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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A naturalist and Lutheran minister, John Bachman (1790-1874) was born in Rhenebeck, New York. He came to South Carolina in 1815 when he was appointed to St. John's Lutheran Church in Charleston, and...
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The video location is at the Naval Polaris Missile Base in North Charleston. This is the largest submarine base on the east coast today. Learn about the sinking of the U.S.S. Housatonic by the Hunley...
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Born near Louisville, Kentucky, Robert Anderson (1805-1871) graduated from West Point in 1825 and received an U.S. Army commission. When the secession of South Carolina became imminent, he was sent to...
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Known as "Fighting Dick," Richard Heron Anderson (1821-1879) was the ranking South Carolinian in the Confederate Army, although he had been relieved of his command and was not present when Lee...
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The Emancipation Proclamation has often been misunderstood, even by those who admire it. Abraham Lincoln disliked the system of slavery, but he made it clear from the beginning that the war effort was...
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Both the Union and the Confederacy had to resort to creative efforts to finance the heavy expenses of the Civil War. Both taxed their citizens. That was not enough, and both governments resorted to...
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Members of the Palmetto Regiment, using authentic Civil War naval uniforms, re-enact the arrest of a Confederate sailor (Gordon Jones) for failing to salute an officer. Confederate and Union naval...
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In an effort to disrupt the federal blockade, the Confederacy resorted to many ingenious plans, but perhaps the most daring of all was the attempt to build and use a submarine. The "Hunley" eventually...
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The Ironclad "Chicora" of the Confederate navy played an important role in attempting to break the federal blockade of the Southern coast during the war. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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A Confederate ram under construction in Charleston. From "Leslie's Illustrated Weekly." Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
