John Somers Buist

A recent medical school graduate, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon, and assigned to Ft. Moultrie, SC. He was commissioned Assistant Surgeon, Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS) on 19 June 1861 and assigned to the Hampton Legion, Artillery Battalion.

He served as Assistant Surgeon attached to the Artillery of General Hood's Division. Chief of Artillery Major Frobel, in his after-action Report:

I cannot too highly applaud the conduct of both officers and men ... deserve particular notice for their gallant conduct during the battle, and also Assistant Surgeon Buist, for his attention to the sick.

In October 1863 he transferred to Major Henry's Battalion Artillery, Longstreet's Division, and in February 1864 he was promoted to Surgeon. From February 1864 he had duty as Surgeon in posts at Camp Taylor and Lindsay's Station, VA, then, by April, with Haskell's Battalion Artillery. He was paroled with that unit at Appomattox Court House, VA on 9 April 1865.

He then began practice of medicine in Charleston, SC, taught medicine at the Medical College of South Carolina, and was later its President. He retired between 1900 and his death in 1910

His gravesite is on Findagrave, source also of most information above, citing Hambrecht, F.T. & Koste, J.L., Biographical register of physicians who served the Confederacy in a medical capacity (06/23/2017, Unpublished database). Details from family genealogists.

11/26/1839; Charleston, SC

09/29/1910; Charleston, SC; burial in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC