Karen Stokes

South Carolina Civilians in Sherman's Path: Stories of Courage Amid Civil War Destruction Karen Stokes

During the fateful winter of 1865, General William T. Sherman led an army of over sixty thousand troops on a destructive march through the Palmetto State. Hundreds of the affected residents recorded their harrowing experiences in letters, diaries, memoirs and newspaper accounts, much of which is corroborated by the testimony of Sherman's own officers and soldiers. Join South Carolina historian and archivist Karen Stokes as she brings together these stories from around the state. Stokes delves deep, including graphic accounts by civilians who were also affected by two lesser-known military operations that followed Sherman's raid in the spring of 1865--Potter's Raid, an expedition led by Union general E. E. Potter, and the raids conducted by Union troops pursuing Confederate president Jefferson Davis through the state.