Military Monuments and Memorials in South Carolina

This heirloom-quality hardcover book is designed for scholars, historians, and military history enthusiasts. The heavy 9 inch x 11 inch book weighs slightly over five pounds. It includes 217 photographs. The book contains complete verbatim transcripts and graphic displays of all inscriptions -- including all lists of names -- on 636 military memorial structures in South Carolina. Prefatory text includes a Synopsized Military History of South Carolina. The narrative begins in the colonial era and carries the reader forward through the years to the present day. Following this presentation the reader will find a chronological and descriptive listing of 61 significant wars and conflicts in which the U.S. Armed Forces have been involved since the year 1776. Following the prefatory chapters, the 636 monument and memorial structures are grouped together with the county in which they are located, beginning with Abbeville County and concluding with York County. The display for each of the 636 structures is preceded by the following identifying (1) Name of the city or town in which the structure is located, or nearest to the structure. (2) Common descriptive name, or displayed name, of the structure. (3) Latitude and Longitude. (4) Directions to the structure, beginning at the junction or intersection of two named public roads. (5) Thumbnail description of the height and composition of the structure. (6) Month and year when the structure was documented for inclusion in this project. Following this identifying information, text and inscriptions found on the structure are presented in graphic display boxes in the interest of clarity. Inscriptions found on separate sides or surfaces of the structure are presented in separate graphic display boxes. In such cases an explanatory interpolation, italicized and enclosed in brackets -- such as [south side] or [west side] -- precedes the display. Inscriptions found on some structures include lengthy lists of hundreds of names. In such cases in the interest of page-space conservation, these lists of names may be re-columnized. Any such re-columnization within a graphic display box is prefaced by an explanatory interpolation. Inscriptions on some structures include names of politicians, functionaries, planning committee members, bureaucrats, etc. Such names are not displayed in this book. Their ommision is marked by an explanatory interpolation such [names of 13 politicians and functionaries omitted]. A final chapter, The Ghastly Price of Freedom, extols the terrible sacrifices made by those in the U.S. Armed Forces who have served in combat. It concludes with a transcript of the timeless eulogy given by chaplain Roland B. Gittlesohn at the Third Marine Division cemetery on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima in March 1945.