Mike,

Neither The Gettysburg Death Roster, by Krick, nor Gettysburg's Confederate Dead, by Coco lists any Kirby killed from the 8th South Carolina at Gettysburg. For some information on the 8th, see The Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, ed. by Janet B. Hewett, part II, vol. 64, serial no. 76 (Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1998), pp. 748-777. It says company E was under a heavy fire from the enemy's guns on July 3 (1863), and during the retreat skirmished with the enemy near Hagerstown, Maryland on July 9. From what I have learned, at Gettysburg company E had the following killed: 1st Lt. Hyman Weistheim (July 2), Cpl. S. J. N. Carter, and Lt. P. B. Langford. Pvt. F. L. Nettles was wounded, captured, and died on August 18. Busey and Martin's book lists 105 killed and wounded in the regiment, which had 12 companies vice the usual 10, so each company lost on average between 8 and 9 men. Almost all were struck down on July 2 not far from the Rose farm buildings, mainly by close-range artillery fire from Union batteries posted along the Wheatfield road, but also from shots fired by the 2nd New Hampshire, 3rd Maine and 141st Pennsylvania regiments. The 8th South Carolina was on the left of BGen. Kershaw's brigade during the assault, and initially came close to the famous Peach Orchard before it was sent off in another direction by misinterpreted orders, which cost the center and left wing of the brigade dearly.