This week we’ll be talking with Charleston author James M. Scott, author of Empire of Ashes: Truman, Hirohito, and the Descent into Total War (2026, W.W. Norton & Company). With startling immediacy, Empire of Ashes illuminates the moral dilemma at the center of America’s decision to inflict total war upon Japan.

A thorough historian and a talented writer Scott brings to life the struggles – moral, scientific, and practical - faced by the Truman administration in the closing days of World War II.

This week we will be talking with Carl P. Borick, author of Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina's Militia and the Fight for American Independence (2026, USC Press).

As the title indicates, Carl’s book focuses on rank-and-file militiamen of the backcountry and explores how these ordinary men were recruited, armed, fed, and motivated.

Drawing on underused pension records and state claims, he reconstructs their everyday realities and their battlefield experiences. He also examines the war's devastating effects on civilians, including enslaved people and women, who played crucial roles in the struggle.

This week we are recording in front of a live audience at part of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio’s America 250 celebration. Our guests are Gen. Will Grimsley, Chair of the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250); and Molly Fortune, Chief Executive Officer, of SC250.

Among the topics we’ll be covering today are South Carolina's role in the American Revolution, the work and mission of the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission, statewide commemorations and initiatives surrounding America's 250th anniversary, and historical perspectives and stories from South Carolina's Revolutionary era.

Today's episode was recorded July 1, 2026.