On the eve of the Civil War, the London Times informed its readers that Castle Pinckney has “been kept garrisoned, not to protect Charleston from naval attack from the ocean, but to serve as a bridle upon the city.” Located on a marshy island in the center of Charleston’s magnificent harbor, the large cannons on the ramparts of this horseshoe-shaped masonry fort had the ability to command downtown Charleston and the busy wharves along East Bay Street. This inescapable fact made Pinckney an important chess piece in the secession turmoil of 1832 and 1850, and in the months leading up to the 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter. Holding Charleston by the Bridle: Castle Pinckney and the Civil War by W. Clifford Roberts, Jr. and Matthew A. M. Locke is the first book on the subject—from the fort’s innovative design as part of America’s “Second System” of coastal fortifications to the modern challenges of preserving its weathered brick walls against rising sea levels. The impressive bastion was constructed as a state-of-the-art seacoast fortress on the eve of the War of 1812. Luminaries including President James Monroe and Gens. Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, and P. G. T. Beauregard inspected its casemates and barracks. The history of Pinckney is as impressive as its list of visiting VIPs. Defending the fort was one of Winfield Scott’s major concerns during the Nullification Crisis of 1832. Seminole Indians and Africans from the illegal slave ship Echo were held there. In 1860, Maj. Robert Anderson knew Pinckney was the key to protecting his small Federal garrison at Fort Moultrie, but his requests to Washington for troops to hold it went unheeded. That December, three companies of Charleston militia scaled Pinckney’s walls and seized the fort in a daring act that pushed the nation to the edge of civil war. After First Manassas (Bull Run), 156 captured Yankee officers and enlisted men were sent to the island, and in 1863, members of the famous 54th Massachusetts were held there as POWs. The fort’s guns helped defend Charleston during the war’s longest siege. By 1865, the old fortress had been transformed into an earthen barbette battery with a Brooke Rifle and three giant 10-inch Columbiads. During Reconstruction Pinckney became an “American Bastille” for Southerners accused of crimes against the government. Authors Roberts and Locke rely on extensive primary research and archaeological evidence to tell the full story of Castle Pinckney for the first time. Given its importance to America’s history, it is a history long overdue.

“To Arms! To Arms! The British are coming!” It is 1777, and the English invade South Carolina with fated Lt. Gen. Charles Earl Cornwallis and a young lieutenant colonel in the British Legion, Banastre Tarleton, whose exploits as a cavalryman in the South Carolina campaign would become the counter-legend to the famous Francis Marion. It was Tarleton who cleverly dubbed Marion as “the Swamp Fox.” Passionately romantic but wholesome, Hold the Line is fiction that rings with truth, full of believable characters and adventures set against the backdrop of an exciting chapter in real American history. Sashsa, Colton, Ziva, Drake, and even George Washington himself show up in the pages of this series, keenly developed by a brilliant writer into living, breathing, three-dimensional people with whom we can all relate. This book makes you long for times of old, for deeper relationships, and fosters a greater appreciation for our country and our faith. Not all books can stir such emotion, but the writings of Joyce Case certainly do. The hard work and passion of the author herself is seen in her headstrong heroine and the entire cast of this story that is difficult to put down. As hordes of English intruders sweep the colonies, Ziva Isabella Dupris Gray fights relentlessly to keep her own independence from Scottish Captain Drake Cameron, the man who stirs her very soul. Will her consuming passion for him make her surrender her precious identity and join him to pursue the ultimate independence of the colonies? In this sensational tale of passion and an undeniable love, Sashsa Nicole Lorraine Dupris Gray and Colonel Colton Tyler Gray continue their fight for independence alongside the Commander-in-Chief General George Washington. Danger lurks behind every shadow as the secret patriots of the spy ring provide vital correspondence to the Spymaster. Victory rings out, and freedom is had, giving birth to a new nation. The saga lives on to more exciting adventures with a new heroine to make her debut.

The beautiful but modest Hannah Thornton leaves Ireland in search of a family to call her own, with only three filled trunks and her faith in God. A scabrous voyage across the North Atlantic brings many adventures, and her life is changed when Nathan, a British seaman, falls in love with her. Hannah's deep respect and loyalty to her father causes Nathan to fear for her to learn his true identity. Hannah's destination is a plantation near Charleston, South Carolina, at a time when slavery abounds and cotton is king. When Congress of the United States declares war on Great Britain, Hannah and Nathan become caught up in the War of 1812. Before the war is over, a British blockade along the eastern coast of the United States brings near devastation to South Carolina cotton planters. At the Reybrook Plantation, Hannah finds her family, but with their love she must also share their burdens and heartaches. While employed as a teacher to the plantation owner's children, the owner's son, Ben Rey, and she establish a church. Things become complicated when Ben falls in love with her. Is Hannah and Nathan's love strong enough to overpower the obstacles that come between them and to endure their long separation brought on by the war? And what will happen if Nathan meets Ben on the battlefield? To Love an Enemy is an intriguing love story that is filled with historical facts about the great powers of the world and their rivalry in the trade industry.