“A popularly written glimpse of history along the Grand Strand . . . Eminently readable and varied”—from the award-winning historian and author (The State). From Little River to Georgetown, the South Carolina Grand Strand—popularly known as the Myrtle Beach region—is only fifty-five miles long, yet few coastlines have a richer, more colorful history. Numbered among its parade of colorful characters are hardened explorers, seasoned woodsmen, remarkable women, famous soldiers, powerful politicians, men of violence, rich men, poor men, and gifted visionaries. Planters, Pirates, and Patriots offers historical vignettes of the Grand Strand’s diverse array of heroes, smugglers, and settlers that “have the resonance of real life. Truth is stranger than fiction; it’s also more entertaining” (The Charlotte Observer). “An enthralling and engrossing history with the pace and vividness of a good novel.” —Charles Joyner, author of Down by the Riverside

"A marvelous introduction to the American Revolution..told with wit, compassion, and insight. Brian Kelly not only understands the history, he appreciates the people who made it." – Thomas Fleming, author of The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers The Revolution You Never Knew ... Beyond the deadly skirmishes, determined generals, and carefully penned words of a powerful declaration lie countless forgotten stories that tell the tale of our nation'~ birth. Read intimate accounts of the fight for independence as colonial families recall their tense encounters with brutal British soldiers, women participate in military initiatives and become powerful social advocates, and leaders reveal the intricacies of their motivations and personal lives. Join the ranks of America's first Patriots as they unite to declare their independence: **** Old Man Wyman of Woburn, nothing more than a mysterious and deadly figure atop a white horse, mounted a solitary pursuit against the British as they retreated from Concord back to Boston, effectively striking fear deep into the hearts of the redcoats as he diminished their numbers one-by-one. **** Inventor David Bushnell, desperate to aid the outnumbered American naval forces, both befuddled and alarmed British forces when he devised a working prototype for the world's first underwater torpedo and-most impressively – a submersible boat dubbed the "Turtle," America's first submarine. **** South Carolina sisters-in-law Grace and Rachel Martin, carrying rifles and dressed in their husbands' clothing, intercepted important dispatches bound for a nearby British fort when they ambushed the courier and two armed escorts by brandishing their weapons and speaking with deep voices.

Over the Mountains to Freedom tells the tale of real men who fought in the Revolutionary War. Lewis T. Rich brings to you the exciting tale of a young man, Major Jonathan Tipton, who fought desperately to protect his family and prevailed in key battles in the fight for freedom and independence.

The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to South Carolina Writers expands the range of writers included in the landmark South Carolina Encyclopedia. This guide updates the entries on writers featured in the original encyclopedia and augments that list substantially with dozens of new essays on additional authors from the late eighteenth century to the present who have contributed to the Palmetto State's distinctive literary heritage. Each profile in this concise reference includes essential biographical facts and critical assessments to place the featured writers in the larger context of South Carolina's literary tradition. The guide comprises 128 entries written by more than sixty-nine literary scholars, and it also highlights the sixty-nine writers inducted thus far into the South Carolina Academy of Authors, which serves as the state's literary hall of fame. Rich in natural beauty and historic complexity, South Carolina has long been a source of inspiration for writers. The talented novelists, essayists, poets, playwrights, journalists, historians, and other writers featured here represent the countless individuals who have shared tales and lore of South Carolina. The guide includes a foreword by George Singleton, author of two novels, four short story collections and one nonfiction book, and a 2010 inductee of the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

P>The only comprehensive account of the Battle of Fort Fisher and the basis for the television documentary Confederate Goliath, Rod Gragg's award-winning book chronicles in detail one of the most dramatic events of the American Civil War. Known as "the Gibraltar of the South," Fort Fisher was the largest, most formidable coastal fortification in the Confederacy, by late 1864 protecting its lone remaining seaport -- Wilmington, North Carolina. Gragg's powerful, fast-paced narrative recounts the military actions, politicking, and personality clashes involved in this unprecedented land and sea battle. It vividly describes the greatest naval bombardment of the war and shows how the fort's capture in January 1865 hastened the South's surrender three months later. In his foreword, historian Edward G. Longacre surveys Gragg's work in the context of Civil War history and literature, citing Confederate Goliath as "the finest book-length account of a significant but largely forgotten episode in our nation's most critical conflict."

This richly documented and illustrated tale takes readers on a journey along the edges of the country to 12 of its most famous beach towns to reveal the vitality of the American boardwalk as an idea, rather than just a place.

The battle of Gettysburg was the largest engagement of the Civil War, and--with more than 51,000 casualties--also the deadliest. The highest regimental casualty rate at Gettysburg, an estimated 85 percent, was incurred by the 26th North Carolina Infantry. Who were these North Carolinians? Why were they at Gettysburg? How did they come to suffer such a grievous distinction? In Covered with Glory, award-winning historian Rod Gragg reveals the extraordinary story of the 26th North Carolina in fascinating detail. Praised for its "exhaustive scholarship" and its "highly readable style," Covered with Glory chronicles the 26th's remarkable odyssey from muster near Raleigh to surrender at Appomattox. The central focus of the book, however, is the regiment's critical, tragic role at Gettysburg, where its standoff with the heralded 24th Michigan Infantry on the first day of fighting became one of the battle's most unforgettable stories. Two days later, the 26th's bloodied remnant assaulted the Federal line at Cemetery Ridge and gained additional fame for advancing "farthest to the front" in the Pickett-Pettigrew Charge.