By: Rick Hatcher   As Christmas drew near in 1862, a ball was given at Fort Sumter by the garrison – the First South Carolina Artillery Regiment Regulars. One of the unit’s officers, Lieut. William H. Grimball, in a December 15 letter to his brother, Harry, from the Fort, wrote about the joyous event:   “We had as you heard quite a ball at the Fort. I suppose over a hundred guests of all sorts and sizes, too many by far for the small space we had to entertain them in.   The d

By Rick Hatcher   In the fierce July-August 1943 fighting in the Solomon Islands Campaign (the battle for Guadalcanal, the most famous) US forces established an airfield on New Georgia Island. Not long afterward a chain of events led to the establishment of the Confederate Forces of the Solomon Islands or CONFORSOLS.   The idea began to take hold in early November 1943 when Atlanta, GA native USN Lt. John S. Hill observed that they were surrounded by (coconut) plantations on

By Michael Thomas   Union vessels, both sail and steam-powered, cruised the coastal waters and rivers of the Palmetto State during the war. Large heavily armed warships, fast sloops, and ironclads lurked around Charleston. Small shallow-draft gunboats made inland foraways via the various rivers. Supporting this fleet were transports, large and small, capable of carrying men, livestock, and supplies. Twelve of these vessels were sunk by Confederate gunfire or storms, many othe

FROM PRIVATE TO GENERAL, CHARLESTON’S THOMAS M. LOGAN (1840 – 1914)   By Compatriot Michael Thomas   Over 400 soldiers in the Confederate army were commissioned as generals. Charlestonian Thomas M. Logan was one of the very few among this number who rose from the rank of private. By all accounts, young Logan was endowed with exceptional abilities that served him well during his entire life.   The son of a judge, Logan graduated first in his class at South Carolina College (no

THE GALLANT PRIVATE WILLIAM A. BOLICK   By Compatriot Mike Thomas   William A. Bolick of Chester S.C. first entered Confederate service as a private in the 1st SC Infantry (Butler’s) in 1861 at age 17. Described as being slightly cross-eyed, he easily transformed from a blacksmith’s son into a fine soldier. In June 1862, after his enlistment expired, he joined Company K, 1st SC Cavalry, and was immediately sent to Virginia. There, he saw much action and quickly distinguished

SOUTH CAROLINA’S MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH B. KERSHAW   By Michael Thomas   General Kershaw emerged from the war with the reputation of being one of the premier generals in the Army of Northern Virginia. Exhaustive studies by numerous postwar scholars and historians through the years have reached the same conclusion. Ed Bearss, one of the most prominent historians of the war, wrote, “Few if any units were more capable or terrible in battle as Kershaw’s Brigade.” He added, “[Kersha