Hampton's Legion was an American Civil War military unit of the Confederate States of America, organized and partially financed by wealthy South Carolina planter Wade Hampton III. Initially composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery battalions, elements of Hampton's Legion participated in virtually every major campaign in the Eastern Theater, from the first to the last battle.

Wade Hampton III was an American military officer who joined the Confederate States of America in rebellion against the United States of America during the American Civil War. He later had a career as a South Carolina politician. Hampton came from a wealthy planter family. Shortly before the war, he was both one of the largest enslavers in the Southeastern United States and a state legislator. During the American Civil War, he joined the Confederate cavalry, where he was a lieutenant general.