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Abbeville in Abbeville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Abbeville's Confederate Colonels

 
 
Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 19, 2008
1. Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker
Inscription.
Augustus J. Lythgoe, 19 S.C. Inf.
Killed Murfreesboro, 1862
J. Foster Marshall, Orr's Rifles
Killed Second Manassas, 1862
George M. Miller, Orr's Rifles
Wounded Spotsylvania, 1864
James M. Perrin, Orr's Rifles
Killed Chancellorsville, 1863
Thomas Thomson, Moore's Rifles
Served Oct. 22, 1861-Dec. 10, 1863

 
Erected 1956 by Secession Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy. (Marker Number 1-4.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the South Carolina, Abbeville Historical Sites Tour, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
 
Location. 34° 10.86′ N, 82° 23.012′ W. Marker is in Abbeville, South Carolina, in Abbeville County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street (State Highway 71) and Wardlaw Street, on the right when traveling west on North Main Street. Marker is located in front of the Abbeville Community Center, across the street from the Thomas Chiles Perrin House Marker. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Abbeville SC 29620, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other
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markers are within walking distance of this marker. Thomas Chiles Perrin House (here, next to this marker); Burt-Stark House / Jefferson Davis’s Flight (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Last Meeting of the Confederate States Cabinet (about 700 feet away); McGowan-Barksdale-Bundy House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Maj. Thomas D. Howie (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Old Livery Stable (approx. 0.3 miles away); Trinity Episcopal Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Major Thomas Dry Howie (approx. 0.4 miles away); Clarence E. Pressley (approx. 0.4 miles away); Abbeville Square (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abbeville.
 
Also see . . .
1. 19th S.C. Infantry. Augustus Lythgoe commanded the 19th S.C. Infantry (also known as Manigault's Brigade) until he was killed at the Battle of Murfreesboro. (Submitted on July 21, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

2. Battle of Stones River. The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro (in the South, simply the Battle of Murfreesboro), was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. (Submitted on April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

3. Stones River National Battlefiend
Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker -<br>Looking Southeast Along North Main Street image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, June 6, 2009
2. Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker -
Looking Southeast Along North Main Street
. The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862 and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. (Submitted on June 4, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

4. 1st S.C. Rifles (Orr's Rifles). First S.C. Regiment Rifles, known as Orr's Rifles, was organized at Sandy Springs, South Carolina in July 1861. (Submitted on July 21, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

5. Second Battle of Bull Run. The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederacy, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. (Submitted on April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

6. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. (Submitted on April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

7. Battle of Chancellorsville. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863. (Submitted on April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

8. 2nd S.C. Rifles (Moore's Rifles). Also known as the 2nd South
Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker<br>Entrance to the Abbeville Civic Center image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, June 6, 2009
3. Abbeville's Confederate Colonels Marker
Entrance to the Abbeville Civic Center
Carolina Rifles, Moore's Rifles was commanded for roughly two years by Thomas Thomson. Thomson resigned his position in order to serve in the state senate. (Submitted on July 21, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Colonel Augustus Jackson Lythgoe
Augustus J. Lythgoe was the son of a British immigrant. He was born in the Aiken area and educated at the South Carolina Military Academy. He worked on the Blue Ridge Railroad until it was suspended. (Ed. Note: The remains of this failed railroad are still visible in the Stumphouse Tunnel, north of Walhalla and is the subject of its own marker.) Lythgoe then moved to Abbeville and married Margaret Isabella Wier. With his brother-in-law, John A. Wier, Lythgoe went into the mercantile business under the name of Lythgoe & Wier.

During the Civil War, Lythgoe joined the 19th SC Regiment, attaining the rank of colonel by December 1861. He commanded the 19th SC in three major engagements: Corinth (05/26/62), Mumsfordville (09/17/62), and Murfreesboro where he died at Stone's River (12/31/62). He has a tombstone in Long Cane Cemetery and was survived by his wife, one son (George Birkenhead Lythgoe, 1857-1930), and two daughters (Meta Ann Lythgoe, 1852-1930
Augustus J Lythgoe Family Plot<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
4. Augustus J Lythgoe Family Plot
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
and Harriet Henry Lythgoe, 1859-1878). (Source: Old Abbeville: Scenes of the Past of a Town Where Old Times Are Not Forgotten, by Lowry Ware.)
    — Submitted September 12, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. Colonel Augustus Jackson Lythgoe
Augustus Jackson Lythgoe was born in Aiken, S.C., February 6, 1830. He was a son of George B. Lythgoe, who came from Liverpool, England, and Nancy (Randall) Lythgoe. His primary education was obtained in the schools of Aiken and at the South Carolina military academy. Having finished his course as a student he chose civil engineering as his profession and engaged in service with the South Carolina railroad, then in the survey and construction of the Columbia & Greenville, and afterward with the Blue Ridge railroad company.

When work was suspended on the latter road, Mr. Lythgoe went to Abbeville, where he had previously married (June 27, 1850) Miss Margaret I. Wier, and engaged in a general merchandise business with his brother-in-law, John A. Wier. The business of the firm was conducted with success for a few years, when the war began, and true to his training and patriotic nature, he left his young wife and three little children, to serve his country as a soldier.

He became a member of Capt. Joseph
Col. Augustus Jackson Lythgoe<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
5. Col. Augustus Jackson Lythgoe
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Feb. 16, 1830
Dec 31, 1862
H. Cunningham's company of infantry, which was afterward known as Company G, 19th S.C. volunteer infantry, and was elected to a lieutenancy. At the resignation of Captain Cunningham, Lieutenant Lythgoe was elected captain, and at the organization of the regiment near Columbia, in December 1861, he became lieutenant-colonel and was soon afterward elected colonel.

During the month of March 1862, the regiment was ordered to Corinth, Miss., where it was made a part of the brigade known afterward as Gen. A.M. Manigault's brigade, one of the finest in the army, and served with distinction to the end of the war with the army of Tennessee. It was but a few weeks after the regiment reached Corinth that it was under fire for the first time in the battle of Farmington, and here Colonel Lythgoe distinguished himself as a gallant soldier and capable officer. His conduct was so much admired that when, shortly after thus battle, a reorganization took place, this noble young Carolinian was almost unanimously re-elected colonel of the regiment.

In the memorable Kentucky campaign of General Bragg, Colonel Lythgoe was constantly and conspicuously present in person and with his regiment. Murfreesboro was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and here again and for the last time, Colonel Lythgoe led his regiment with great skill and valor into the thickest of the fight and assisted
Margaret Wier Lythgoe<br>Wife of Augustus Jackson Lythgoe<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
6. Margaret Wier Lythgoe
Wife of Augustus Jackson Lythgoe
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Feb. 20, 1832
June 26, 1913
the brigade in the capture of a battery of four guns. This exploit was so daring and brilliant that the commanding general of the army by general orders directed that the chief officers, Colonel Lythgoe being one, should have their names inscribed upon the several pieces.

In this battle Colonel Lythgoe received a mortal wound from which he died in a few hours, and his remains lie buried at Murfreesboro. (Source: Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History, in Thirteen Volumes by Ellison Capers, pgs 716-717.)
    — Submitted April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

3. Colonel Lythgoe and the 19th Actions at Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and here again and for the last time Col. Lythgoe led his regiment with great skill and valor into the thickest of the fight, his brigade capturing a battery of four guns. This exploit was so daring and brilliant that the commanding general of the army by general order directed that the chief officers, Col. Lythgoe being one, should have their names inscribed upon the several pieces. The regiment went into action with two hundred and thirty men, and lost eighty-two. It was here that Col. Lythgoe received a mortal wound, from which he died in a few
Meta Ann Lythgoe's<br>First Child of Augustus Lythgoe<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
7. Meta Ann Lythgoe's
First Child of Augustus Lythgoe
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Sept. 14, 1855
July 8, 1930
hours. (Source: The Confederate Veteran Magazine, February 1900.)
    — Submitted June 4, 2012, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

4. Colonel Jehu Foster Marshall
Col. Marshall was a figure of some prominence in Abbeville. In the pre-Civil War years, Marshall was a captain in the Mexican-American War, serving in the famed Palmetto Regiment. He donated the steeple that crowns the city's Trinity Episcopal Church. He is one of only two people buried in the church's gardens (the other being his wife). Battery Marshall, on the west end of Sullivan's Island in Charleston, was named for him. He was a lawyer who represented Abbeville as a state senator in Columbia and he was one of the presidents that oversaw the Secession Convention held in Abbeville on Secession Hill, November 22, 1860.

In addition to his South Carolina connections, Marshall was owner of a large sugar plantation in Florida. Located in Marion County, near the city of Ocala, this plantation was established in 1855. After Marshall's death, the plantation was run by his widow, Elizabeth Anne DeBrull Marshall, until Union troops under the command of Sergeant Major Henry James burned it on March 10, 1865. The plantation was the last in Florida to provide sugar to the Confederacy. The plantation is now
George Birkenhead Lythgoe's<br>Second Child of Augustus Lythgoe<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
8. George Birkenhead Lythgoe's
Second Child of Augustus Lythgoe
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Aug. 29, 1857
May 5, 1930
home to the 2.5 mile Marshall Swamp Trail. (Source: http://www.flheritage.com/preservation/markers/markers.cfm?ID=marion and http://hiking.meetup.com/270/calendar/7237927/)
    — Submitted July 20, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

5. Colonel Jehu Foster Marshall
Born in South Carolina on August 28, 1817, Marshall attended and graduated from South Carolina College in 1837. He then became a lawyer in Abbeville. A man of "acute intelligence, great tact, of affable and cordial address," Marshall then served a stint with the Palmetto Regiment in the Mexican War. After the War, he married and served in the South Carolina legislature from 1848 to 1862.

Marshall became the lieutenant colonel of the Rifles on July 20, 1861. He rose to the rank of colonel on January 29, 1862. While leading the regiment against a "furious assault", he was mortally wounded in the fighting at Second Manassas on the day after his 45th birthday. He survived but an hour. He had earned the "highest regard of the brigade" and his loss was considered great. Marshall was buried in Abbeville. (Source: http://www.aphillcsa.com/marshall.html.)
    — Submitted April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Harriet Henry Lythgoe's<br>Third Child of Augustus Lythgoe<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
9. Harriet Henry Lythgoe's
Third Child of Augustus Lythgoe
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Wife of
E.G. Graydon
Born
Jan 22, 1859
Married
Feb 23, 1878
Died
Mch 25, 1878

6. Colonel George McDuffie Miller
Before the war, George McDuffie Miller was active in local affairs. He was one of the secretaries (along with James Edward Calhoun) of the secession convention that met in Abbeville on Secession Hill, November 22, 1860.

Col. Miller served in Orr's Rifles and was wounded at Spotsylvania (the same battle where "Stonewall" Jackson received his fatal wound). Following his injury, Miller recovered and continued to serve in Orr's Rifles. He saw action at Petersburg (Aug 1864), Jones Farm (Sept 1864), Pegram's Farm (Oct 1864), Gravelly Run (Mar 1865), Five Forks (April 1865), and Dinwiddie Courthouse (April 1865).

I have recently learned that Miller was a neighbor of James E. Pratt of Abbeville District. At the start of the war, Miller organized a "military company composed of local farmers, merchants and Erskine students. Miller served as captain of the company, with 30 year old James Pratt as his lieutenant. Miller would eventually be promoted to colonel of the regiment, and James Pratt became commander of Company G upon his promotion to captain." This company was eventually made part of Orr's Rifles and known as Company G ("Marshal Riflemen").

Before his death, Col. Miller was instrumental in the founding of the United Confederate Veterans (UCV), a veterans organization for former Confederate
Colonel Jehu Foster Marshall<br>1817-1862 image. Click for full size.
circa 1860
10. Colonel Jehu Foster Marshall
1817-1862
SC Senate 1848-1862
soldiers. Colonel George McDuffie Miller died on July 12, 1899. Attending his funeral were the five surviving soldiers of Orr’s Rifles.

(Source: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=new_england&id=I13212.)
    — Submitted December 24, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

7. Colonel George McDuffie Miller
Mr. Miller lived and died in Ninety Six, SC and is buried at the Ninety Six Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor    
    — Submitted May 29, 2010, by Jennifer Donlon of Ninety Six, South Carolina.

8. Colonel James Monroe Perrin
Perrin was born in 1822 in the Abbeville District and graduated from South Carolina College. He served as a lieutenant in the Palmetto Regiment during the Mexican War, returning home to become a lawyer in Abbeville. Captain of Company B ("McDuffies Guards") of the Rifles, he was absent through 1862 serving in the state legislature. He was promoted to colonel on November 12, 1862. At the battle of Chancellorsville, Perrin was mortally wounded on May 3, 1863 while withdrawing his regiment. He died on May 5, "universally
Col. Jehu Foster and <br>Elizabeth Anne DeBrull Marshall's Tombstone<br>Trinity Episcopal Churchyard image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 27, 2008
11. Col. Jehu Foster and
Elizabeth Anne DeBrull Marshall's Tombstone
Trinity Episcopal Churchyard
lamented by the regiment and all who knew him." He is buried in Upper Long Cane Cemetery. (Source: http://www.aphillcsa.com/perrinjm.html.)
    — Submitted August 21, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

9. Colonel James Monroe Perrin
He was born on Hard Labor Creek 16 miles below Abbeville, the son of Samuel and Eunice Perrin. His father died when he was very young and he largely grew up in the home of Thomas Chiles Perrin, his oldest brother. He was educated at the South Carolina College, studied law and entered the Abbeville bar.

Perrin served in the Mexican War and rose to the rank of 2nd lieutenant by 1848. He was married twice. His first wife was Mary Smith of Stoney Point, Augustus M. Smith's sister, who lived for only six more years; his second wife was Kitty Tillman of Abbeville. His first wife bore him three children, and his second wife had four children, the youngest born six months after his father was killed. One of the latter children was a boy born while his father was at Sullivan's Island. Fort Sumter had just been fired upon, and Captain Perrin when he received news of the birth of a son, named him James Sumter Perrin.

His older brother had one of the finest houses in Abbeville, and on the eve of the war, James M. Perrin built
Miller Family Plot<br>Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 18, 2011
12. Miller Family Plot
Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery
the fine house which was later owned by Samuel McGowan and was adjacent to the Presbyterian church. His brother owned 121 slaves at the time of the 1860 Census and he owned 57 slaves. During 1860 he headed up the Abbeville Vigilance Committee which was formed to investigate "suspicious" vagabonds, chiefly peddlers, who were thought to be spreading sedition among the slaves.

Perrin was the captain of the first company which was formed in Abbeville at the time of secession, the Minute Men. After it had served in Charleston during the Fort Sumter, it was disbanded, and Perrin raised another company which entered the Confederate service in July. He served in Virginia through the battle of Second Manassas when he was promoted to the rank of colonel. Elected to the South Carolina legislature, he returned home and served in that role until the end of January 1863 when he returned to duty. Colonel James M. Perrin died on May 4, 1863 from wounds received the previous day at the battle of Chancellorsville. (Source: Old Abbeville: Scenes of the Past of a Town Where Old Times Are Not Forgotten, by Lowry Ware, pg 94.)
    — Submitted April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

10. Battle of Chancellorsville - Reporting the Death of Col. Perrin
The Abbeville
Col. George M. Miller Tombstone<br>Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 18, 2011
13. Col. George M. Miller Tombstone
Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Aug. 2, 1830
July 12, 1899
Press and Banner

Friday, May 15, 1863

Our community, district, state and country, are again called to mourn over her gallant dead. The great and decisive victory won over our enemy has been at the expense of some of our bravest and noblest men. The death of General Jackson casts a gloom over our entire country. His name and fame were household words around every fireside in our Southern Confederacy; every soldier loved and revered him. He is now at rest and in the enjoyment of a brighter sphere in a happier world.

Abbeville village and district has suffered much. The list of her illustrious dead has been swelled and the joy of the defeat of our foe is mingled with sorrow. The dispensations of Providence are many, the great, the good and the mighty must succumb to His will.

Among those who fell in the late battle was Col. James M. Perrin of the First Regiment Rifles, South Carolina Volunteers. He was a resident of this village; a gentleman of rare accomplishments in the legal profession; an active and efficient member of our State Legislature; high toned, dignified and lastly but not least, a true christian. At home mingling with his friends and constituents, he was gentlemanly, generous and courteous. On the field of conflict, he was brave and gallant. He not only had the respect and confidence of the officers and men under his command, but that
Virginia Griffin Miller Tombstone<br>Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 18, 2011
14. Virginia Griffin Miller Tombstone
Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery
of his superiors.

When the tocain of war first resounded on the coast of his native Carolina, he buckled on his armor and at the head of a company, repaired to the scene of action, Charleston. After Fort Sumter had fallen and the time for which his company had enlisted expired, he came home and arranging his business, again organized a company and was attached to Col. Orr's Regiment of Rifles, and since then, in the line of promotion, he became commander of the Regiment, at the head of which, after passing through several terrific battles, sacrificed his life in defense of his country. He was an old veteran of the Mexican War and and were inured on her bloody fields to the dispatching of the canonade, the rattling of musketry and the glittering swords. His brilliant career is ended, the muffled drum on the banks of the Rappahannock sounded his last march, when he yielded to Death, his acknowledged Commander in Chief.

Among those who are numbered among those slain on the Rappahannock are: J.D. Malone, Thos. C. Perrin, E.C. Riley, W.B. Riley, J.F. Martin, W.A. Montgomery.

All of these, of our village and district, belonging to Co. B, Col. Perrin's Regiment. It is a matter of regret to record the fall of the young, promising and brave. Some of the most gifted, talented and worthy young men of our community have already fallen and this list only adds to
Mary Watts Miller Tombstone<br>Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 18, 2011
15. Mary Watts Miller Tombstone
Due West Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Jan. 14, 1869
July 28, 1956
its members.
    — Submitted November 14, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

11. The Death of Col. Perrin
"I regret to announce the death of Colonel James M. Perrin, Orr's Rifle Regiment, who was mortally wounded while gallantly fighting his regiment at the breastworks, on Sunday, May 3. Colonel Perrin was one of the captains of my old regiment (First South Carolina Volunteers), and on duty with me in South Carolina previous to my coming to Virginia in 1861. Since then he has at various times been under my command. A more zealous or efficient officer could not have been found in this command. Noble, brave, and pious, he lived to win the admiration and esteem of his friends, and, we will trust, died to receive the reward of a life spent in the strict discharge of every duty." - D.H. Hamilton, Colonel, Commanding Second Brigade, Light Division. (Report of May 20, 1863, on the Battle of Chancellorsville.)
    — Submitted April 21, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

12. Colonel Thomas Thomson
Thomson was born in Tarbolton, Scotland on June 5, 1813. He was a lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina and served in the South Carolina Legislature. He served in all
James M. Perrin Family Plot -<br>Long Cane Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
16. James M. Perrin Family Plot -
Long Cane Cemetery
ranks from Captain to Colonel in the 2nd South Carolina Rifles and resigned in December of 1863 when he was elected to the S.C. Senate. He died in 1881 and is buried in Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville.

Judge Thomas' son, James William Thomas, was also a figure of prominence. Educated at private schools in Abbeville, James graduated from Erskine in 1881 and in 1919 was awarded an hoary L.L. D. degree. He studied law under Armistead Burt and was qualified to practice by 1884. He practiced law for only a few years when he became interested in teaching and dedicated the rest of his life to that profession. He worked most closely with Winthrop College, holding the post of Professor of Education starting in 1898. He was a member of the Board of Education in Abbeville and York Counties.

On December 8, 1885, James William Thomas married Sarah Amanda Perrin, daughter of James Wardlaw Perrin and granddaughter of the famed Colonel Perrin. He fathered five children: Mary Livingston, wife of Samuel Reid Spencer; James William; Emma Cothran, wife of John Lacy McLean; Wardlaw Perrin, husband of Elizabeth Alexander; and Margaret. (Source: History of South Carolina by Yates Snowden, pg 305.)
    — Submitted August 5, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

13. Colonel Thomas
Col. James M. Perrin<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
17. Col. James M. Perrin
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Born
June 8, 1822
Mortally wounded
at the Battle of
Chancellorsville, Va.
May 3, 1863
Died the following
morning
Thomson

Thomas Thomson was born in Scotland on the 5th of June, 1813, and went to Abbeville, South Carolina, in his youth. After he grew up he taught school for a time and studied law under the Honorable Armistead Burt. For many years he was associated with Colonel Robert A. Fair in the practice of his profession, the name of the firm being Thomson & Fair. At the bar he stood deservedly high, his tastes causing him to prefer civil practice. There was no lack of substantial recognition of his ability, and he amassed sufficient to make him independent of the chances of the future. In Abbeville district he had his home until the end. There he made his reputation, and there in consequence he was best known.

In 1846, Judge Thomson was elected a member of the State Legislature, distinguishing himself there by the cogency and brevity of his uttrances. With the exception of two terms, he served continuously as Representative and afterwards as Senator until 1868. When the State seceded, exchanging the gown for the sword, he went into service as captain of a company from Abbeville in the Second Regiment of Rifles, rising step by step to the rank of colonel. His bravery was everywhere conspicuous, and he enjoyed the full confidence of his men. Upon his election as State Senator in 1862, Colonel Thomson resigned his commission in the army.

He was a member of the
Mary Elizabeth Perrin<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
18. Mary Elizabeth Perrin
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Wife of
James M. Perrin
Born 2nd November A.D. 1829
Died 8th August A.D. 1855
Cut down by in the blood of youth
and in the enjoyment of every
worldly blessing whilst illustrating
every Christian virtue,
and when most needed to rear
tender babes
now unconscious of their loss.

----------
Creature in whom excelled
whatever can to sight or thought be formed
Holy, Divine, Good, Amiable of Sweet
How art thou lost!
----------
From the dark grave and from the awful future the echoing sounds rise higher and clearer; and like a bell with solemn sweet vibrations, I hear the voice of the Redeemer say, "I am the Resurrection and the life."
cooperation convention in 1851 and as a member of the secession convention in 1860 signed the ordinance of secession. From the time of the dissolution of the State Government, prior to the Reconstruction of 1868, he remained in private life until February, 1878, when he was elected by the General Assembly Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, receiving one hundred and thirty-seven of the one hundred and thirty-nine votes cast. The next month he was elected a Judge of the Court of Claims, before which the issues involving the validity of a portion of the State debt were tried. Judge Thomson delivered the leading opinion of the court, sustaining generally the report of the bond commission.

Judge Thomson was at one time, under the old judicial system, a prominent candidate for chancellor, and came very near an election. When the General Assembly was called on to elect circuit judges in 1878, Judge Thomson was looked upon as the man of all men to place upon the bench. In the discharge of his duties he was patient, courteous, conscientious, and painstaking.

Judge Thomson was an elder of the Presbyterian Church, enjoying the fullest confidence of his associates. The office of treasurer of the De La Howe fund he held for many years, and managed to protect it and keep it intact during the Radical era in South Carolina.

Judge Thomson was married first to Miss
Kittie C. Perrin<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 2, 2009
19. Kittie C. Perrin
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
Eliza Allen. Three children of this marriage reached maturity. Second, to Mrs. M.M. Hollingsworth, whose maiden name was Gomillion. Of this marriage four children survived.

The death of Judge Thomson, which occurred at his home in Abbeville on May 6, 1881, was wholly unexpected; there was no illness or loss of mental vigor to prepare the public for the loss of one whose career was marked by eminent talent in his profession, by gallant service during the Confederate War, and in every relation of life by steady, modest worth. Not offensive or impulsive, he was amiable to those whom he liked and a firm friend of those whom he trusted. (Source: South Carolina Bench and Bar by Ulysses Robert Brooks (1908), pg 258-259.)
    — Submitted April 22, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

14. Marker Style
The marker shown reflects the second style of South Carolina Historical Markers. It was in use between 1955 and 1990. The original design was cast aluminum and crowned with a bas relief of the state flag surrounded by an inverted triangle. The markers were painted dark blue with silver lettering.
    — Submitted September 16, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
 
Col. Thomas Thomson<br>Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, December 23, 2008
20. Col. Thomas Thomson
Long Cane Cemetery, Abbeville, SC
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 12, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 8,608 times since then and 37 times this year. Last updated on August 22, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. Photos:   1. submitted on July 20, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   2. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   3. submitted on September 14, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   4, 5, 6. submitted on May 5, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   7, 8, 9. submitted on May 25, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   10. submitted on August 21, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   11. submitted on September 29, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   12, 13. submitted on October 20, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   14, 15. submitted on November 21, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   16. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   17, 18, 19. submitted on May 5, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   20. submitted on December 24, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024