Thursday, June 11th
6 — 7:30 p.m.
Columbia Conversations | The South Carolina Backcountry and the Winning of Independence
Robert Mills Carriage House : 1616 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia for a talk and book signing by Carl Borick. His new book, Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina's Militia and the Fight for American Independence, explores the critical role that those living in the less-settled South Carolina interior, including the area which is now Richland County, played in resisting the British after the fall of Charleston in May 1780. The book examines how men were raised, armed and provisioned, and what motivated them to fight in South Carolina’s critical contribution to the winning of independence. Borick also covers the impact of the Revolutionary War on those who remained at home with a key focus on women and the enslaved.
Books are available for pre-order with registration and will be for sale on site before the book talk. Note that Historic Columbia members receive a 30% discount on all USC Press books. If you're unable to attend the book talk, but would still like to purchase a copy of Backcountry Resistance, please contact Brooke Flory, Program and Communications Coordinator, at bflory@historiccolumbia.org.
About Carl Borick
Carl Borick is the Director of The Charleston Museum. Carl is a CPA, with a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Delaware (1988) and a Master’s in History from the University of Alabama (1993). He has been with the Museum since 1996 and became Director in 2013. Under his leadership, the Museum has made significant updates to its permanent exhibition, including its Bunting Natural History Gallery and Beyond the Ashes, which tells the story of Lowcountry history from the end of the Civil War to the 21st century. He also oversaw renovations to the Revolutionary War and Civil War exhibits.
Carl is the author of two books on the Revolutionary War in South Carolina, both published by the University of South Carolina Press, A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780 and Relieve Us of This Burthen: American Prisoners of War in the Revolutionary South, 1780-1782. A Gallant Defense won the 2003 George C. Rogers, Jr. Award from the South Carolina Historical Society for the year’s best book in South Carolina history. He is also the primary author of The Charleston Museum: America’s First Museum, published in 2022 by USC Press, in honor of the Museum’s 250th anniversary in 2023. His book, Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina's Militia and the Fight for American Independence, focusing on the recruitment, motivation and supply of backcountry South Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War, was released by USC Press in March 2026.
Carl and his wife Susan live on James Island and are the proud parents of two college-age sons, Caleb and Nathanael.
