 | Memoirs of the war of secession |  |
Twenty-seventh Regiment.
The Charleston Battalion, composing the first six companies of
this regiment, was originally raised in Charleston and mustered
it received many recruits from the country, but its officers were
almost without exception Charlestonians, and the city element
largely predominated in the ranks. The several companies were
offshoots from the old militia organizations of the city and
among themselves retained the names of their parent companies.
Indeed this was common throughout the brigade, and there was
scarcely a company in any of the regiments which, though known
officially as Company A or Company B of such a regiment, had
not some fancy name by which they were fond of calling themselves
and by which they were generally known at home. P. C.
Gaillard was the lieutenant-colonel commanding and David
Ramsay major. Colonel Gaillard had graduated at West Point,
a contemporary of General Bragg's, had served in the United
States Army, and subsequently for many years was engaged in
commercial pursuits in Charleston. He was a man with much of
the old Roman type of character about him, had unbounded
influence over his command, and was every inch a soldier. Notwithstanding
his age and the loss of an arm at Wagner, he served
faithfully with his regiment under every hardship of the campaign
of '64 in Virginia, until, toward its close, his health succumbed
and he was compelled to go upon the retired list and a
post command.
Major Ramsay was a lawyer of high culture and fell at Wagner
on the 18th July.
The battalion of sharpshooters composing the remaining companies
of the regiment was raised in June, 1862, under orders
from Richmond, partly by compulsory drafts from regiments
already in service, and partly by voluntary enlistment. The
officers were appointed, not elected, and the organization was
rather that of Regulars than Volunteers.
In passing, it may be remarked that the scheme of the War
Department of raising a special corps of sharpshooters failed, and
though in this instance some excellent companies were formed,
they never did duty other than infantry of the line. Indeed,
as the war progressed, the whole Confederate Army rapidly
became light infantry in mobility and appointments, and in a
wooded country, with the Enfield rifle or its equivalent on both
sides, it was seldom that anything but the ordinary skirmisher
a greater advantage than any increased length of range or special
accuracy of fire, the Enfield carrying its missile with deadly force
and accuracy across most of the open levels encountered. There
were occasions, however, such as at Wagner, at Petersburg and
elsewhere in the writer's experience, when a few telescopic rifles,
such as Whitworths, distributed through a regiment—say one to
the company—were capable of good service. The possession of
such a rifle might have been made a mark of honor as well as skill
in the beam.
Major Abney, commanding the sharpshooters' battalion, had
served in Mexico as lieutenant in the Palmetto Regiment; had in
this war been elected to the command of one of the regiments
raised in the State in the spring of '62, and, upon the inevitable
reorganization upon entering Confederate service, a few weeks
afterwards had been ousted by a man who was subsequently
broken for cowardice. Abney was a brave man, but his habits were
not good, and his virtues were rather passive than active. Blake,
the lieutenant-colonel, also was a negative character. Both he and
Abney had not sufficient elan and failed to command the confidence
of their men. When Gaillard was absent, the regiment
always did better under one of its many good subordinates.
Abney's health became bad and he went on the retired list; and
Blake was dropped for over-staying a leave in the spring of '65.
He appealed, however, alleging great injustice done him, and
was granted a court amid the rapidly culminating misfortunes of
the Confederacy, the decision of which was never announced.
The Twenty-seventh was especially claimed by the Charlestonians
as their regiment, and in consequence of its local popularity
many of the best young men of the city were in its ranks.
The average intelligence and social position of the rank and file
were thus greater than most regiments, and its discipline and
character were peculiar. It was not equal to some others in discipline,
but under Gaillard, or any other of its officers who
possessed its confidence, it would go anywhere and do anything.
Under Blake or Abney it was far less efficient. There was too
much intelligence and too little rigidity of discipline in its ranks
for men without force of character to command it successfully.
This regiment, like the others, had served only in South Carolina,
honor in the fort at Secessionville in '62; had been Talliferro's
mainstay at Wagner on the 18th July; a portion of it had been
Elliott's garrison at Sumter when the boat attack was repulsed;
and two of its sharpshooter companies had obtained honorable
mention at Pocotaligo.
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