15th Battalion, South Carolina Heavy Artillery (Lucas')

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Brief History


The 15th Battalion, South Carolina Artillery began it's organization in early 1861. It was also known as Lucas's Battalion, the 15th Heavy Artillery Battalion and the Dismounted Dragoons. The 15th Battalion actually was to be a unit of cavalry under Davie DeSaussure but there was a lack of funds to supply the unit. Desassure resigned and by June 1861, J.J. Lucas was appointed to take over the unit and it was mustered into Confederate service on June 6, 1861 as an infantry at Fort Pickens, James Island, on the Stono, near Charleston. But soon after this time, the unit was coverted to an artillery. It originally organized with two companies and a third joined a few months later (Companies A and B mustered into service on 6 June 1861 at James Island; C Company added on 15 November 1861, which was Captain Child's Company, South Carolina Light Artillery). Several other units were also attached to this battalion for short periods of time. In early 1865 the 15th Battalion was converted to an infantry and fought in the North Carolina Campaign under A. Rhett's Brigade. It surrendered with the Army of Tennessee on April 26, 1865.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A -

Company B -

Company C - (also known as Child's Light Artillery, Winder's Light Artillery) -

Company D -

Company E -

Gist Guard Artillery -

Mathewes Artillery -

Melcher's Battery -

Other Sources

 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System can be searched by soldier's name or by regiment; includes regimental rosters and additional history of the regiment. This site uses Joseph H. Crute's book,Units of the Confederate States Army, as their main source for the regiment history. Family History Library book 973 M2crua,, WorldCat.
 * Footnote.com (A subscription website, but is available for use at the Family History Library and some Family History Centers). It has digital Civil War soldier service records and brief regiment histories (located at the bottom of some of the muster rolls).