Action, Aiken

On February 11, 1865, Union and Confederate forces clashed at what became known as the Battle of Aiken, sometimes called the Action at Aiken, a chapter within the broader Carolinas campaign. Leading the opposing sides were Maj. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick for the Union and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler for the Confederacy, and it was Wheeler who came away with a modest triumph over his counterpart. The clash still draws attention in the present day, commemorated through a yearly re-enactment held on the last full weekend of February. By May 2022, enthusiasts had staged this recreation 28 times.

Battle

On February 1, ahead of this engagement, Sherman launched his push into South Carolina. As part of that campaign, he directed Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, commanding a cavalry corps drawn from the Fifth U.S. Cavalry, to advance across the state. Kilpatrick's column reached Aiken County on February 5, setting the stage for a clash with the cavalry corps of Joseph Wheeler. Although Wheeler had been instructed not to chase after Kilpatrick's horsemen, he struck anyway, catching Kilpatrick off guard since the Union commander anticipated only light opposition. Wheeler's aim was to shield Augusta from the advancing Union forces. His troops held a position at 204 Park Avenue, situated between the commands of Benjamin Franklin Cheatham and James Argle Smith. Under his authority were both a cavalry corps and the Aiken Home Guard. His scheme called for arranging his horsemen in a V shape, with skirmishers posted ahead of it; these skirmishers were meant to fall back toward the formation's center once Kilpatrick charged, allowing the arms of the V to close in and trap him. The fighting commenced at nine in the morning on February 11.

That design fell apart when a single Confederate trooper fired his weapon too soon, prompting Wheeler to order a full assault on the Union troops. What followed was brutal, close-quarters fighting that spread across the town. At one point, according to the account, a Confederate soldier rushed at Kilpatrick and tried to shoot him with a pistol, but the weapon failed to discharge. Once his forces had been overcome, Kilpatrick pulled back to his fortified position at Montmorenci. Sporadic clashes between the two sides continued through the remainder of the day, ending only when the opposing commanders arranged a truce so the dead could be gathered. Two days later, on February 13, Kilpatrick withdrew and reunited with Sherman's main force, yet he still proclaimed the outcome a victory for himself. The larger consequence of Wheeler's choice to engage Kilpatrick was that it left the Edisto River, and Columbia beyond it, exposed and undefended.