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The entry of Major Robert Anderson's (see Major Robert Anderson) command into Fort Sumter on Christmas night, 1860. After the secession of the seven deep South states, federal troops withdrew from...
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The cartoon "South Carolina Topsey in a Fix," one of "Strong's Dime Caricatures," was printed by W.T. Strong in 1861. Topsey has cut one of the stars out of the American flag. Courtesy of the South...
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Secession was only a first step in South Carolina's actions to separate from the United States. Other states followed South Carolina. By February of 1861, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi...
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A view of the Darlington County Courthouse and the sycamore tree where Amy Spain, a slave who had spied for the Union army, was hung by the citizens of Darlington. Sketched by Edwards for "Harper's...
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South Carolinians, under Lincoln's plan for the restoration of the Union, could be restored to citizenship by taking an oath of loyalty to the United States, such as this one signed by Thomas D...
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The occupation of the coastal region of South Carolina by federal armies in 1862 led to troops taking over the homes of many citizens who had supported the Confederacy. This home in Beaufort became...
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The end of the war signaled the end of the blockade of southern ports. In November 1865, the ship "Glad Tidings" entered the port of Liverpool in England with a shipment of Carolina cotton. Cotton...
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Federal forces occupied Morris Island in 1863, then remained after the invasion was over, as an occupation force, as illustrated by this 1865 Matthew Brady photograph of their gun emplacement...
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At the end of the Civil War, both of South Carolina's major cities lay in ruins. Even as Sherman approached Columbia, another branch of his army occupied Charleston. The accidental explosion of a...
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Federal troops, waging the total war that Sherman believed was necessary, were instructed to destroy the South's ability to make war. Here, they destroy a section of railroad tracks at Pocataligo...