Northerners aren’t so bad…

What a great group we had for this morning’s Civil War Walking Tour! Twelve curious souls joined me for a stroll through history, and the group asked so many great questions, which makes it so much fun for me.

First of all, almost every single person this morning was from the North! One Summerville native was there, but the rest hailed from New York and Boston. One of the first questions asked was about the confederate flags still seen around town. The gentleman wondered if waving a confederate flag was a reference to slavery and racism.

It was a great question. As I told him, I believe more of the confederate flag-waving today is a southern pride agenda. Good ole’ southern roots don’t equal racism. And I would venture to guess that many people who hang confederate flags don’t even know what it truly represents. True, during the Civil War, slavery existed.

The bottom line is, the South lost. Done.

Later, as we strolled down the streets of historic Charleston, I pointed out several structures like this:

These sharp metal points above the fencing were designed in case of a slave riot. As you can see, it could do some major damage to someone trying to invade. And if it didn’t stop them, it would slow them down enough to where the resident could retrieve his shotgun and take care of the intruder.

The kids on today’s tour thought these things were pretty cool, so I made sure to point out many that we passed during the walk.

All in all, I consider today to be a success. It was a bit warm, but these people were troopers and I hope they enjoyed this morning’s tour as much as I did!

See you out there.

Don’t Drink the Water?

In Charleston during the Civil War, clean drinking water was almost a luxury. Most residents drank well water or rain water, which they collected in what were called cisterns. Most relied on rain water alone, since many people’s water wells were located too close to the family outhouse.

Cisterns in Charleston were usually underground, and accessible from inside the home. They can be made of brick, stone, or metal, and the earliest cisterns were constructed with lime plaster. The College of Charleston built its own cistern in 1857 as a reservoir to provide water for fighting fires. That area is the same location where the College holds its commencement exercises today.

Since the weather in the 1860’s was very similar to what it is today, residents and soldiers alike experienced droughts. When it did rain, thirsty Charlestonians collected as much water as they could, since it was unknown when another shower would come through.

Stay hydrated, and I’ll see you out there.

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.

Historic Engraving Bombardment of Charleston

The housetops in Charleston during the bombardment of April 12-13, 1861.Haper's Weekly, May 4, 1861

Civil War Trust Animated Battlefield Maps

The Civil War Trust now offers animated battlefield maps that help you understand each battle.

This one of Fort Sumter is helpful.

Maps are an essential tool to understanding any Civil War battle. Access our full library of Civil War Trust battle maps, animated maps, historical maps and more.