Charleston in the American Civil War

• 1. Secession And The First Shots

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  On the 20th of December 1860, South Carolina became the first state to vote for secession from the United States. This decision followed a presidential election where Abraham Lincoln won without carrying a single southern state. Half of the population in South Carolina were enslaved Black people who lived under constant fear of revolt among white southerners. Proslavery thought drove sectionalism more than tariffs or states' rights during this period. A convention declared that Lincoln's opposition to expanding slavery into territories justified their withdrawal. Three months later on the 9th of January 1861 Citadel cadets fired upon the merchant ship USS Star of the West. The Buchanan administration had sent relief supplies including men and matériel to resupply U.S. soldiers garrisoned at Fort Sumter. Jefferson Davis appointed P.G.T. Beauregard to command the siege of Fort Sumter just as President Lincoln was inaugurated. On April 12 at 3:20 AM Robert Chestnut sent a final ultimatum to Major Robert Anderson. After a 34-hour bombardment Anderson surrendered the fort. Throughout much of the war Citadel cadets continued to aid the Confederate Army by drilling recruits and manufacturing ammunition.

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• 2. The Great Fire Of 1861

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  On the 11th of December 1861 a massive fire burned 164 acres of Charleston destroying hundreds of buildings. The Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar fell along with the Circular Congregational Church and South Carolina Institute hall. Nearly 600 other structures were lost in the conflagration that left much of the city unrepaired until the end of the war. Amos Gadsden a formerly enslaved person recounted that a balloon started the blaze while Union and Confederate troops camped on opposite sides of the river. Many in the North viewed this destruction as divine retribution for secession. The ruins remained visible years later when photographers documented the damage from the Circular Church. This disaster occurred before the major naval blockades began and before the repeated assaults on Fort Wagner. The fire represented one of the earliest catastrophes that would define the city's wartime experience.

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• 3. Naval Blockade And Harbor Defense

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  The U.S. Navy blockaded many Confederate-controlled port cities throughout the four-year conflict. Charleston became a haven for Confederate blockade runners despite repeated efforts to retake control. A Stone Fleet of sunken ships attempted to obstruct harbor access but failed to stop supply lines. In June 1862 the Battle of Secessionville on modern-day James Island was the only U.S. Army effort to retake Charleston by land during the war. Confederate forces defeated the effort led by U.S. Brigadier General Henry Washington Benham. Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont began an offensive campaign against Charleston Harbor defenses in 1863. The combined First Battle of Charleston Harbor accomplished little with naval bombardment failing to breach fortifications. Land forces were never put ashore during these early attempts to capture the harbor entrance. Confederates resisted U.S. naval forces for most of the war's duration despite growing pressure.

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• 4. Assaults On Fort Wagner

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  By summer 1863 Union attention turned to Battery Wagner on Morris Island which guarded the harbor entrance from the southwest. The Second Battle of Fort Wagner involved the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment the second African-American regiment organized by the Union. Confederates repelled and inflicted heavy casualties on U.S. forces attempting to capture the fort during both battles. An attempt to recapture Fort Sumter by a U.S. naval raiding party also failed severely. Fort Sumter was gradually reduced to rubble via bombardment from shore batteries after the capture of Morris Island. Confederate forces abandoned the fort following the Second Battle of Charleston Harbor in September 1863. These repeated assaults demonstrated the difficulty of taking heavily fortified positions even with superior numbers. The role of African American regiments in these battles became historically significant despite tactical failures.

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• 5. Submarine Warfare In The Harbor

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  Charleston Harbor hosted the first successful submarine attack in history on the 17th of February 1864. The H.L. Hunley made a night attack on the USS Housatonic using a spar torpedo. Although the Hunley survived the initial strike she foundered and sank while returning to base. This event ended the threat to the U.S. blockade but marked a technological milestone in naval warfare. The attack occurred during a period when newer longer-range artillery began reducing city defenses. Confederate resistance continued for most of the war's four years despite this innovation. The sinking of the Hunley itself became part of the harbor's tragic legacy alongside other wartime losses.

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• 6. Prolonged Bombardment And Ruin

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  The bombardment that began in late 1863 continued on and off for 587 days destroying much of the surviving city. Jefferson Davis visited Charleston in November 1863 and opined it was better for the city to be reduced to a heap of ruins than surrender. A coordinated series of U.S. attacks launched in early July 1864 included an amphibious assault on Fort Johnson and an invasion of Johns Island. These attacks failed but continued to wear down Confederate defenders. Newer longer-range artillery allowed U.S. Army soldiers to place batteries even closer to the city center. The prolonged struggle substantially damaged Charleston reducing buildings to rubble through sustained artillery fire from shore batteries. Much of the damage remained unrepaired until the end of the war as reconstruction efforts lagged behind destruction.

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• 7. Liberation And Final Surrender

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  On the 15th of February 1865 Beauregard ordered the evacuation of remaining Confederate forces from Charleston. On February 18 the mayor surrendered the city to U.S. Army General Alexander Schimmelfennig. The first soldiers to enter were members of the 21st Infantry Regiment of the US Colored Troops and the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. These Black regiments sang John Brown's Body as they led the U.S. Army into Charleston. Chartered boats brought hundreds of attendees from as far as New York to witness the flag raising. The same officer who had lowered the flag at Fort Sumter in 1861 was sent to raise it back up. Black people traveled on a separate boat with a Black captain during these celebrations. Henry Ward Beecher served as keynote speaker while William Lloyd Garrison and many reporters attended. The episode has been largely forgotten because President Lincoln was assassinated four days later on April 14. U.S. soldiers remained in Charleston during the city's reconstruction period following liberation.

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