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First Battle of Pocotaligo
Part of the American Civil War
Date May 29, 1862 (1862-05-29) Location Yemassee, South Carolina32°38′13″N 80°51′48″W / 32.63694°N 80.86333°W / 32.63694; -80.86333 Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin C. Christ	Colonel William S. Walker
Casualties and losses
2 killed and 9 wounded	2 killed, 6 wounded and 1 missing

The First Battle of Pocotaligo was a battle in the American Civil War fought on May 29, 1862 near Yemassee, South Carolina. The Union objective was to sever the Charleston and Savannah Railroad and thus isolate Charleston, South Carolina.

Battle

On May 28, 1862 a Union detachment from the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, 8th Michigan Infantry, 79th New York Infantry and 1st Massachusetts Cavalry supported by the 1st Connecticut Volunteer Light Battery, all under Colonel Benjamin C. Christ left Beaufort, South Carolina to demonstrate against the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. The force marched toward Pocotaligo, driving back pickets along the way. Some severe fighting took place at Pocotaligo where much of the bridge had been removed. About 300 Union men were able to cross the creek and drive the Confederates into the woods. Since the damage to the bridge and action against the Confederate force was in line with the mission's objective, the Union force withdrew. The Union expedition lost 2 killed and 9 wounded. The Confederates lost 2 killed, 6 wounded and 1 missing.

References

1. H. David Stone (2008). Vital Rails: The Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina. Univ of South Carolina Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-57003-716-0. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
2. The Union Army; A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 — Records of the Regiments in the Union Army — Cyclopedia of Battles — Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing, 1997. First published 1908 by Federal Publishing Company. Vol. 6. OCLC 1473658. Retrieved January 20, 2011. pp. 698–699.
3. Johnson, John F. The defense of Charleston harbor, including Fort Sumter and the adjacent islands, 1863-1865. Charleston, S.C:, Walker, Evans & Cogswell Co., 1890. OCLC 2870938. p. 25.
4. Record of service of Connecticut men in the army and navy of the United States during the War of the Rebellion

• Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
• 1862 in the American Civil War
• Battles of the American Civil War in South Carolina
• 1862 in South Carolina
• Battles of the Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach of the American Civil War
• Confederate victories of the American Civil War
• Jasper County, South Carolina
• History of Charleston, South Carolina
• May 1862 events
• 19th-century in Charleston, South Carolina