Rhett was commissioned a first lieutenant in the First South Carolina Artillery in December 1860 and ably commanded a battery at Fort Moultrie during the initial bombardment of Fort Sumter. On the day following the departure of Union Major Robert Anderson’s command, Rhett joined his unit at Fort Sumter and served at that post until September 4, 1863. He moved up the ranks quickly to captain, major, and lieutenant colonel, when he became second in command. He was recognized as a tough, aggressive soldier with a quick temper and reputation as a duelist. His disagreements with and dislike for his commander, Colonel Ransom Calhoun, which was mutual, led to a duel on September 5, 1862 in which Colonel Calhoun was killed. An investigation of the affair was inconclusive. Due to the press of the war, Rhett was promoted to colonel and placed in command of Fort Sumter in January 1863 where he served with distinction during the Union ironclad attack on April 7, 1863 and the first heavy bombardment by Union forces in August 1863. He relinquished command on September 4 to Major Stephen Elliot when Fort Sumter ceased to be an artillery base. Colonel Rhett was reassigned to command Charleston’s inner ring of fortifications. He departed Charleston in February 1865 with the evacuation of Confederate forces. Colonel Rhett commanded General Joseph E. Johnston’s artillery when he was captured at the Battle of Averasboro, NC in March and spent several months as a prisoner of war at Fort Delaware. After the war, he resumed rice planting, later became Chief of Police in Charleston under two mayors, and at critical political junctures was appointed by Governors Hampton and Simpson as State Constable. He married Marie Alice Sparks in 1866 and fathered four children. Colonel Rhett died in Charleston on November 12, 1889 at the age of 60. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. |
Last updated: November 10, 2018