Moore's Rifles, or the Second South Carolina Rifles, was formed from the nucleus of companies that were left after the formation of Orr's Rifles. Units from Pickens County included Companies B, C, D, H and K. In many ways, it was more exclusively a Pickens County unit than Orr's First. The first commander of the regiment, Colonel J.V. Moore was killed in action at Second Manassas. Other commanders included Thomas Thomson and R.E. Bowen. Bowen's name is associated with some of her toughest battles. Moore's Second S.C. Rifles found itself serving in one of three South Carolina brigades in the Army of Northern Virginia that could rival Gregg-McGowan's Brigade in length of service. The Second Regiment of Rifles was to be found with the glamorous and long remember Prince of Edisto, Micah Jenkins and his brigade.

Fighting first in the Peninsula Campaign, the Second would follow the old warhorse, Longstreet, for three bloody years. Fighting in both the east and the west she would see action at all the major eastern battles, except when detached. Ironically, Jenkins' Brigade was left in Virginia during Gettysburg. Therefore, they became the only element of Pickett's Division not to make the horrible charge on the third day of that battle. Longstreet's Crops was also detached during Chancellorsville. However, as if to make up for those sins of omission, the men were heavily involved in the night gamble at Wauhatchie where Colonel Bowen was wounded. This was after Longstreet's Crops had moved West to support Bragg. It is one of the bitter ironies of an ironic war that on at least two occasions, Jenkins and Evander Law from Alabama, former friends from the Citadel, would let their egos cost the south victories. While I tend to fault Laws and favor Jenkins in these issues, it is a mark against both men. That case is certainly one for a higher court, but many good man died because of Law's vanity at Wauhatchie. The fighting for Moore's Second continued on to Knoxville and then back across the mountain. Here Old Pete was once again under the familiar hand and loving eye of General Lee. Heavily involved in the fighting of the last year of the war, the Second Rifles were close by, at the death of Jenkins and the wounding of Longstreet in the Wilderness. They would fold their flag with Field's Division at Appomattox, walk home and the few that were left would embark on the most bitter of journeys the attempt to reconstruction them. They would tell you they were never reconstructed, only redeemed by Hampton in '76, but that is another story.