Continuing its commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Charleston Museum presents Brethren: Charleston's Militia and the Civil War. On exhibit from September 14 through June 3, 2013, this original exhibition examines artifacts associated with militia units which served in and around Charleston during the Civil War. Men in militia units, because they were drawn from the same geographic area, were already part of close-knit social networks, and the regiments often included cousins, brothers, fathers and sons. For more information, visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call (843) 722-2996.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, South Carolina's militia units rallied to the Confederate cause and quickly answered the call to service. Most of these volunteer units were woefully unprepared for war, however. Many had deteriorated into politically privileged "social clubs" which lacked standardized uniforms or useable weaponry. Nevertheless, once the state legislature approved a bill allowing government funds to pay for arms and equipment, local militia outfits became an important source of manpower for the Confederacy. Serving in the Lowcountry and throughout the South, their ranks were often decimated during the war by battlefield casualties, illness and desertion. Following the war, many militia organizations were relegated to ceremonial roles such as color guards, presentations and parades and forbidden to undertake drill or other military activities during Reconstruction.