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From Primedia Publications
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The Fighting Over Fort Sumter
Remembering Charleston's Glory Days.

By Rod Gragg

Fort Sumter is located on a man-made island at the entrance of Charleston's harbor.
When folks talk about "the War" here in Charleston, they're not referring to anything that happened in the 20th century. They're talking about the Civil War, referred to for generations here in South Carolina as the War Between the States and described jokingly as the War of Northern Aggression. Granted, television, motion pictures, and the uniformity of U.S. education have homogenized the South so much that many Southerners look and act like Californians. Just check out any suburban mall in the South for ample proof. Even the Southern accent—beloved by Southerners and often maligned by others—has been replaced among much of the Southern population by a U.S. "middlespeak" by which Southern boys and girls from Macon to Paducah sound suspiciously like Tom Brokaw. And then there's Charleston.

Charleston has a feeling of community, an established identity, and a distinctive atmosphere all anchored to the past.
Here, flanked by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers—and 300 years of Southerness—there remains much of the flavor and many of the best features of the Old South. Even though school children may address each other as "you guys" almost as readily as "y'all" and mall attire may resemble all-American sitcom dress, there's still a difference in Charleston—and it's distinctive. A native Charlestonian can still speak Southern. "Y'all—op'n the doe, pet the dawg, sitaspell, and we'll go get suppa from d'sto." Life is still slower here. Folks are still friendly. Walk along the streets of historic downtown Charleston and you see few of the avoiding eyes so common in the urban United States; instead, people look you in the face and often nod, smile, or speak. Southern hospitality remains an attractive feature of Charleston's personality. Stop and ask for directions and you'll get patient answers—and even explanations about what it means to be "west of the Ashley" or "down around the Battery." Like so many places in the South, the eating is good. Along with scores of contemporary restaurants that excel in soup 'n' salad, the Port City area abounds in seafood restaurants featuring regional dishes like oyster roasts, hushpuppies, and Southern-style—which means rolled in corn meal and pan-fried.



Inescapable in Charleston is the city's rich history. Founded as a British colony in 1670, it flourished as the port of importance on the southern Atlantic coast in the Colonial period, served the best and worst of planters and pirates, became an international exporter of Carolina rice, and withstood the British in a heroic defense in 1776 only to be captured and occupied by British troops in 1780. As a U.S. port city following the Revolution, it prospered as a seat of Southern commerce, culture, and politics. The firing on Fort Sumter in 1861 embedded Charleston forever in Southern history. It recovered from warfare, a devastating wartime fire, and a crippling postwar earthquake to become an attractive jewel in the crown of U.S. Southern seaports. In the 20th century, Charleston emerged as the site of major U.S. military installations, a regional medical center, a beacon of Old South charm and appeal, and a consistently popular vacation destination.

Charleston today has its share of urban woes, but the port retains a pleasant small-town atmosphere. Visit Charleston, talk to its residents, and you'll quickly realize they like it here. Unlike many cities, Charleston has a feeling of community, an established identity, and a distinctive atmosphere—all anchored to the past.

Charleston breathes history.

Stand on the Battery and gaze across the harbor. Sailboats, freighters, and tour boats break the harbor waters today, but standing at the Battery overlooking the wide and sparkling harbor encourages other images. English warships come to mind, furiously and futilely bombarding the palmetto log fort at Sullivan's Island in 1776 and producing the Continental victory that made South Carolina the Palmetto State. It's easy to imagine bustling docks, clipper ships, Civil War blockade runners by light of day, and the Confederate submarine Hunley slipping through the darkness en route to sink the U.S.S. Housatonic.

Turn from the water, face White Point Gardens, and imagine Southern belles in hoop skirts twirling their parasols and strolling with Charleston beaus along the promenade. Look at the towering colonial and Federal-era townhouses facing seaward, adorned by columns, turrets, and multiple chimneys. Imagine the lifestyle of the rice planter who lived inside amid well-stocked libraries, stylish parlors, winding staircases, and canopied beds.


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Rod Gragg is executive editor of Pee Dee Magazine.
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