Williamston in Anderson County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Gist Rifles Monument

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

1. Gist Rifles Monument

Inscription. Sacred to the memory of
the Confederate Dead
Gist Rifles
Company D
Hampton Legion
Gary's Brigade
Infantry
South Carolina Volunteers
A.N.V. C.S.A.
1861-1865

Organized in
Williamston Spring Park

Erected 1941 by South Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Topics and series. This historical marker and monument is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the United Daughters of the Confederacy series list.

Location. 34° 37.083′ N, 82° 28.7′ W. Marker is in Williamston, South Carolina, in Anderson County. Marker can be reached from East Main Street (State Highway 20). Marker is located on the grounds of Mineral Spring Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Williamston SC 29697, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Williamston 9-11 Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Williamston Female College (within shouting distance of this marker); West Allen Williams Memorial Gravesite (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Skirmish (within shouting distance of this marker); Williamston Municipal Center

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(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); West Allen Williams (about 400 feet away); Williamston (about 500 feet away); Big Creek Baptist Church (approx. half a mile away); Pelzer Schools (approx. 2 miles away); Pelzer Public Schools World War II Memorial (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williamston.

Also see . . .
1. South Carolina's Legions: Hampton Legion. Complete listing of Hampton Legion and its organization. (Submitted on June 4, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

2. Hampton's Legion. Hampton's Legion was an American Civil War military unit of the Confederate States of America, organized and partially financed by wealthy South Carolina plantation owner Wade Hampton III. (Submitted on December 14, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

Additional commentary.
1. Gist Rifles
The Gist Rifles, also called the Gist Riflemen and Gist Guards, were a company composed of men primarily from Anderson and Pickens Districts with some from Greenville and

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

2. Gist Rifles Monument

Spartanburg Districts. In April 1861, President Jefferson Davis authorized raising a "Legion of Honor" to be under his orders. The legion was to comprise six infantry companies, four cavalry companies, and one artillery company. The legion would enlist for one year of service in the Confederate States Provisional Army, and the president would appoint all field officers. Wade Hampton was selected to be the colonel of the legion, and it took his name. The Gist Rifles probably mustered in at Columbia on June 12, 1861, along with the other five infantry companies of the elite Hampton Legion.

The infantry, cavalry, and artillery components of the Hampton Legion were broken up after the first battle of Manassas. The Gist Rifles remained with the Infantry Battalion of the Hampton Legion, which was augmented to become a full infantry regiment by December 1862. After the Knoxville Campaign in 1863, the regiment was mounted and reassigned to M.W. Gary's Cavalry Brigade, with whom it finished the war. The S.C. Division of the U.D.C. unveiled this granite marker in 1941 for $200. It stands five-and-a-half feet tall.

The U.D.C. proposed, but never erected, another monument for Williamston. It was to have been a twenty-five foot blue granite shaft topped by a cannon ball. It was to have has an eight-foot base surmounted by two additional bases. The Owens Brothers Marble and

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

3. Gist Rifles Monument

Granite Company of Greenwood was to design and build it. The inscription read:
CSA
1861 - 1865
Our Heroes
(Source: A Guide to Confederate Monuments in South Carolina: "Passing the Silent Cup" by Robert S. Seigler (1997), pgs 500-501.)

— Submitted December 14, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,762 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 4, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.