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150 Years Ago: Improving the James Island Forts defending Charleston
I’m a little behind on the exact sesquicentennial timing, so please forgive me being a few days off. On March 3, 1863, Brigadier-General States Rights Gist – a Confederate who’s parents left no doubt...
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Guns covering the harbor: Charleston’s inner ring of defenses
Earlier posts have focused on the outer harbor defenses on Morris and Sullivan’s Islands and the approach defenses on James Island. Those were the outer defenses of Charleston, South Carolina and the...
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Strengthening the James Island line to defend Charleston
Charleston became a “hot spot” for the Confederacy during the week following Federal landings on Morris Island (July 10, 1863). Reinforcements and material funneled into the city’s defenses, although...
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A tragic accident: The loss of the Confederate steamer Sumter
An old military quip says, “friendly fire, isn’t friendly.” That held true at the entrance to Charleston, South Carolina on the morning of August 31, 1863. A series mistakes, miscues, and turns,...
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“Impediments in the harbor”: Dahlgren takes stock of Confederate defenses
In the middle of October 1863, Major-General Quincy Gillmore and Rear-Admiral John Dahlgren weighed the next moves for their joint forces with respect to their assigned goal of Charleston, South...
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Improvements to James Island Defenses through October 1863
With the fall of Battery Wagner in early September 1863, the Confederate defenses of Charleston lost the buffer in front of James Island. During the long campaign for Morris Island, new batteries...
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150 years ago: Bombardment of Fort Sumter continues
On October 27, 1863 the Federals stepped up the bombardment of Fort Sumter that had started the day prior. They fired well over three times the number of rounds from the previous day. The Confederate...
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Bombardment of Fort Sumter Continues, October 29-30, 1863… and Confederates...
The bombardment of Fort Sumter, started on October 26, 1863, continued through this week 150 years ago with an increase in the number of shots fired by the Federals. Colonel Alfred Rhett, commanding...
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150 years ago at Fort Sumter: “The usual firing was renewed…”
For November 11, 1863, the journal entry from General P.G.T. Beauregard’s headquarters read: The enemy’s fleet inside the bar this morning have not materially changed, either in number or character of...
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150 years ago: More boats against Fort Sumter
At 2 a.m. on the morning of November 20, 1863, Federal gunners on Morris Island sent two shells into the night, aimed at Charleston. Those shots were in addition to the 97 fired at Fort Sumter, as...
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Spreading it around: Daily artillery duels around Charleston
Around this time 150 years ago, the bombardment of Fort Sumter tapered off. But the noise of artillery firing around Charleston harbor did not. Artillery duels were common during the Civil War. But...
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“Nothing unusual occurred to-day”: Skirmishing with heavy guns and mortars
In most theaters of war during the Civil War, a little light skirmish or two was a daily affair. That usually involved pickets, cavalry patrols, or other forces discharging muskets, pistols, or...
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“I firmly believed the fort was attacked”: Almost a case of fratricide at...
Maybe it was a new year at Charleston, but the same old pattern of activity continued. The Federals continued almost nightly bombardments of Charleston from the Parrott rifles on Morris Island. The...
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Another 10-inch Rifled Columbiad to defend Charleston
Last month I discussed the elaborate work done to convert this 10-inch Model 1844 Columbiad into a rifled and banded weapon for use defending Charleston. At that time, I mentioned a similar conversion...
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The Defenses of James Island: May 1864 – Part 1, the East Lines
Earlier this season, I provided a summary from an inspection of Confederate defenses on Sullivan’s Island. Balancing that is a report, also by Major George Upshur Mayo, on the defenses of James...
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“Thirty shells struck the hull of the steamer….”: End of the hard-luck Etiwan
When the sun rose on June 7, 1864, the Federals on Morris Island spotted a new target in Charleston harbor. Lieutenant-Colonel William Ames, 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, reported: I have the...
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“First of my new exeditions”: Foster launches a round offensive operations in...
On the first day of July 1864, Major-General John Foster was but a little over a month into his command of the Department of the South. And he was about to launch a series of very bold offensives...
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July 3, 1864: An assault on Fort Johnson handily repulsed
Even with the failures and setbacks of July 2, 1864, Major-General John Foster still had a good opportunity to crack the Confederate lines. His stated primary objective -the rail lines between...
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Grant killed! Withdraw from Petersburg! Sherman defeated at Atlanta!:...
The discipline of military intelligence requires a capable staff with the ability to analyze a wide body of information to determine an accurate situational picture. All kidding about the oxymoron...
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“A minor bombardment, the eighth and last of all”: More shells against Fort...
Writing after the war, Captain John Johnson, Confederate engineer and historian, wrote this of the bombardment of Fort Sumter in September 1864: The bombardment which had begun on the 7th of July, and...
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