PRIVATE PETER MANIGAULT A Remarkable Soldier   By Mike Thomas   When war erupted in 1861, men of all ages rushed to serve the Confederacy. It was not unusual to see men in their 40’s, 50’s, or even 60’s in the army. One of these men was 56-year-old Charlestonian Peter Manigault. Said to be “possessed of wealth and high social position”, Manigault was a prosperous planter and Harvard graduate with connections to some of the earliest and most influential families in South Carol

HIS LAST LETTER   By Charles Long   Many historians agree that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the war and that Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863, was the high-water mark for the Confederacy. The following is of but one remarkable, yet tragic event, which occurred during this epic battle. Company A of the 11th Mississippi was on the left flank of Pickett’s desperate assault on Cemetery Ridge, on July 3, 1863. The Confederate unit called the University Greys,

HOUSATONIC HUNLEY AND LT DIXON IN THE 20TH CENTURY NAVY   By Mike Thomas   Lieutenant George E. Dixon, commander of the Hunley, would never have dreamed his name and that of his vessel would be given to ships in the U.S. Navy. He and the Hunley had their names etched in history when Hunley sank the USS Housatonic off Charleston’s coast on 17 February 1864 in the world’s first successful submarine attack. Yet, the U.S. Navy acknowledged and honored both ships and Dixon in its

FIRST CASUALTIES OF THE WAR   By: Mike Thomas   There are several “First Casualty” claims from North and South. Each death raised passions while showing the dangers of military service other than peacetime conditions. A sampling of the different claims does exciting reading and provides various perspectives. Several of the men below have markers noting the significance of their death.   Union Claims: Private Daniel Hough, 1st U.S. Artillery: Killed at Fort Sumter during the p

By: Matthew Miller   Mainstream history leads many to believe that our so-called “Civil War” was fought solely over slavery—that anyone who questions this narrative are part of the “lost cause myth.” This is particularly true whenever tariffs and the Great Unpleasantness are mentioned. The establishment claims that “Lost Cause proponents have stressed the primacy of states’ rights and the constitutionality of secession, and have cited the secession crisis—along with political

CSS TORCH CHARLESTON’S FIRST TORPEDO BOAT   By: Mike Thomas   Historians have long written about the Little David and the Hunley, but few mention CSS Torch, the first torpedo boat. Its story is found in fragments leaving much about its origins and final disposition in mystery. Still, what is found adds another chapter in defense of Charleston.   The Torch was built in mid-1863. A miniature version of an ironclad, she sat low in the water and carried no armor plating or guns.