S.C. State Guard

thods of warfare, he is considered one of the fathers of modern guerrilla warfare, and is credited in the lineage of the United States Army Rangers. Commanded by the naval component of the State Guard, the frigate South Carolina captured tons of gunpowder from the British to supply the state and Continental Armies in the early stages of the war. Under the command of Revolutionary War Commanders such as Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter and William Washington South Carolina State Guard forces recaptured the South from British occupation in concert with the Continental Army led by Maj. In the early 1800s, State Guard troops were instrumental in defeating the Spanish and securing Florida and they served with distinction in the War with Mexico and the Spanish–American War. In 1940, the war in Europe raised the possibility of a mobilized National Guard deploying, leaving no military force at home, so Congress again passed legislation allowing the establishment of state defense forces. The South Carolina Defense Force (SCDF) was quickly organized and by July 2, 1941 numbered 191 officers and 3,060 enlisted men. Among the officers was Strom Thurmond, then a second lieutenant in Company L (Edgefield), 3d Battalion, 1st Regiment. The mission of the SCDF—renamed the South Carolina State Guard (SCSG) in January 1944—was to defend against invasion along the South Carolina coast and assist local officials in providing internal security, including search and rescue. While invasion by sea was unlikely, there was a fear that German submarines might land saboteurs. The SCDF was tasked with holding off enemy forces until troops could be brought in from Fort Jackson. Occasionally they were called out to provide security for crashed aircraft or after a natural disaster. The last known wartime unit, Company E (Greenville), 2d Battalion, 2d Regiment, was mustered out on 8 August 1947.