Civil War-SC

“C” is for Charleston, Siege of (1863-1865). Though a continuous enemy presence off Charleston was maintained by the United States from May 1861—when the U.S. Navy established its blockade, Charleston did not find itself under continuous attack until July 1863.

“C” is for Charleston, Siege of (1863-1865). Though a continuous enemy presence off Charleston was maintained by the United States from May 1861—when the U.S. Navy established its blockade, Charleston did not find itself under continuous attack until July 1863.

“R” is for Rivers Bridge, Battle of (February 2-3, 1865). The battle marked the only major resistance to Sherman’s march through South Carolina.

“R” is for Rivers Bridge, Battle of (February 2-3, 1865). The battle marked the only major resistance to Sherman’s march through South Carolina.

Our guest this week, Steve Procko, tells us the true story of nine Union prisoners-of-war who escaped from a Confederate prison in Columbia, South Carolina, in November 1864, and traveled north in brutal winter conditions more than 300 miles with search parties and bloodhounds hot on their trail. On the difficult journey they relied on the help of enslaved men and women, as well as Southerners who sympathized with the North, before finally reaching Union lines in Knoxville, Tennessee, on New Years Day 1865.

“B” is for Bee, Barnard Elliott (1824-1861). Soldier.

“B” is for Bee, Barnard Elliott (1824-1861). Soldier.

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.

In February 1864, the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat, in Charleston Harbor.