history

“F” is for Floyd, Carlisle Sessions (1926-2021). Composer. Born in Latta, Floyd studied piano at Converse College and at Syracuse University.

“F” is for Floyd, Carlisle Sessions (1926-2021). Composer. Born in Latta, Floyd studied piano at Converse College and at Syracuse University.

“E” is for Elfe, Thomas (ca. 1719-1775). Cabinetmaker. Elfe is the individual most often associated with the pre-Revolutionary cabinetmaking industry in Charleston due to the survival of one of his account books.

“E” is for Elfe, Thomas (ca. 1719-1775). Cabinetmaker. Elfe is the individual most often associated with the pre-Revolutionary cabinetmaking industry in Charleston due to the survival of one of his account books.

“D” is for DeLeon, Edwin (1818-1891). Diplomat, writer.

“D” is for DeLeon, Edwin (1818-1891). Diplomat, writer.

“C” is for Cardozo, Francis Lewis (1836-1903). Clergyman, educator, politician.

“C” is for Cardozo, Francis Lewis (1836-1903). Clergyman, educator, politician.

Stephen Atkins Swails is a forgotten American hero. A free Black in the North before the Civil War began, Swails exhibited such exemplary service in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry that he became the first African American commissioned as a combat officer in the United States military. After the war, Swails remained in South Carolina, where he held important positions in the Freedmen’s Bureau, helped draft a progressive state constitution, served in the state senate, and secured legislation benefiting newly liberated Black citizens. Swails remained active in South Carolina politics after Reconstruction until violent Redeemers drove him from the state.Gordon C. Rhea tells Swails' story in his new biography, Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction (2021, LSU Press. Rhea talks with Walter Edgar about the saga of this indomitable human being who confronted deep-seated racial prejudice in various institutions but nevertheless reached significant milestones in the fight for racial equality.

Stephen Atkins Swails is a forgotten American hero. A free Black in the North before the Civil War began, Swails exhibited such exemplary service in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry that he became the first African American commissioned as a combat officer in the United States military. After the war, Swails remained in South Carolina, where he held important positions in the Freedmen’s Bureau, helped draft a progressive state constitution, served in the state senate, and secured legislation benefiting newly liberated Black citizens. Swails remained active in South Carolina politics after Reconstruction until violent Redeemers drove him from the state.Gordon C. Rhea tells Swails' story in his new biography, Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction (2021, LSU Press. Rhea talks with Walter Edgar about the saga of this indomitable human being who confronted deep-seated racial prejudice in various institutions but nevertheless reached significant milestones in the fight for racial equality.