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.

Commemorating and Learning From the Civil War

From the U.S. News and World Report:

On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the Civil War began at Fort Sumter near Charleston, S.C. Now, 150 years later, the sesquicentennial anniversary of that moment and the following four years of the war gives Americans an opportunity to remember how the nation fought against itself, eventually preserving the union that exists today. U.S. News chatted with James Lighthizer, the president of the Civil War Trust, a non-profit organization based in Washington, about why it’s important to learn more about the conflict and what people around the world can do to honor those who fought in the country’s bloodiest war.

Why is the sesquicentennial so important?

The Civil War was a defining time in American history, just for a blizzard of reasons. It really is the birth of the modern United States of America. It settled for all time the issue of secession, which was huge, and spoke directly to what kind of nation we would be: one country versus a vulcanized group of states. It’s important to remember that time. As David McCollough, the famous historian has said, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” To know who you are and why you became who you are is extremely instructive in moving into the future. It was a horrible time, a terrible time, a killing time, but [we should] celebrate what came from it. It is significant to us. [See a U.S. News special report: Secrets of the Civil War.]

Are there still unanswered questions about the war?

Well, history doesn’t change but interpretation of history changes. The Civil War is still a hotly debated topic as to causes. You can still have a challenging and compelling argument and discussion as to the causes. Was it solely due to slavery? Was it solely due to tariffs and economic issues? A combination of the two? And you can marshal legitimate arguments for all of those.

Was the Civil War just about slavery?

Some people say it was only about slavery, and yet, remember, South Carolina was talking about seceding in the 1830s over tariffs, not slavery. And New England states were talking about seceding during the War of 1812 over the war, not slavery. The point is, secession was a fairly debatable question until 1865 in this nation–and not just by southerners, but by people in all parts of the country. [See an interactive map of Civil War Battles.]

The issues have obviously changed, but we are seeing some of the same ideological debates over states’ rights and the power of the federal government in today’s politics. Can politicians learn lessons from this pre-war era?

Yes, I think they can. That is, I wouldn’t try seceding. It’s probably not even worth the attempt. Nobody’s arguing for slavery anymore [either]. But the tension between the federal government and the state governments, which has always existed, varies from era to era. Right now it’s on the ascendancy, federalism versus a national government.

What do people forget about the war?

People tend to view history through rose-colored glasses and a rearview mirror. And by rose-colored glasses I mean they often tend to impose their values, their morals, their opinions on people from another time. People from another time didn’t have the advantage of knowing what people now know. They can talk about how one group treats another and find it abhorrent. But that’s imposing your values on them. You weren’t there. And the rearview mirror, of course, is [that] you know the end. People tend to use hindsight to make judgments about history, and they tend to use their own prism, their own perspective. It’s really easy to be judgmental if you judge them through the prism of your values, but they didn’t have your values. [Check out our Civil War fast facts and trivia.]

What are some ways for people to better understand what really happened during that time?

It’s to know how they lived, to know as much as you can about them, and know what they knew when they knew it. That’s why when studying a battle that determined the war, it can be so helpful to walk the ground. It’s one thing to look at a sheet of paper and say, “Well you should have gone left instead of right.” It’s another thing when you walk the ground and learn that you couldn’t see left. You didn’t know what was left. That’s why you went right. Putting yourself in their boots and knowing what they knew at the time is absolutely essential for having a decent understanding of history.