Oh, Wade Hampton comes immediately to mind! A fine cavalryman, richest man in the South, a wicked good asset to Lee but had to leave him at a most critical moment to shoo Sherman off his front porch. (Literally!) After the war, he became governor of South Carolina. (He's second only to N B Forrest for personal combat kills...18.)
States Rights Gist was another Sandlapper - his parents were very enthusiastic supporters of John Calhoun, hence his unique name. (He was also a relation of Sequoyah.) Gist was killed at the battle of Franklin, one of six generals laid out on the back porch of the Carnton house.
Richard Heron Anderson, notable at Spotsylvania, was also from South Carolina. He was a veteran of the Mexican War, a good soldier and had an unsettling experience on his way to Spotsylvania. He and his men camped in the dark and didn't realize they were camping on a battlefield from the year before...until bones and skulls started showing up! He got a really early march on and, for once in history, the troops couldn't comply fast enough...and that was why they were able to beat Warren's troops to Laurel Hill. They had to run, but the extra goose from dem bones certainly helped!
For the eastern theater, I'd really suggest Wade Hampton was second only to Jeb Stuart. He was a ferocious fighter and had plenty to fight about - his family owned nearly 1000 slaves and had three or four plantations scattered from Louisiana to South Carolina. He was, one might say, the east's answer to N B Forrest! Hampton raised Hampton's Legion, who played a major part in the battle of Bull Run, he had no military experience and he became Lt General of all the eastern cavalry after Jeb Stuart's death at Yellow Tavern. He led from the front, a tradition for Southern gentleman, which is how he came to kill 18 men in personal combat and was seriously wounded several times. It was a tremendous loss to Lee when Hampton had to leave to go home to South Carolina - Sherman had finished his march through Georgia and was headed through South Carolina. Hampton's family home was in Columbia, which got quite a beating. Hampton's departure left the younger and less experienced (but seriously capable) Fitzhugh Lee in command of Lee's cavalry, and this had unfortunate consequences at the decisive fight of Five Forks. He and pals had a shad bake - not quite as stupid as it sounds at the time but in hindsight very much so! - and Lee lost a vital railroad. If the much older and more disciplined Hampton had been in charge, nothing of the kind would have happened and chances are Five Forks would have been held.I forgot Wade Hampton was a South Carolinian. Was he as great as you say? I might disagree but I have also not studied him in depth. Thanks for your post and info.
Best is not the word... good, fine but not remarkable... like... http://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/civil-war/best generals during the Civil war from South Carolina?
Not so you'd notice it - very good at his job. Great Beefsteak Raid! Stepping out to get you some breakfast, guys - be back...Cavalry historian Eric Wittenberg considers Hampton one of the best. He said that Hampton never lost a cavalry fight.
Being such a gentleman, he was also a great subordinate. I've read that Stuart and Hampton were not close - they had a professional, working relationship at best. But I speculate much of Hampton's later success is due to him being a Stuart protege, in addition to his natural ability.For the eastern theater, I'd really suggest Wade Hampton was second only to Jeb Stuart.
The Hamptons also had a property near what is now Cashiers, North Carolina. They would sometimes head up to the Appalachians to escape the low country heat. A young Wade did a lot of fishing and bear hunting while growing up thereabouts.He was a ferocious fighter and had plenty to fight about - his family owned nearly 1000 slaves and had three or four plantations scattered from Louisiana to South Carolina.
The Hamptons were known to entertain sportsmen from abroad. One Englishman, I picture him as something of a prim and proper fox hunting dandy, opined about Hampton, "No man in England can ride with him!"There's a lot more about Wade Hampton III. He survived the war and lived to a nice old age!
I thought Hampton was a brigade commander at this time?It was Hampton's three brigades Stuart took with him on that interesting ride just before Gettysburg.
Rod Andrew Jr. mentions that in his book Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer.I think my favorite story about Hampton was when Johnston finally got cornered at Bentonville and Sherman was there drawing up the surrender. Outside, Union and Confederate officers were waiting...and Judson Kilpatrick decided to start insulting Wade Hampton about the rebel defeat. Hampton thought of the Great Skedaddle - one of Kilpatrick's finer moments when he did a Washburn and escaped capture by running off in his night clothes. "Well, at least nobody ran me off the battle field in my socks!" snapped Hampton. Kilpatrick continued...he apparently had a limited comprehension of what might happen if he poked the bear too much, and he was just about to find that out when Sherman and Johnston came out the door! Lucky. I honestly don't think it would have taken Hampton five seconds to make a little smear on the porch of Kilpatrick!