Battle of Fort Sumter
At the start of the Civil War, Kershaw commanded the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment. He was present at Morris Island in April 1861 during the Battle of Fort Sumter, and then in July 1861 at the First Battle of Manassas in Virginia as part of Brig. Gen. Milledge Bonham's brigade. During the battle, Kershaw's regiment along with the 8th South Carolina was detached from Bonham and sent to help drive back the Union assault on Henry House Hill.