Civil War Weather

As I’m sure you’re all aware, we’ve had some pretty hot weather here in the Lowcountry this summer.  Charleston suffered its second driest May ever this year, with only 0.4 inches of rain.

So that brings up the following question. Was it this hot and dry during the Civil War here in the Holy City? And how did residents deal with the heat?

The truth is, the weather in Charleston during the Civil War was comparable to what it is today. Hot, humid, and just about a daily chance of thunderstorms. Today, when you see Charleston residents out and about, braving the heat, you’re going to see quite a bit of bare skin. Tank tops, T-shirts, shorts and summer dresses are the norm. But back in the 1860’s, our confederate soldiers didn’t have the option to leave home in cutoffs and flip-flops.

While soldiers were always expected to wear their wide-brimmed hat, they weren’t always required to wear their coats. In fact, the only time you’d typically see a soldier wearing his coat was early in the morning. If he were walking around downtown, you wouldn’t see him carrying his musket… just a canteen with water to drink. Clean drinking water was scarce during that time, and soldiers had to make sure they stayed hydrated in the summer heat.

But back to the hat… a soldier would always wear his hat. I usually tell my tour groups that if a soldier walked outside without his hat, the neighbors assumed he had either lost his hat or his mind.

That hat would usually have a pretty wide brim, providing the wearer with as much shade as possible.

Nowadays, you’ll see many residents and visitors alike trying to cool off by swimming in the Atlantic. During the Civil War, people also swam in the ocean for recreation. However, you wouldn’t see the bikinis and board shorts you see today. They swam in what were called “bathing costumes,” which essentially covered the entire body.

So while some things were very different, some things were in fact, very similar.

Stay cool out there.