Learn the individual stories of men and women who were involved in major events leading up to, during and after the The Civil War (1861-1865).
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The gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion in Columbia, sketched here by the artists for "Harper's Weekly," April 15, 1865, when the mansion briefly served as Sherman's headquarters. The maze was...
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The Rhett House in Beaufort, in which secessionist supporters met at the beginning of the crisis to urge separation from the Union, is also Adam style. After federal occupation of Beaufort, it became...
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“E” is for Executive Councils. After secession in December 1860, the state had to assume responsibilities previously carried out by the federal government. To do that, the Secession Convention...
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“M” is for Means, John Hugh [1812-1862]. Governor. After graduating from South Carolina College, Means became a successful planter in Fairfield District. After one term in the General Assembly, he...
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“R” is for Rivers Bridge, Battle of [February 2-3, 1865]. On February 2, 1865, the right wing of Sherman’s army attempted to cross the Salkehatchie River at Rivers Bridge—in what is now southern...
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“D” is for Dunovant, John [1825-1864]. Soldier. Dunovant, a sergeant in the Palmetto Regiment, served with distinction in the Mexican War. He later was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army. He...
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“L” is for Longstreet, James Peter [1821-1904]. Soldier. Born in Edgefield District, Longstreet spent his formative years in Georgia and Alabama. After graduating from West Point, he had a successful...
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This detail of a large lithographic map of Columbia published in 1872 shows the campus of the University of South Carolina as it appeared after the Civil War. The Confederate government had taken...
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A former slave who became a state legislator and U.S. Congressman, Robert Smalls (1839-1915) was born in Beaufort, and moved with his master to Charleston in 1851. During the Civil War, he was pressed...
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Born on his family's plantation on the Tuggaloo River in St. Paul's Parish, Francis W. Pickens (1805-1869) attended Franklin College (now University of Georgia) at Athens, Georgia, and South Carolina...
