Item No. 9203264

An original Confederate muster roll from January 1862 for Captain William A. Walker’s company of the 1st Battalion South Carolina Cavalry. Walker’s company, known as the “Chester Troop” and consisting of men from Chester District, would later be designated Company D, 1st South Carolina Cavalry. The roll was written out by First Lieutenant John S. Wilson, the state representative who would later lead the company after Walker’s promotion. The document lists 33 privates and their ages, along with their enlistment dates, locations, enrolling officer, and term of enlistment—which for these men was “for and during the present war now waged by the United States against the Confederate States of North America.” The roll also indicates where 10 men brought their own horses and tack, the value of which are listed.

The Chester Troop saw extensive service in South Carolina and Virginia, fighting at Pocotaglio, Fredericksburg, Brandy Station, and Gettysburg. Later, the company returned to South Carolina and was posted at the Florence Stockade, where they were responsible for tracking and recapturing escaped Union prisoners.

The document was written on both sides of a large pre-printed form measuring about 16 1/4” x 21”. Creased at the original folds. Some minor soiling. It was part of the John S. Wilson family archive of Chester District, South Carolina.