Kershaw was made colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment. Its first engagement was at Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861), where the regiment manned the Morris Island fortifications. Shortly thereafter the regiment was sent to Virginia and played an active role in the Confederate victory at First Manassas (July 21, 1861). In January 1862 Kershaw was given command of a brigade, and the following month he was promoted to brigadier general.
