South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860, and was one of the founding member states of the Confederacy in February 1861. The bombardment of the beleaguered U.S. garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861, is generally recognized as the first military engagement of the war.

From the place where the first shots were fired to battlefields, cemeteries and a legendary submarine, delve into Civil War history by visiting sites across South Carolina. Here are 10 not-to-miss points of interest and attractions along with tips for planning your trip.

Nov 9, 2009 · The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired the first shots on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Two days later, Union forces surrendered .

Poised for the sesquicentennial remembrance of the Civil War, South Carolina and the Civil War brings together eyewitness views and accounts of this period of American history, selected from the rich holdings of University of South Carolina Libraries.

Apr 15, 2016 · South Carolina had long been a symbol of disunion, secession, and defiance of authority; had been the first southern state to secede; and had been the site of the first shots of the war at Fort Sumter.

Jan 20, 2025 · Firing on Fort Sumter (in Charleston) in April 1861 ignited the American Civil War. Four years later, after Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops had burned their way through the state, the Confederacy surrendered. Some 60,000 South Carolinians had gone to war; nearly one-fourth of them never returned.

Feb 1, 2025 · But the Federals were imbued with high morale and a deep hatred for South Carolina because it was the first state to secede. Howard’s army comprised Sherman’s right wing, which was stationed near Pocotaligo, South Carolina, as February began.

South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union on December 20, 1860. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South.

Sep 20, 2023 · Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the most important cities during the American Civil War. Both symbolically and strategically, the city became the epicenter of some of the most dramatic moments of the war.

Jan 24, 2025 · Guide to South Carolina in the Civil War ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records. Attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, USA, April 1861

Jun 15, 2015 · CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS SYSTEM; South Carolina Battles from Dyer's Compendium. 1860 Engagement USA Units (Dyer) CSA Units (Crute) Dec. 20: ... SOUTH CAROLINA-- 1st Artillery. 1st (Charleston) (Gaillard's) Battalion, 9th, 22nd, 24th and 25th (Eutaw Regiment) Infantry. June 21: Engagement, Simmons' Bluff:

Learn about South Carolina's role in the Civil War, including its secession from the Union, its military leaders, and the destruction caused by Union troops.

Dec 14, 2022 · From Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History On 14 February 1865, William Tecumseh Sherman’s army left Orangeburg, South Carolina, headed for the state capital of Columbia.

South Carolina units played significant roles defending the low-country for two and a half (2-1/2) years after the Battle of Secessionville (June 16, 1862), most notably near Charleston, where they repulsed an attack by a Union ironclad squadron in April 7, 1863.

South Carolina lost 12,922 men to the war, 23% of its male white population of fighting age, and the highest percentage of any state in the nation. Sherman’s 1865 march through the Carolinas resulted in the burning of Columbia and numerous other towns.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System - database from the National Park Service includes information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies, regiments, prisoner-of-war and cemetery records

On February 2, 1862, the CSA Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, called on South Carolina to fill its quota—6% of the white male population of the state—which translated to about 18,000 men. About 6,000 SC men had already enlisted "for the war."

Jan 8, 2019 · The Dr. Robert S. Chamberlain collection of Civil War covers The burning of Columbia, South Carolina, 17 February 1865. Archive held at the South Caroliniana Library

There were many important Civil War battles in South Carolina from Fort Sumter to Fort Wagner where the 54th Massachusetts earned their place in history.

Jan. 31, 1863 First South Carolina Volunteers hear the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation near Beaufort, South Carolina. Credit: U.S. Library of Congress The 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment — the Civil War’s first combat unit made up of Black soldiers that escaped slavery — officially began their service for the Union Army, even though they had already been …

Jun 27, 2024 · South Carolina is significant to the Civil War because it became the first state to secede from the Union in 1861 and was the site of the first shots of the war on April 12, 1861. Which state suffered the most in the Civil War?

The following is a list of Union Army regiments raised in South Carolina during the American Civil War.Only African-American units were raised in the state. Four complete regiments were organized and mustered into service; Union authorities planned to raise a fifth regiment but instead transferred the recruits to the other regiments.

Jan 24, 2025 · South Carolina’s history took a dramatic turn during the American Civil War, with the state seceding from the Union in 1861 and joining the Confederacy. The state was a key battleground, with several important battles taking place, including the Battle of Fort Sumter (1861) and the Battle of Columbia (1865).

Confederate service records of soldiers who served in organizations from South Carolina. The records include a jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, his rank, and the unit in which he served. The jacket-envelope typically contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital ...