Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 30.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

Upon the refusal of Governor Pickens to muster into service the company of South Carolina Cadets, of which Professor Charles S. Venable was captain, many of the students, when the college closed after the June examinations (1861), went to the front and joined themselves to other South Carolina companies then in service in Virginia.

Among these was Lieutenant Jones, who was subsequently wounded at the battle of First Manassas, and so was unable to return to college when the exercises were resumed in October, 1861. His absence from college at that time furnishes a sufficient reason for his not having a more familiar knowledge of that company to which he refers as Company No. 3.

In October, 1861, the college was opened at the appointed time, and many of the students returned to their post. Several of those who had, during the summer vacation, joined other commands, remained permanently in the army, Upon the opening of the college the company was again organized with the following list of commissioned officers, viz: E. Dawkins Rodgers, captain; William T. Gary, first lieutenant; Washington A. Clark, second lieutenant, and George M. Stony, third lieutenant.

Unfortunately no roll of this third company has been preserved. The list, however, of non-commissioned officers was, with some exceptions, about the same as that company which went to Charleston in April. The rank was very largely recruited by students who had then for the first time entered college. The war fever was then intense, and so the company devoted very much of their time to drill and preparations for field service into which they were eager to go.

On November 7th the Union fleet, consisting of seventeen vessels, under the command of Commodore Du Pont, and a large army, under General Sherman, entered Port Royal harbor. The Confederate works on Hilton Head were, after an action which lasted for four hours, reduced and captured. This put that entire portion of the coast of the State in the possession of the Federal army, and created panic among the people. We were totally unprepared to meet such an attack and the loss to the Sea Island planters of that section, who were large patrons of the South Carolina College, was very great; in fact in many instances the loss was total. Many of the planters escaped, leaving everything behind, and so that entire