Carolinian Crucible

Carolinian Crucible tells the story of South Carolina – particularly its upcountry region – at war. A state notorious for its political radicalism before the Civil War this book avoids caricaturing the Palmetto State''s inhabitants as unflinching Confederate zealots and instead provides a more fine-grained appraisal of their relationship with the new nation that their state''s political elite played a leading role in birthing. It does so by considering the outlook and actions of both civilians and soldiers with special attention given to those who were lower-class ''common whites.'' In this richly detailed account Patrick J. Doyle reveals how a region that was insulated from Federal invasion was not insulated from the disruptions of war; how social class profoundly shaped the worldview of ordinary folk yet did not lead to a rejection of the slaveholders'' republic; and how people in the Civil War South forged meaningful bonds with the Confederate nation but buckled at times under the demands of diehard nationalism.