William Hansford Duncan

In 1860 he was a wealthy 25 year old planter with 18 slaves at Barnwell Court House in the Barnwell District, SC. He enrolled on 18 September 1861 at Fort Johnson, SC and mustered for state service as Captain of Company G (later E), First South Carolina Infantry. He was elected Captain of (the reorganized) Company E for Confederate service on 12 April 1862. He was promoted to Major on 16 May, Lieutenant Colonel on 12 July, and to Colonel of the regiment on 30 August 1862.

He was in command of the regiment at the start of the campaign, but left the regiment, sick, at Hagerstown, MD on 14 September 1862 and recrossed the Potomac River back into Virginia.

He was admitted to a hospital in Culpeper, VA on 24 September with dysentery, then on to Richmond, VA on 28 September and transferred to private quarters later that day. He was furloughed home for 30 days on 30 September. His commission as Colonel was not confirmed, he resigned his commission as Lieutenant Colonel on 10 January 1863, and was dropped from the regimental roll on 16 January.

By 1870 and to at least 1880 he was a farmer back at Barnwell Court House, SC.

His service from his Compiled Service Records,1 online from fold3, with Sharpsburg details from the Memoirs.2 Personal details from family genealogists and the US Census of 1860-1880. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He married Harriet Moncrief Harley (1835-1896) and they had 4 children between 1858 and 1864. There were at least 3 generations of direct descendants named William Hansford Duncan (II - IV).

08/22/1835; Barnwell, SC

12/14/1889; Barnwell County, SC; burial in Duncanon Cemetery, Snelling, SC