08/20/2026
Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table Meeting on September 14, 2026
Please join us on Monday, September 14th at Brock's Riverside Grill, our speaker will be Benjamin L. Cwayna with the presentation of his topic, “The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia”, based upon the book that he has written. This will be based upon his in-depth and detailed research on this topic. Please review the Outline of what will be presented.
Presentation Summation
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.
Biography
Benjamin L. Cwayna is an attorney in private practice and a prominent leader in the Civil War reenacting and living history community. For many years, Ben commanded the 12th South Carolina/4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Inc., a nationally recognized reenacting organization. He has been featured on the “Addressing Gettysburg Podcast” with Matt Callery and has dedicated his life to preserving the memory of the Civil War through living history demonstrations, presentations, and tours on numerous battlefields. A graduate of Michigan State University and Michigan State University College of Law, Benjamin resides with his son, Grant, in Grand Ledge, Michigan. An active member of the community, Cwayna is a member and past president of the Grand Ledge Rotary Club, volunteer coach, and participant in numerous other civic organizations.
Ben will have his one book for sale, with payment being accepted with either Cash or Check, but not Credit Card:
- The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia: $35
Times will be as before - social time at 6 PM, dinner at 6:45 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
We are now able to accommodate non-dinner attendees/spectators.
Please make dinner reservations through John Sapanara via email [email protected] or by phone 540-479-1299. He will contact you with confirmation.
Please reserve a place by the Thursday before the Monday dinner meeting date.
If you wish to be placed on the "permanent reservation" list, please advise John. Members on this list do not need to make reservations every month - their attendance is assumed unless they cancel beforehand.
Member dinner price is $35. This price also applies to non-member attendees who join at the meeting, or to guests invited by members. Non-member dinner price is $40.
