States Rights Gist 1831-1864

  Numerous South Carolinians played vital roles for the Confederacy throughout the Civil War. Nearly every able bodied man signed up to fight in the second war for independence. One man from Union District was clearly destined to fight for states rights. His name brought on a certain implication that he fully embraced. This Brigadier General died gallantly leading his troops at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. His peculiar yet unforgettable name was States Rights Gist.

   States Rights Gist was born to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Lewis McDaniel Gist on September 3, 1831 in Union, South Carolina. Nathaniel Gist, a prosperous land owner, was 55 years old. Elizabeth was 15 years his junior. The Gists were distantly related to Mordecai Gist, hero of the Battle of Camden. Mrs. Gist was known by many as a ”pleasant, simple and unpretentious woman.” She was raised in a strong Presbyterian household. Residents of the community placed a deep trust in her. Nathaniel, on the other hand, was quite the controversial character. Mr. Gist lived by the letter of the law, rarely letting petty disagreements or differences slide. Nathaniel Gist was part of a growing faction of South Carolinians desiring political change. States, as he was called, was born at the family home “Wyoming”. Wyoming, built about 1811, was a grand estate. Beautiful paths of brick moved through gardens of gardenias and red roses. Orchards and gardens provided fruits and vegetables for sustainable living. Stables at Wyoming showcased the Gists’ affinity for horses. South Carolina was without a doubt the ring leader in the Nullification Crisis of the early 1830′s. Southern states despised the federal Tariff of 1828, an act passed by Congress to “protect industry” in the Northern states. The South was forced to pay steeper prices “for goods the region did not produce.”

   Vice President and South Carolina native John C. Calhoun gave the Nullification movement it’s greatest voice. Nathaniel Gist was an ardent supporter of nullification and states rights. When Elizabeth Gist gave birth to their seventh son, Mr. Gist wanted to choose a name that spoke his fervent political views. He called him States Rights, reflecting the ideals that most South Carolinians held at the time. States attended the well respected Mt. Zion Institute in Winnsboro as a young man. Upon graduation, Gist entered South Carolina College (USC) in Columbia. He excelled in academic and social circles during his tenure there. States graduated from the college with honors in 1852. Gist attended Harvard Law for one year without graduating. He promptly returned to Union to start his own firm. In 1854 Gist was tabbed by Governor James Hopkins Adams to be his aide-de-camp. Governor Adams would later become States’ father-in-law. By 1856 Gist rose to the rank of Brigadier general in the state militia. Cousin William Henry Gist was elected governor in 1858. William Gist asked States to become his “especial” advisor and live in the residence while he held office. The younger Gist gladly accepted both requests. States resigned his post in the militia in April 1860 to “become full time advisor” to Governor Gist. In October the governor sent his cousin to visit six Southern governors to drum up support for secession should a Republican (Lincoln) be elected. William Gist is known to this day as our ”Secession Governor.”

     Lincoln was elected in 1860 by a wide margin over Stephen Douglas, the “Little Giant” from Illinois, and incumbent vice president John C. Breckinridge. It was only fitting that South Carolina would become the first state to leave the Union. The Union officially dissolved on December 20, 1860 when SC signed the Ordinance of Secession in Charleston. Gist was appointed state adjutant and inspector general by new governor Francis W. Pickens in January 1861. He reported to Charleston to prepare the city for war and to reduce Federal forces at Fort Sumter. Gist was present when Confederates from Fort Johnson shelled Sumter on the morning of April 12th. General Robert Anderson surrendered the fort after 34 hours of bombardment. The Civil War had begun. Both sides expected the war to be short lived. On May 17th Gist stated, “Two battles will close the war and our independence will be acknowledged. Great Britain and France will offer their mediation and the Yankees will gladly accept it and make peace.” In July, Gist headed to Richmond to serve as aide to General Barnard E. Bee. There he received his first introductions to President Jefferson Davis and General Joseph E. Johnston. At the First Battle of Manassas, General Bee was mortally wounded near the end of a Confederate victory. States’ bravery and natural leadership abilities shined during the battle. General P.G.T. Beauregard, admiring Gists’ valor, named him commander of the “stricken regiment.” 

    States assumed command of the SC 24th Infantry Regiment after the passing of Barnard E. Bee. During the Fall of 1861 and Winter of 62 Gist helped prepare state militia for the impending Federal invasion of Port Royal. Gist was promoted to Brigadier General on March 20, 1862. The same day he resigned his post as state adjutant general. Gist spent most of the next year aiding in the defense of the Carolina coast, first at James Island and later Wilmington. He was third in command at the Battle of Secessionville, a Confederate victory, though he did not participate in combat. On May 6, 1863 States married Jane Margaret Adams, daughter of former governor James Hopkins Adams. He took a two day leave of absence to be with his new bride. Later that month Gist was chosen to “bolster” Joseph Johnston’s forces in Mississippi. Gists’ brigade fought in the Vicksburg Campaign and the Battle of Jackson. Gist and his men were sent to Rome, GA to join Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee for the impending collision at Chickamauga. States traveled by train to Catoosa and reached the battlefield by sunrise on September 20th. There he was tabbed acting commander of William Walker’s division. Gist and his brave men were thrown to the wolves early in the battle. They suffered heavy casualties while plugging a line in John C. Breckinridge’s division. They retreated until the final advance of the day resulted in a Confederate victory. Enthusiasm over the victory at Chickamauga was short lived. Brilliant victories at Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge allowed Generals Grant & Sherman to take the strategic city of Chattanooga. The Union army, with Tennessee in hand, headed south to Atlanta.

   Braxton Bragg resigned as commander of the Army of Tennessee on November 29, 1863. President Jefferson Davis was quite happy to accept his resignation. It was said of General Bragg that even his closest allies acknowledged his “quick temper and general irritability.” States Rights Gist and William Walker were two of Bragg’s loyal supporters.  When Bragg was ”transferred” to Virginia the two generals kept up a frequent correspondence. The high ranking general lauded the courage and character of General Gist. The South Carolinian remained with the Army of Tennessee through the winter and spring of 1864. Gists’ brigade continued to fight alongside William Walker’s division, eventually clashing with William T. Sherman and James McPherson at the Battle of Atlanta on July 22nd. Federal forces totalling 100,000 routed a Confederate force half it’s size. Gist was badly wounded in the hand, putting him out of commission for a month. After the fall of Atlanta, Sherman began his infamous “March to the Sea.”    

   John Bell Hood devised a plan to invade Tennessee by “drawing Union military attention from the Deep South.” Fighting in Northern Alabama continued into Middle Tennessee as both sides longed for control of Nashville. Skirmishes in Columbia and Spring Hill set the tone for the Battle of Franklin, often called “The Gettysburg of the West.”  The fighting at Franklin began around 4:00 on the afternoon of the 30th. The Army of Tennessee faced long odds that afternoon. States had a feeling that this could be his last stand. General Gist ordered a gallant charge along the front line of battle. States’ horse “Joe Johnston” was shot in the neck and he continued the charge by foot. As he reached the Federal breastworks he was shot in the thigh and once more through the chest. The second wound proved fatal. Gist died from his wounds at approximately 8:30 that night. By the end of the gruesome battle, six Confederate generals were laid to rest on the back porch of Franklin’s Carnton Plantation. Among those brave generals was States Rights Gist. Casualties totaled nearly 7,000 for the CSA including 14 generals. Federal casualties numbered just 2,500. A humiliating defeat at Nashville sent Hood retreating into Mississippi and the Army of Tennessee became fragmented and largely ineffective. Hood resigned his command a month later.                             

    States Rights Gist’s accomplishments have been somewhat lost in the annals of South Carolina history. His life began during the midst of one national conflict and ended tragically at the end of another. Gists’ bravery and heroism are often overshadowed by his peculiar name. His loyalty to his home state and the protection of its ideals during a trying time should be commended. States Rights Gist died for something he strongly believed in, no matter how controversial the ideals appear in today’s society.

INDIGO BLUE NOTES: The above picture is the grave of States Rights Gist, located in Columbia’s Trinity Episcopal Cemetery. States was originally buried in Franklin at Carnton Plantation’s McGavock Cemetery with his Confederate comrades. His remains were removed and transferred back to South Carolina on May 10,1866 and placed at Columbia’s Trinity Episcopal Church. I highly recommend making a trip to Franklin, TN to see where S.R. Gist made his last stand. Franklin is a true Civil War town. Tours of Carnton Plantation and the Carter House are well worth the price of admission.

Far to the West a hill-crest flames;

Up the long slope a thin line crawls;

Hark, how the “rebel yell” proclaims

Marrigault’s charge! See, brave Gist falls.

Excerpt taken from The History of South Carolina Volume V