Podcasts about morris island

The Shaw Community Center at 22 Mary Street in downtown Charleston embodies an important historical legacy: It arose shortly after the Civil War as a memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment who died in battle at Morris Island. Their comrades pooled money to establish in 1868 a school for African-American children that continued until 1937, when it evolved into the present multipurpose youth hub. Long managed by the City of Charleston, the Shaw Center perpetuates a noble commitment to the advancement of civil rights.

Valuable Information Can Get You Through Any Hardship A man built like a lumberjack, walking his Chihuahua, saw me standing with my fly rod and approached me.  “How was the fishing?” I truthfully told him that I had caught nothing.  He replied, “Morris Island is loaded with fish. I was just there this morning.” My... The post Gospel-Homily for Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time (2024) appeared first on St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine.

“B” is for Battery Wagner. Battery Wagner was the principal fortification on Morris Island during the Civil War.

Not far from Charleston, SC, is a forlorn leaning lighthouse. Morris Island used to stand under it, but due to storms, it is no more and the light tower is isolated precariously holding on to a small area under the water below it. Why is it worthy of mention?

Amelia Gets Excited About Morris Island Trip #2 in South Carolina - Will She find a Megalodon Tooth?

In this episode I look at the first three attempts of the Union to capture Charleston and get their revenge on the city. I examine an attempt to take islands off the city, an attempt to use the Navy to blast through the defenses and an attempt by the US Army to capture Battery Wagner on Morris Island.

Today we remember the kind Harvard botanist who was a friend of Darwin. We'll also learn about the botanist who specialized in South American flora and found the Cinchona tree: the source of quinine. We salute the pioneer of the study of allelopathy - when one plant species releases chemical compounds that affect another plant species. We also recognize the man who transformed the springtime landscape at the beautiful Magnolia Gardens. We honor the first woman to attend Cornell University's school of forestry. Today's Unearthed Words feature a poem called The Sleep of Seeds. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about the "Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation"; learn how to grow whatever you want, whenever you want. And then we'll wrap things up with a delightful story about a horticulture teacher. But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around the world and today's curated news.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Gardener Greetings To participate in the Gardener Greetings segment, send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org And, to listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to play The Daily Gardener Podcast. It's that easy.   Curated News 16 Drought Tolerant Plants to Grow in Your Garden | Ken Druse | Garden Design “Drought-tolerant plants can be identified just by looking at them or feeling or smelling their bruised foliage. Many fragrant herbs, for example, are drought-tolerant.” Larkspur and Nigella Morning Glory Portulaca ("Port-you-LAKE-ah") Rose Moss Annual sunflowers Achillea (yarrow)("Ack-ah-LEE-ah) Silphium ("SILL-fee-um) Cup Plant Helianthemum ("HE-LEE-anthemum") Rock Rose Rudbeckia black-eyed Susan Echinacea Coneflower Ratibida ("RAH-tib-it-ah") Grey-headed Coneflower Asters Dianthus Euphorbias Foxgloves Sempervivum Sedum Tulips Mulleins Bearded Iris Lilacs   Have you ever tried drying flowers? Successfully drying one of your favorite flowers is such a joy. Some flowers look even better when they are dried. There are many options for drying flowers; air drying is the simplest. Then, of course, there's pressing. If you've never tried sand drying a bloom, you should give it a shot. Just fill a microwave-safe container with a layer of silica sand. Put the flower on top of the sand and then bury the bloom in the sand. Place the bloom along with a cup of water in the microwave. Heat in microwave in 30-second increments. Your flower should be dried in 2-3 minutes. Another step you can take in your flower-drying hobby is to prepare a spot in your garden shed, garage, pantry, or kitchen for drying flowers. Repurpose a pot rack or do something simple like string some twine between some eye hooks. Sometimes just creating space can inspire you to take some cuttings and bring beautiful blooms indoors. One of my favorite pictures from my garden is a single row of hydrangea cuttings drying upside down in my kitchen. Bliss.   Alright, that's it for today's gardening news. Now, if you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1909  Today is the birthday of Cornelius Herman ("Neil") Muller, the American botanist and ecologist. Cornelius pioneered the study of allelopathy ("ah-la-LOP-OH-thee"). Allelopathy occurs when one plant species releases chemical compounds that affect another plant species. Most gardeners know that black walnut is an example of allelopathy. In addition to the roots, black walnut trees store allelopathic chemicals in their buds, in the hulls of the walnuts, and their leaves.   1917  Today is the birthday of John Drayton Hastie of Magnolia Gardens. The Drayton family has lived on the plantation on the banks of the Ashley River since the 1670s. Magnolia Gardens is often regarded as one of the most staggeringly beautiful places in the entire South. And it's worth noting that it was built on the backs of slaves. The journalist Charles Kuralt once wrote about Magnolia Gardens. He said, “By 1900, the Baedeker guide to the United States listed three must-see attractions: the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and Magnolia Gardens.  Maybe because I am a sucker for 300-year-old live oak trees hung with Spanish moss and for azaleas and camellias and dogwoods and for Cherokee roses growing on fences — I think I’d put Magnolia Gardens first on that list.”   Representing the 9th generation of the Drayton Family at Magnolia Gardens, John Drayton Hastie was a passionate plantsman. He knew and loved all of the winding brick paths and the thousands of specimens at Magnolia Gardens - including the Middleton Oak, which measured over 12 feet in diameter. And John knew all about the history of the gardens. In 1840, Magnolia Gardens was home to the first azaleas ever planted in America. John often said that it was the successful cultivation of azaleas at Magnolia Gardens that led to the desire for the spring bloomer all across the south - from Charleston to Mobile. And the oldest azalea at Magnolia Gardens is the Indicia from Holland. John lived through some challenging times at Magnolia. After Hurricane Hugo ripped through Magnolia Gardens, John was optimistic saying, “There [were] some advantages, not that I wanted them… [Before the hurricane], we had trouble getting sunlight. Now I'll be able to plant more roses and perennials." Magnolia Gardens is where you'll find the Audobon Swamp Garden. It takes almost an hour to walk through, and it is a feast for the senses. The black water swamp is swaddled by hundreds of Black Cypress and teaming with wildlife from alligators and large turtles to herons and bald eagles. In addition to the swamp, Magnolia Gardens has a Biblical Garden and huge maze that was inspired by the maze at England's Hampton Court to honor Henry VIII. Through most of the 20th century, John Drayton Hastie and his wife were the friendly and knowledgeable hosts to the over 150,000 guests and tourists that visited the property every year. Today, Magnolia Gardens is run by a nonprofit foundation that was established in 1985. And, John's grandson, Taylor, is writing a new chapter for Magnolia Gardens. Beginning in the early 2000s, Taylor worked to begin what experts called "the most ambitious" effort to unearthed the records and history of plantation slavery. The Magnolia Plantation Foundation funded the creation of a free online website and database dedicated to African American genealogy and history in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida called Lowcountry Africana. Before John Drayton Hastie died as an old man, he'd already experienced a brush with death. Almost 70 years earlier (in 1933), when John was 15 years old, he went camping with some friends on Morris Island. And, at some point, the boys went for a swim in the ocean. John was standing near the shore in about two feet of water when a shark attacked him. The shark bit John on both legs. Somehow John managed to free himself. His buddies brought him to Fort Moultrie, where the medical staff was astounded by the severity of his wounds. John made a full recovery at a Charleston Hospital. After John died in 2002, his remains were placed within an oak tree at Magnolia Garden. Today, there is a marker by the Drayton Oak which reads: “Within this Oak, planted three centuries ago in the original Magnolia Plantation Garden by his ancestor, Thomas Drayton Jr., of Barbados, are interred the remains of John Drayton Hastie whose later life was devoted to continuing the Horticultural efforts of eight generations of family predecessors, and to transforming their springtime garden into one of beauty for all seasons. “   1938  The St. Cloud Times runs a story about a Miss Louise Klein Miller. Louise, at the age of 84, was retiring as supervisor of Cleveland's Memorial Gardens - after supervising them for over a quarter of a century. The first woman to attend Cornell University's school of forestry, Louise became the landscape architect for Cleveland schools; she was the only female landscape architect working in an extensive city school system. Collinwood is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. On Ash Wednesday, March 4, 1908, the Collinwood school fire became one of the country's biggest tragedies. The school had only two exits. The construction created a chimney effect; the school became a fire trap. Almost half of the children in the building died. In 1910, Louise planned the Memorial Gardens to honor the 172 children, two teachers, and one rescuer who died in the blaze. The year before, in 1909, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that, "a memorial should stand in perpetuity to honor those who lost their lives in this school fire tragedy.” The Collinwood memorial is a large square planting bed that is rimmed with 3.5-foot walls made of concrete that is tiled. The plantable area of the memorial measures roughly 20' x 40'. There's also a deep bench around the perimeter, and the walls are slanted to make seating more comfortable. The downside is that the bench and the scale of the raised bed make access to the planting area is sometimes very challenging. During Louise's era, students grew flowers in a school greenhouse for the Memorial. Over 70 years, the garden fell into neglect. 2018 was the 110th Anniversary of the Collinwood School Fire; there have been a few attempts to make sure that the garden continues to be a meaningful memorial. The struggle to maintain the Memorial continues. In July of 1910, there was an article in the Santa Cruz newspaper that described the new memorial garden - which at the time included a large lily pond: "There was a poet who said he sometimes thought that never blows so red the rose as where some buried Caesar bled;  That every hyacinth the garden wears, drops in her lap from some once lovely head. Then there will never be lilies so fair as those that will bloom in the lily pond that is to be on the site of the Collinwood school."   Unearthed Words It didn't rain all summer. Instead of water, my father used prayer for his garden. Despite his friends' laughter, he planted spinach and lettuce, countless rows of cucumbers in beds lined up meticulously ignoring old people's warnings about the drought. Every afternoon, he pushed his hat back, wiped off his sweat, and looked up at the empty sky, the sun scorching the acacia trees shriveling in the heat. In July, the ground looked like cement. Like the ruins of a Roman thermal bath, it kept the vestiges of a lost order, traces of streams long gone. He yelled at me to step back from the impeccable architecture of climbing green beans, the trellis for tomatoes, although there was nothing to be seen, no seedlings, no tendrils, not even weeds, just parched, bare ground— as if I were disturbing the hidden sleep of seeds. — Lucia Cherciu "Lew-chee-AH CARE-chew", poet, Edible Flowers, The Sleep of Seeds   Grow That Garden Library Making More Plants by Ken Druse This book came out in 2012, and the subtitle is The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation. Druse says that propagation—the practice of growing whatever you want, whenever you want—is gardening itself. In this book, Druse shares his proven techniques to expand the plants in your garden. This book has over 500 photos to help you practice the steps of propagating successfully. The book is 256 pages of propagation demystified - all shared to help you learn the steps and tools necessary to create more plants. What gardener doesn't want more plants? You can get a copy of Making More Plants by Ken Druse and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30.   Today's Botanic Spark While researching Louise Klein Miller, I ran across a delightful story about her time teaching horticulture: "Louise had been telling a crowd of pupils about the different insects that attack plants and warned them, especially against the malevolent San Jose scale. She suggested that they go to the school library and get a book about it and read of Its habits and the remedy for checking its career. One young woman went to the librarian the next morning and said she wanted something about the San Jose scale. Without even looking up from her desk, the Librarian said, ‘Go to the music department.’”

On May 4, 2019, the American Civil War Museum (https://acwm.org/) opens in Richmond, Virginia. It’s a historic endeavor, building upon a merger of several museums and historical sites in the region, including the former Museum of the Confederacy.  The museum’s goal is to tell an inclusive and balanced version of the Civil War. But for an event that’s arguably the most contentious conflict in American history, that’s a tall order. So on this episode, BackStory gets an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the museum to explore what it means to tell new narratives of the Civil War in public spaces.  Image: "Storming Fort Wagner," chromolithograph by Kurz & Allison-Art Publishers, shows Union soldiers storming the walls of Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina, and engaging some Confederate soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. Source: Library of Congress  BackStory is funded in part by our listeners. You can help keep the episodes coming by supporting the show: https://www.backstoryradio.org/support

  On this, the 555th episode of the Black Man With A Gun Show Podcast I share the history of the US Army 54th Colored Regiment Unit.  For those that like to hear good guys with guns story I have some this week for you.  Introducing Andrew Branca of the Law of Self Defense Podcast this week.  And I have a little monologue about my son, the state of Maryland and how do you get a gun in Maryland. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was formed  January 26,  1863 History of Company B, Organized at Readville and mustered in May 13, 1863. Left Boston on Steamer “De Molay” for Hilton Head, S. C., May 28, arriving there June 3. Attached to U. S. Forces, St. Helena Island, S. C., 10th Army Corps, Dept. of the South, to July, 1863. 3rd Brigade 1st Division, Morris Island, S. C., 10th Army Corps, July, 1863. 3rd Brigade, Morris Island, S. C., to August, 1863. 4th Brigade, Morris Island, S. C., to November, 1863. 3rd Brigade, Morris Island, S. C., to January, 1864. Montgomery’s Brigade, District of Hilton Head, S. C., to February, 1864. Montgomery’s Brigade, District of Florida, February, 1864. 3rd Brigade, Ames’ Division, District of Florida, to April, 1864. Folly and Morris Islands, S. C., Northern District, Dept. South, to October, 1864. 1st Separate Brigade, Dept. South, to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade, Coast Division, Dept. South, to February, 1865. 1st Separate Brigade, Northern District, Dept. South, to March, 1865. 1st Separate Brigade, District of Charleston, S. C., Dept. South, to June, 1865. 3rd Sub-District, District of, Charleston, Dept. South Carolina, to August, 1865. SERVICE — At Thompson’s Plantation near Beaufort, S. C., June 4-8, 1863. Moved to St. Simon’s Island June 8-9. Expedition up Altamaha River June 10-11. At St. Simon’s Island June 12-24. At St. Helena Island June 25-July 8. To Stono Inlet July 8. Expedition against James Island July 9-16. Affair Legaresville July 13. Secessionville July 16. Moved to Morris Island July 16-18. Assault on Fort Wagner July 18. Siege operations against Forts Wagner and Gregg, Morris Island, July 18-September 7, and against Fort Sumter and Charleston September 7, 1863, to January 28, 1864. Capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg September 7, 1863. Moved to Hilton Head, S. C., January 28, 1864. Expedition to Jacksonville, Fla., February 5-7. Capture of Jacksonville February 6. Expedition to Lake City, Fla., February 7-22. Battle of Olustee February 20. Duty at Jacksonville till April 17. Moved to Morris Island April 17-18. Duty on Morris and Folly Islands, S. C., till November, 1864. Expedition to James Island June 30-July 10. Actions on James Island July 2, 9 and 10. Six Companies in charge of rebel prisoners under fire of Charleston Batteries September 7 to October 20. Eight Companies moved to Hilton Head, November 27. (Cos. “B” and “F” at Morris Island till February, 1865.) Expedition to Boyd’s Neck, S. C., November 29-30. Boyd’s Landing November 29. Battle of Honey Hill November 30. Demonstration on Charleston Camp; Savannah Railroad December 6-9. Moved to Graham’s Neck December 20. Connect with Sherman’s Army at Pocotaligo, S. C., January 15, 1865. March to Charleston January 15-February 23, skirmishing all the way. (Cos. “B” and “F” occupy Charleston February 18.) Regiment on duty at Charleston February 27 to March 12. At Savannah, Ga., March 13-27. At Georgetown, S. C., March 31-April 5. Potter’s Expedition to Camden April 5-25. Seven Mile Bridge April 6. Destruction of Eppes’ Bridge, Black River, April 7. Dingle’s Mills April 9. Destruction of Rolling Stock at Wateree Junction April 11. Singleton’s Plantation April 12. Statesburg April 15. Occupation of Camden April 17. Boykin’s Mills April 18. At Georgetown April 25. Duty at Georgetown, Charleston, and various points in South Carolina April 25 to August 17. Mustered out at Mount Pleasant, S. C., August 20, 1865. Discharged at Boston, Mass., September 1, 1865. Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 104 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 160 Enlisted men by disease. Total 270.      http://www.54thmass.org/regiment-history Law of Self Defense Introducing a legal segment from Attorney Andrew Branca, check out this offer. Armed Citizen News Intruder kicks open door, gets shot by Lakeland homeowner, police say Police say landlord fired gun at tenant in dispute Arrest made in connection to attempted home invasion 2 people injured after shooting each other in NW Houston, police say Police: Suspect shot after failed home invasion Saturday One Shot in Home Invasion in Town of Horseheads And as promised more information on the Return of the Urban Shooter, Gun Ownership in Maryland.  How do you start the process of getting a pistol in the state of Maryland? (HQL) Inspired by my son’s new desire to shoot.     Question:  Do I change the name of the show back to the Urban Shooter Podcast, or leave it as the “Black Man With A Gun Show”

Only a few weeks prior, on December 20th, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union, becoming the first state to leave. Even before then tension had been building with the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. With roughly 40% of the popular vote but almost 60% of the Electoral College, there was little doubt that he would be sworn in as the 16th President of the United States. It was a prospect that many in the South refused to live with. To them the Constitution created a voluntary union rather than a binding one, and they had the right to peaceably leave at any point. On January 9th, 1861, almost two months before the Inauguration of the President-Elect, Mississippi, the 20th state to be admitted into the Union, became the second state to exercise what they believed to be their right. Congressman Lucius Lamar would draft, “An ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of Mississippi and other States united with her under the compact entitled "The Constitution of the United States of America’”, outlining not only its desire to secede, but to form a new confederacy with other states that would chose also to separate. In their declaration and justification of secession, they would argue, “Utter subjugation awaits us in the Union, if we should consent longer to remain in it. It is not a matter of choice, but of necessity. We must either submit to degradation, and to the loss of property worth four billions of money, or we must secede from the Union framed by our fathers, to secure this as well as every other species of property. For far less cause than this, our fathers separated from the Crown of England. Our decision is made. We follow their footsteps. We embrace the alternative of separation; and for the reasons here stated, we resolve to maintain our rights with the full consciousness of the justice of our course, and the undoubting belief of our ability to maintain it.” Slavery would be maintained. Joining with South Carolina, they would remain firm in their assertion that these African-Americans were their property, and that the economic value of slavery outweighed the benefit of the 84-year-old nation, forged together under the Constitution just over 70 years prior. Yet the hopes of a peaceful separation was perhaps quickly fading. What Mississippi Governor John Pettus, who campaigned on secession and the formation of a southern confederacy to preserve slavery, and other secessionists in his state didn’t know was that to the East, on that same day, the civilian steamship the Star of the West sailed for Charleston Harbor. It was loaded with supplies for the garrison stationed at Fort Sumter under the command of Major Robert Anderson, the man who in a few short months would, to the Union, become the hero of that first battle of the Civil War and promoted to Brigadier-General. It wouldn’t reach its destination nor fulfill that contract for the US Government. Major Peter Stevens, Superintendent of the Citadel, had received orders from South Carolina’s Governor Francis Pekins, to take cadets and man the strategic battery on Morris Island. If they were to see a vessel flying an American flag they were to fire. Three shots would hit the Spirit of the West, forcing the ships Captain, John McGowan, to turn and sail back to New York. Though open hostilities would not begin until April, the first shots of the Civil War had been fired as South Carolina openly defied the authority and the jurisdiction of the Union Government. Three days later Pekins would demand that the US Government surrender Fort Sumter and remove its troops from South Carolina soil, now, in the minds of the residents of that state, free of the ties that bound it to the United States. Of course it would remain in US possession until the first battle of the Civil War would be fought, almost exactly three months after his demands were made. Mississippi, South Carolina, and the states of the Confederacy would eventually, after the long and bloodied war between the states, be brought back into the Union. Pickens, once so proud and defiant, would make the motion to repeal the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession. Lucius Lamar would receive a Presidential Pardon, and serve as the first Democrat elected to the House of Representatives after the Civil War, before election to the Senate, and appointment to Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior and, finally, the Supreme Court. The Star of the West, on the other hand, would meet an untimely fate. After being commissioned in by the Department of War, it would end up trading hands between the Union and the Confederacy, before being sunk in 1863. In the end it became just another bill for the United States to pay for its history of ignoring the issue of slavery, though, in this case, one that it could pay with a simple check to the US Mail Steamship Company. Other prices would be less monetary but much higher, taking longer to pay.

This week on StoryWeb: Mary Chesnut’s Civil War. In her book on the American Civil War, Mary Boykin Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate general, describes a woman seeking a pardon for her husband: “She was strong, and her way of telling her story was hard and cold enough. She told it simply, but over and over again, with slight variations as to words – never as to facts. She seemed afraid we would forget.” This passage is but one of many in the book that signals Chesnut’s desire to tell the story of the South during the Civil War. She wants to document history so that her readers won’t forget. At the same time, she wants to record more than just the facts of history, by telling her story over and over again artfully. Thirty years ago, I first encountered Chesnut’s writing and fell in love (total love!) with her firsthand, play-by-play accounts of the Civil War. Chesnut lived in or visited various locations throughout the South, most notably Montgomery, Alabama, Columbia, South Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, where she came into regular contact with the Jefferson Davises and the Robert E. Lees. In every location, she opened her home to others as a social gathering place. Visiting did not end for Chesnut and the other gentile Southern ladies of her community, but now their conversations turned to war. It was widely known throughout the community that Chesnut kept a detailed diary about her society’s comings and goings and the ladies’ conversations. Because she had had a ringside seat to the Confederacy, friends pressed her to publish the diary after the war. From 1881 to 1884, she worked on a version for publication. She deleted and moved sections, added dialogue and other novel-like detail to create a hybrid of diary, memoir, autobiography, and even to some extent, novel. She wove together accounts of her own experiences with stories that others have told her and created an anthology of anecdotes about members of the Confederate society, a crazy quilt of Civil War lore. Chesnut writes, “History reveals men’s deeds – their outward characters but not themselves. There is a secret self that hath its own life ‘rounded by a dream’ – unpenetrated, unguessed.” What she attempted to give us in her revision was the “unpenetrated, unguessed” “secret self” of the women in the Confederacy. To be sure, her diary gives us an intimate glimpse into the history of the day – the official, public activities of the men of the Confederacy – but it also brings to vivid life the stories and concerns of the women of the Confederacy. Her revised diary is filled with hundreds of pages of women’s talk, gossip, and conversation, suggesting that to understand the true story of the Confederacy one need only listen more attentively to women’s voices. Unfortunately, when Chesnut died in 1886, her manuscript was unfinished. A heavily edited and abridged version was published in 1905 as A Diary from Dixie. Gone are the scenes, the dialogue, much of the story Chesnut tried to bring to life in her 1880s revision. Fast forward to 1981. Eminent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward decided to resurrect the original diaries, creating the Pulitzer-Prize-winning volume, Mary Chesnut’s Civil War. This book is, quite simply, amazing – long and rambling but amazing! Woodward has been praised for meticulously bringing to life an historical account that otherwise would have been lost. He has also been criticized for not honoring Chesnut’s authorial intent. Though I have some misgivings about Woodward’s decision to reinsert passages Chesnut clearly meant to cut, I nevertheless love the more thorough eavesdropping I get to do when reading his version. Suffice it to say, if you want a gripping account of the Civil War from the perspective of the Confederacy, read Mary Chesnut. If you want to learn more about the ideal of the “Southern lady” (the white upper-class Southern lady on her pedestal), read Mary Chesnut. And if you just plain want to listen in on other people’s conversations, read Mary Chesnut. Should you read A Diary from Dixie or Mary Chesnut’s Civil War? Despite my quibbles with Woodward’s editing, I’d recommend reading his version. It’s full, lively, dynamic – and if you are a Civil War buff or a fan of Southern history, you’ll be in heaven! Stay tuned next week for another take on the Civil War, this one also from a woman’s perspective. Laird Hunt’s novel Neverhome features an Indiana woman who disguises herself as a soldier and fights for the Union Army. Listen now as I read Mary Boykin Chesnut’s diary entries from April 1861. These excerpts – which describe the beginning of the Civil War when the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina – are taken from Mary Chesnut’s Civil War (edited by C. Vann Woodward and published in 1981). --- April 12, 1861. Anderson will not capitulate. --- Yesterday was the merriest, maddest dinner we have had yet. Men were more audaciously wise and witty. We had an unspoken foreboding it was to be our last pleasant meeting. Mr. Miles dined with us today. Mrs. Henry King rushed in: “The news, I come for the latest news – all of the men of the King family are on the island” – of which fact she seemed proud. While she was here, our peace negotiator – or envoy – came in. That is, Mr. Chesnut returned – his interview with Colonel Anderson had been deeply interesting – but was not inclined to be communicative, wanted his dinner. Felt for Anderson. Had telegraphed to President Davis for instructions. What answer to give Anderson, etc. He has gone back to Fort Sumter, with additional instructions. When they were about to leave the wharf, A.H. Boykin sprang into the boat, in great excitement; thought himself ill-used. A likelihood of fighting – and he to be left behind! --- I do not pretend to go to sleep. How can I? If Anderson does not accept terms – at four – the orders are – he shall be fired upon. I count four – St. Michael chimes. I begin to hope. At half-past four, the heavy booming of a cannon. I sprang out of bed. And on my knees – prostrate – I prayed as I never prayed before. There was a sound of stir all over the house – pattering of feet in the corridor – all seemed hurrying one way. I put on my double gown and a shawl and went, too. It was to the housetop. The shells were bursting. In the dark I heard a man say “waste of ammunition.” I knew my husband was rowing about in a boat somewhere in that dark bay. And that the shells were roofing it over – bursting toward the fort. If Anderson was obstinate – he was to order the forts on our side to open fire. Certainly fire had begun. The regular roar of the cannon – there it was. And who could tell what each volley accomplished of death and destruction. The women were wild, there on the housetop. Prayers from the women and imprecations from the men, and then a shell would light up the scene. Tonight, they say, the forces are to attempt to land. The Harriet Lane had her wheelhouse smashed and put back to sea. --- We watched up there – everybody wondered. Fort Sumter did not fire a shot. --- Today Miles and Manning, colonels now – aides to Beauregard – dined with us. The latter hoped I would keep the peace. I give him only good words, for herwas to be under fire all day and night, in the bay carrying orders, etc. Last night – or this morning truly – up on the housetop I was so weak and weary I sat down on something that looked like a black stool. “Get up, you foolish woman – your dress is on fire,” cried a man. And he put me out. It was a chimney, and the sparks caught my clothes. Susan Preston and Mr. Venable then came up. But my fire had been extinguished before it broke out into a regular blaze. --- Do you know, after all that noise and our tears and prayers, nobody has been hurt. Sound and fury, signifying nothing. A delusion and a snare. Louisa Hamilton comes here now. This is a sort of news center. Jack Hamilton, her handsome young husband, has all the credit of a famous battery which is made of RR iron. Mr. Petigru calls it the boomerang because it throws the balls back the way they came – so Lou Hamilton tells us. She had no children during her first marriage. Hence the value of this lately achieved baby. To divert Louisa from the glories of “the battery,” of which she raves, we asked if the baby could talk yet. “No – not exactly – but he imitates the big gun. When he hears that, he claps his hands and cries ‘Boom boom.’” Her mind is distinctly occupied by three things – Lieutenant Hamilton, whom she calls Randolph, the baby, and “the big gun” – and it refuses to hold more. Pryor of Virginia spoke from the piazza of the Charleston Hotel. I asked what he said, irreverent woman. “Oh, they all say the same thing, but he made great play with that long hair of his, which is always tossing aside.” --- Somebody came in just now and reported Colonel Chesnut asleep on the sofa in General Beauregard’s room. After two such nights he must be so tired as to be able to sleep anywhere. --- Just bade farewell to Langdon Cheves. He is forced to go home, to leave this interesting place. Says he feels like the man who was not killed at Thermopylae. I think he said that unfortunate had to hang himself when he got home for very shame. Maybe fell on his sword, which was a strictly classic way of ending matters. --- I do not wonder at Louisa Hamilton’s baby. We hear nothing, can listen to nothing. Boom, boom, goes the cannon – all the time. The nervous strain is awful, alone in this darkened room. “Richmond and Washington ablaze,” say the papers. Blazing with excitement. Why not? To use these last days’ events seem frightfully great. We were all in that iron balcony. Women – men we only see at a distance now. Stark Means, marching under the piazza at the head of his regiment, held his cap in his hand all the time he was in sight. Mrs. Means leaning over, looking with tearful eyes. “Why did he take his hat off?” said an unknown creature. Mrs. Means stood straight up. “He did that in honor of his mother – he saw me.” She is a proud mother – and at the same time most unhappy. Her lovely daughter Emma is dying in there, before her eyes – consumption. At that moment I am sure Mrs. Means had a spasm of the heart. At least, she looked as I feel sometimes. She took my arm, and we came in. --- April 13, 1861. Nobody hurt, after all. How gay we were last night. Reaction after the dread of all the slaughter we thought those dreadful cannons were making such a noise in doing. Not even a battery the worse for wear. Fort Sumter has been on fire. He has not yet silenced any of our guns. So the aides – still with swords and red sashes by way of uniform – tell us. But the sound of those guns makes regular meals impossible. None of us go to table. But tea trays pervade the corridors, going everywhere. Some of the anxious hearts lie on their beds and moan in solitary misery. Mrs. Wigfall and I solace ourselves with tea in my room. These women have all a satisfying faith. “God is on our side,” they cry. When we are shut in, we (Mrs. Wigfall and I) ask, “Why?” We are told: “Of course He hates the Yankees.” “You’ll think that well of Him.” Not by one word or look can we detect any change in the demeanor of these negro servants. Laurence sits at our door, as sleepy and as respectful and as profoundly indifferent. So are they all. They carry it too far. You could not tell that they hear even the awful row that is going on in the bay, though it is dinning in their ears night and day. And people talk before them as if they were chairs and tables. And they make no sign. Are they stolidly stupid or wiser than we are, silent and strong, biding their time? So tea and toast come. Also came Colonel Manning, A.D.C. – red sash and sword – to announce that he has been under fire and didn’t mind. He said gaily, “It is one of those things – a fellow never knows how he will come out of it until he is tried. Now I know. I am a worthy descendant of my old Irish hero of an ancestor who held the British officer before him as a shield in the Revolution. And backed out of danger gracefully.” Everybody laughs at John Manning’s brag. We talked of St. Valentine’s Eve; or, The Maid of Perth and the drop of the white doe’s blood that sometimes spoiled all. The war steamers are still there, outside the bar. And there were people who thought the Charleston bar “no good” to Charleston. The bar is our silent partner, sleeping partner, and yet in this fray he is doing us yeoman service. April 15, 1861. I did not know that one could live such days of excitement. They called, “Come out – there is a crowd coming.” A mob indeed, but it was headed by Colonels Chesnut and Manning. The crowd was shouting and showing these two as messengers of good news. They were escorted to Beauregard’s headquarters. Fort Sumter had surrendered. Those up on the housetop shouted to us, “The fort is on fire.” That had been the story once or twice before. --- When we had calmed down, Colonel Chesnut, who had taken it all quietly enough – if anything, more unruffled than usual in his serenity – told us how the surrender came about. Wigfall was with them on Morris Island when he saw the fire in the fort, jumped in a little boat and, with his handkerchief as a white flag, rowed over to Fort Sumter. Wigfall went in through a porthole. When Colonel Chesnut arrived shortly after and was received by the regular entrance, Colonel Anderson told him he had need to pick his way warily, for it was all mined. As far as I can make out, the fort surrendered to Wigfall. But it is all confusion. Our flag is flying there. Fire engines have been sent to put out the fire. Everybody tells you half of something and then rushes off to tell something else or to hear the last news. Manning, Wigfall, John Preston, etc., men without limit, beset us at night. In the afternoon, Mrs. Preston, Mrs. Joe Heyward, and I drove round the Battery. We were in an open carriage. What a changed scene. The very liveliest crowd I think I ever saw. Everybody talking at once. All glasses still turned on the grim old fort. Saw William Gilmore Simms, and did not recognize him in his white beard. Trescot is here with his glasses on top of the house. --- Russell, the English reporter for the Times, was there. They took him everywhere. One man got up Thackeray, to converse with him on equal terms. Poor Russell was awfully bored, they say. He only wanted to see the forts, etc., and news that was suitable to make an interesting article. Thackeray was stale news over the water. --- Mrs. Frank Hampton and I went to see the camp of the Richland troops. South Carolina had volunteered to a boy. Professor Venable (The Mathematical) intends to raise a company from among them for the war, a permanent company. This is a grand frolic. No more. For the students, at least. Even the staid and severe-of-aspect Clingman is here. He says Virginia and North Carolina are arming to come to our rescue – for now U.S.A. will swoop down on us. Of that we may be sure. We have burned our ships – we are obliged to go on now. He calls us a poor little hot-headed, headlong, rash, and troublesome sister state. General McQueen is in a rage because we are to send troops to Virginia. There is a frightful yellow flag story. A distinguished potentate and militia power looked out upon the bloody field of battle, happening to stand always under the waving of the hospital flag. To his numerous other titles they now add Y.F. Preston Hampton in all the flush of his youth and beauty, his six feet in stature – and after all, only in his teens – appeared in lemon-colored kid gloves to grace the scene. The camp, in a fit of horseplay, seized him and rubbed them in the mud. He fought manfully but took it all naturally as a good joke. Mrs. Frank Hampton knows already what civil war means. Her brother was in the New York Seventh Regiment, so roughly received in Baltimore. Frank will be in the opposite camp. --- [No date.] Home again. In those last days of my stay in Charleston I did not find time to write a line. And so we took Fort Sumter. We – Mrs. Frank Hampton etc., in the passageway of the Mills House between the reception room and the drawing room. There we held a sofa against all comers. And indeed, all the agreeable people South seemed to have flocked to Charleston at the first gun. That was after we found out that bombarding did not kill anybody. Before that we wept and prayed – and took our tea in groups, in our rooms, away from the haunts of men. Captain Ingraham and his kind took it (Fort Sumter) from the battery with field glasses and figures made with three sticks in the sand to show what ought to be done. Wigfall, Chesnut, Miles, Manning, etc., took it, rowing about in the harbor in small boats, from fort to fort, under the enemies’ guns, bombs bursting in air, etc. And then the boys and men who worked those guns so faithfully at the forts. They took it, too – their way. Old Col. Beaufort Watts told me this story and many more of the jeunesse dorée under fire. They took it easily as they do most things. They had cotton-bag bombproofs at Fort Moultrie, and when Anderson’s shot knocked them about, someone called out, “Cotton is falling.” Down went the kitchen chimney, and loaves of bread flew out. They cheered gaily, “Breadstuffs are rising.” Willie Preston fired the shot which broke Anderson’s flagstaff. Mrs. Hampton, from Columbia, telegraphed him, “Well done, Willie!” She is his grandmother, the wife or widow of General Hampton of the Revolution, and the mildest, sweetest, gentlest of old ladies. It shows how the war is waking us all up.