This day in Charleston

January 6

2 entries · 1864

1864The siege

A columbiad comes off Sumter in the dark

Stormy and hazy; Battery Simkins was the only work in action, throwing two 10-inch mortar shells at a party near Battery Gregg. The 8-inch columbiad that had been waiting several days for shipment was brought away from Fort Sumter overnight, and a hundred Georgians relieved the garrison detail — the ruined fort was resupplied and rotated entirely by boat, after dark.

Journal of Operations in Charleston Harbor, OR I, 35, Pt. 1

1864The lines

A line of signal towers on Folly Island

The Federal engineer on Folly Island reported on the line of signal towers running from department headquarters across the islands. Charleston’s siege was fought by flag and torch as much as by gun: both sides read each other’s signals, and both knew it.

Official Records, Series I, Vol. 28, Pt. 2

Entries are dated from the War of the Rebellion official records, the naval official records and contemporary Charleston sources. Browse the whole year.