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The Challenge The Union Army decides the time is right to move into position on James Island and capture Charleston Harbor. Citadel professor Dr. Kyle Sinisi guides us through the military maneuvers...
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In a daring move, Robert Smalls and his crew commandeer the steamship, The Planter, sail past Fort Sumter and deliver the ship and key intelligence to the Union.
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Hundreds are left dead on the field of battle as the Union is repelled. Thomas Lamar is declared a hero but suffers the consequences of the bloody encounter.
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June 16, 1862. The battle begins in the pre-dawn hours. The Union miscalculates the fierce defense rendered by Confederate cannon fire and becomes mired in Mother Nature’s secret weapon.
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Robert E. Lee redevelops his strategy for defending the South. Sea island plantation owners feel abandoned. The stage is set for Robert Smalls.
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There are two avenues into Charleston for the Union Army. Driven by information from Smalls, the Union goes for the back door - right through James Island and Thomas Lamar.
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President Lincoln blockades Southern ports. The Union takes Port Royal Sound. The coastal planters flee leaving tens of thousands of enslaved people free.
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An inland planter from Edgefield fears the loss of his way of life as a plantation master. In due time, Thomas Lamar will stand directly in the Union Army’s path to Charleston.
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“W” is for Williamston [Anderson County; population 3,791]. Around 1842 West Allen Williams discovered a mineral spring on his property that gave rise to the town named for him. Stories of the spring...
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“S” is for Secessionville, Battle of [June 16, 1862). Union general Henry Benham launched an assault on Tower Battery near the planter village of Secessionville. The Confederate defenders, supported...