Planter at the Gate

During the Civil War, the month of June of 1862 was a pivotal moment in American history. If Federal forces could capture Charleston, the gateway to the South, it would cripple the Confederacy. Impatient with their Naval blockade of its central harbor, the Union Army decides to pursue another approach for seizing the Holy City by overrunning a small fort on James Island. There, a Southern planter named Colonel Thomas Gresham Lamar, holds the keys to that back door approach as the commander of the Tower Battery in the hamlet of Secessionville.

The Battle of Secessionville
Episode 11

Video

The Confrontation Confederate forces at the Tower Battery push back against the Union's advancement toward their position. Citadel professor Dr. Kyle Sinisi guides us through the military maneuvers...
The Battle of Secessionville
Episode 12

Video

The Battle Confederate and Union forces clash in a short, bloody fight. Citadel professor Dr. Kyle Sinisi guides us through the military maneuvers that climaxed on June 16, 1862.
The Swamp Angel
Episode 13

Video

Charleston Museum curator, Grahame Long, recounts the story of the war's most renowned Parrott gun and its deadly ordnance: Greek Fire.
The Pluff Mud Advantage
Episode 14

Video

Home field advantage is key, especially in battle. College of Charleston's Dr. Scott Harris is very familiar with the muck that changed the odds in the Battle of Secessionville.

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