Charleston, South Carolina

Early history of Charleston

Charles II granted the chartered Carolina territory to eight of his loyal friends in 1663. It took seven years before the Lords could arrange for settlement, the first being that of Charles Town. The community was established by English settlers in 1670. Charleston became the capital of South Carolina, and was the southernmost point of English settlement during the late 1600s.

The settlement was often subject to attack from sea and from land. Periodic assaults from Spain and France, who still contested England's claims to the region, were combined with resistance from Indians as well as pirate raids. Charleston's colonists erected a fortification wall around the small settlement to aid in its defense. One of two buildings that remain from the Walled City is the Powder Magazine, where the city's supply of gunpowder was stored (below).

Major Atlantic port

By the mid-18th century Charleston had become a bustling trade center, the hub of the Atlantic trade for the southern colonies, and the wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia. By 1770 it was the fourth largest port in the colonies, after only Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 11,000, slightly more than half of that slaves. Rice and indigo had been successfully cultivated by gentleman planters in the surrounding coastal low-country. Those and naval stores were exported in an extremely profitable shipping industry. It was the cultural and economic center of the South.

Charleston became more prosperous in the plantation-dominated economy of the post-Revolutionary years. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized this crop's production, and it quickly became South Carolina's major export. Cotton plantations relied heavily on slave labor. Slaves were also the primary labor force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market workers or laborers.Pre-Civil War Political Changes

In the first half of the 19th century, South Carolinians became more devoted to the idea that state's rights were superior to the Federal government's authority. During this period over 90 percent of Federal funding was generated from import duties, collected by custom houses such as the one in Charleston. In 1832 South Carolina passed an ordinance of nullification, a procedure in which a state could in effect repeal a Federal law, directed against the most recent tariff acts. Soon Federal soldiers were dispensed to Charleston's forts and began to collect tariffs by force. A compromise was reached by which the tariffs would be gradually reduced, but the underlying argument over state's rights would continue to escalate in the coming decades.

Fort Sumter today. The walls are 1-level high.

War
On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 p.m., April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.

The Original 3-level Fort: Pre-destruction

We had the opportunity to visit Fort Sumter. For some reason I was expecting to see a preserved fort as it was in the late 1800's. I guess I was not as up to date on my history as I had thought. The fort was reduced to ruins during the civil war (mostly by the Union as they tried to re-take the fort) as it was subjected to constant shelling for almost 22 months.

To the right of Erik's head is a shell embedded into the brick wall. This shell was launched by the Union during their 22 month bombardment on Fort Sumter. McLeod is sitting on a bricked-in casement (a hole that the cannons fired through). The fort was lined with casements on 3 sides and designed for an armament of 135 guns.

This line of cannon was UN-earthed during restoration and excavation. During the construction of Battery Huger (below) these casements were filled with sand to help support and strengthen the original 5-foot thick brick walls.

As you enter the fort you are immediately awestruck by a huge black monstrosity, named Battery Huger, that was erected within the walls of the Fort during the Spanish-American War and completed in 1899. It is hideous! If you go to Charleston, I'm not sure I would suggest the tour of Fort Sumter (unless you are a real civil war buff). You must get to the fort by boat, and the round trip takes about 3-hours. However, I wish I still had my imagination of a preserved civil war era fort intact. The realization of what the fort is today has tarnished those visions.

The Hunley


The H. L. Hunley, a submarine of the Confederate Navy, was almost 40-feet long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, launched in July 1863, and shipped by rail to Charleston, SC on August 12, 1863.

On the night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley embarked on a dangerous mission that would forever mark her place in history. Eight men, led by Lt. George Dixon, entered an experimental vessel that was to become the first successful submarine in world history, with a mission to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic. That night, the Hunley rammed her spar torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic. She then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan’s Island with a blue magnesium light,(or lantern) indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley's safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace. The Hunley was found by Clive Cussler, the renowned author and creator of Grandma Pat's hero Dirk Pit (some claim my father is the re-incarnation of Pit).

This is a replica of the interior of the Hunley. It was "human-powered" by 7 men.

For more information visit http://www.hunley.org/ We were able to see the Hunley as she sits submersed in a tank undergoing painstaking restoration and desalination. The curators hope to have her ready for display (out of the water) within the next several years.

Today

Charleston is a notable tourist destination, with streets lined with grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Along the waterfront in an area known as "Rainbow Row" are many beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes. The city is also an important port, boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest container seaport in North America. It is also the second most productive port in the World behind Hong Kong.

Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989, and though the worst damage was in nearby McClellanville, the storm damaged three-quarters of the homes in Charleston's historic district. The hurricane caused over $2.8 billion in damage.

Charleston is a magnificent city. We spent over a week and I will return again. The history, architecture, delicious southern fare, and delightful residents all make for a wonderful experience.

The Paton's