This view of the Battery in Charleston, circa 1865, gives a good view of how that city appeared during the war, and how it had prepared for its defense.
Courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
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Secession was only a first step in South Carolina's actions to separate from the United States. Other states followed South Carolina. By February of 1861, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi...
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The cartoon "South Carolina Topsey in a Fix," one of "Strong's Dime Caricatures," was printed by W.T. Strong in 1861. Topsey has cut one of the stars out of the American flag. Courtesy of the South...
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The entry of Major Robert Anderson's (see Major Robert Anderson) command into Fort Sumter on Christmas night, 1860. After the secession of the seven deep South states, federal troops withdrew from...
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Fort Sumter, viewed here from the rear, could not be re-supplied without the Confederate forces in Charleston acquiescing; which they were determined not to do. As Major Anderson's garrison saw their...
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"South Carolina's Ultimatum," engraved by Currier and Ives, portrays South Carolina as destroying herself in her threats to destroy the Union. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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On April 11, 1861, with the supply ships Lincoln had promised to send already underway, General P.G.T. Beauregard sent James Chesnut with a message to Major Anderson, demanding to know when he would...
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The housetops of Charleston during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. From "Harper's Weekly." Courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
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In December of 1861, a great fire swept through Charleston, destroying much of the city, and making the defense of the city even more difficult. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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The Fourth South Carolina regiment, working in the trenches at night at Manassas Junction. From "Harper's Weekly," August 10, 1861. Courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
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In spite of the absence of modern television and radio news coverage, citizens were given a visual understanding of the war through the efforts of photographers like Matthew Brady, and the engravings...