 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 a cadet from 1842-1865 and about 325 were lost. There were 240 graduates (224 living at the time of hostilities) and 25% were lost. 31 cadets lost their lives serving in confederate forces.
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), and Florida State and William & Mary Army ROTC units (each with one) have also earned 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 schools 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, on-line sources relating to Southern and South Carolina history of the period, 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. The possibility also exists that additional names could be discovered with more extensive research.
