America's most tragic conflict ignited at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, when a chain reaction of social, economic, and political events exploded into civil war. At the heart of these events was the issue of states' rights versus federal authority flowing over the underlying issue of slavery. Fueled by decades of disagreement and confrontation, South Carolina seceded in protest of Abraham Lincoln's election and the social and economic changes that were sure to follow. With Fort Sumter as an unyielding bastion of federal authority, the war became inevitable. A powerful symbol to the both the South and the North, Fort Sumter remains a memorial to all that fought to hold it.
"I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children."
~ Robert E. Lee, on choosing to fight for the South
General Joseph E. Johnston was a native Virginian and West Point graduate of the class of 1829. Following his graduation, he served against the Seminole Indians in Florida and fought in the Mexican War, receiving wounds in both actions. Johnston resigned his commission as quartermaster general on the U.S. Army in April of 1861 to join the forces of the State of Virginia. He was given command of the Virginia State troops posted at Harpers Ferry. His Army of the Shenandoah was soon absorbed into the Confederate States forces and he was made brigadier general in the Confederate Army.
The Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table welcomes the return of Ben Cwayna and his presentation on his new book, "The Invincible Twelfth, The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia."
At a regimental reunion in 1880, former Confederate Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan lauded the 12th South Carolina as “The finest of that immortal army,” “foremost in the charge,” and “the invincible Twelfth.” The regiment, along with four others, served under McGowan from early 1863 through the end of the war. The aging brigadier, wounded four times in combat, was an authority on the regiment’s reputation. “It would be impossible on an occasion of this kind, to give anything like a history of the Twelfth Regiment, or tell half of its gallant deeds. That,” he declared, “would require a volume.” With Benjamin L. Cwayna’s new The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia, that volume has finally arrived.
The regiment’s career commenced with an ignominious defeat in its initial engagement on the South Carolina coast at Port Royal Sound in 1861. This demoralizing event could have set the regiment on a trajectory of self-fulfilling failure and catastrophe. A change in leadership from a perpetually absent political appointee to a tenacious legislator born and bred in the upcountry, however, altered its course. Dixon Barnes instilled discipline and robust leadership in the unit, initiating a transformational process that molded the raw recruits into some of the Confederacy’s most dependable soldiers.
The 12th was transferred to what would become Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and was brigaded with four other regiments from the Palmetto State. Together, they participated in nearly every major engagement of the war in the Eastern Theater. The 12th earned a sterling reputation within the army for its drill and discipline and was renowned for its impetuous, devastating, and occasionally reckless attacks and counterattacks. This proclivity for taking the fight to the enemy exacted a heavy toll. By war’s end, only about 150 of the nearly 1,400 men who served in the regiment’s ranks surrendered at Appomattox Court House.
Cwayna based his study on years of research, exhaustively mining primary sources to reconstruct the 12th South Carolina’s history from its formation in 1861 until its final official reunion in the 1880s and beyond. Through the words of its soldiers and officers, the narrative of protracted and arduous marches, scarcity of provisions, horrific and unimaginable carnage in battle, and an unwavering determination to persevere in the bitter struggle for independence at any cost and against insurmountable odds takes form. The Invincible Twelfth is the story of a remarkable regiment that has long merited having its tale told.
Benjamin L. Cwayna is an attorney in private practice and well-known leader in the Civil War reenacting and living history community. Benjamin commanded the 12th South Carolina/4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Inc., a nationally known reenacting organization, for many years. He has appeared on the “Addressing Gettysburg Podcast” with Matt Callery and has devoted his life to preserving the memory of the Civil War through living history demonstrations, presentations, and leading tours on numerous battlefields. A graduate of Michigan State University and Michigan State University College of Law, Benjamin and his son, Grant, reside in Grand Ledge, Michigan, where he is an active member of the community; serving on the Grand Ledge Public Schools Board of Education, a member of the Grand Ledge Rotary Club, and numerous other civic organizations.
Membership fees for the 2025-2026 season are $30.00.
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Wednesday
April 15, 2026
Ben Cwayna
The
Invincible
Twelfth
We Meet At:
Orchard View Church of God
2777 Leffingwell Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Located at the southwest corner of
3 Mile Road NE and Leffingwell Avenue NE
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Program begins at 7:00 pm
Civil War Notes
Our Next Meeting
Special Announcements:
Ben Cwayna and his book:
The Invincible Twelfth,
The 12th South Carolina Infantry
of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade,
Army of Northern Virginia
