Charleston South Carolina

When I was invited to attend a conference regarding internet marketing at The Citadel, all I could think of was the heat and humidity.

I pondered the amount of time I would likely spend indoors, or in an air conditioned car, and what a sweaty dash from car to building would feel like. Wow! Was I ever pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what a splendid experience it would be to visit Charleston, even in the heat.

I got into town very late on a Wednesday evening and, even though I had a g.p.s., quickly got lost. Since I've always been good with maps and directions, I'm still new to the transition to g.p.s. technology. I was tired and got into one of those situations, when the road I was on included the designation "south," when I thought I should be going north, so I gambled on an uncharted turn.

I had amazingly good luck, even though it will sound bad at first. It was around midnight and I was headed away from my hotel. Yet I was greeted by something completely out of the ordinary, the Cooper River Bridge. It was glorious, even in the middle of the night. It felt as if I were a visitor on some far off planet, an alien in a spatial paradise. As I approached the piers, I revelled in their uniqueness, yet they were symmetrical and gave me a sense of order. Then, as I looked up at them, while passing underneath, I felt as though I were part of the intricate system of cables and pulleys.

I took the first exit past the bridge, figured out how to make a 180 degree switch, trusted my g.p.s. this time and went straight to the hotel—enriched!

I found my classes were at the Citadel inspiring. Having been in the U.S. Air Force, and visited many military installations of all denominations, I was expecting something rather mundane. But, from the moment I was greeted by the guard at the front gate, until I left, better informed, several days later, I was struck by the demeanor, bearing and, most of all, enthusiasm of the cadets.

I was also privileged to have among my fellow students, a Charleston resident, who was obviously in love with the culture and heritage of the region. Her former fiancé was a Citadel graduate, who served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and died in action. She turned out to be a fountain of information, underscoring the charm of the area, as well as the best way to imbibe as much culture, history and ambiance as possible in a very short amount of time.

I’ll start with what has made the greatest and most lasting impression on me, visiting Fort Sumter. On my last partial day there (I had scheduled my outbound flight in the late afternoon), I hurriedly drove to Charleston from Savannah, where I had taken a side trip. I couldn’t believe what a tiny speck it was from the shoreline, but was told by a local, whose kids were climbing on one of the war memorials in Waterfront Park, that it was well worth the time and trouble to get there.

So, with my g.p.s., still out of control, which caused me to miss breakfast, I made it to the docks fifteen minutes before the only ferry I could catch and still meet my plane. As the ferry proceeded out into the harbor, aside from being hungry, I was taken by the beauty of the Charleston skyline, the church steeples, the quietude of the place, the gentrification, the Cooper River Bridge in daylight and the vast size of the bay in relation to Fort Sumter.

The temperature was moderately warm, around 80 degrees and very humid. Yet, it was pleasant in the face of the sea breeze. As the ferry neared Fort Sumter, I was taken by how small the island was on which it resided. It had been built of limestone, hauled down from New England and placed on top of a sand bar.

There was a U.S. National Park Service ranger on the boat, who began our historical tour there, and continued it inside the fort. He was African American. I note this, because his description of events seemed to be presented in a light most favorable to the Confederacy, which surprised me, relative to what I would have expected. But, then again, I am not familiar with the ways of South Carolina.

When I called home to tell my wife how polite the people all were in both South Carolina and Georgia, she reminded me and we mused about the incongruity that these are people from the same population who’ve been known to drag black people from the bumpers of their cars or trucks, hardly a hospitable gesture.

We were told that only eighty-five Union Army troops occupied the fort at the time the Civil War began and that they had only held that position for a few days before the opening volley of canon fire, which began the conflict that lasted four years and took more American lives than all of our other wars, combined. He said, “There were a series of forts along the eastern seaboard that the troops could have defended, but they chose this one because Major Robert Anderson thought it was the most likely to be defensible.”

What I had never heard before was that on January 9, 1861, over three months before the Confederacy fired upon the troops at Fort Sumter on April 12^th the troops from the Citadel fired upon the Star of the West, a British supply ship bound for the fort. But for the fact that the ship didn’t fire back, this would have marked the beginning of the war.

The Confederate canons fired on the fort for thirty-three consecutive hours with the result, per the National Park Ranger, being a stalemate. No one was killed, but the war had begun. Only salt pork was available to the Union troops—and here’s where the credibility of the ranger’s account comes into question for me. He said they were offered food by those who had placed the fort under siege, but had refused it.

After this standoff, a surrender of the fort was again demanded and refused. This time, when the South reloaded, they superheated their cannonballs in brick ovens and fired them into the fort, where the troops’ gunpowder was stored in the officer’s quarters. This time the powder blew up and the barracks caught fire, due to its wooden floors. Soon, the Union surrendered the fort, which was not to be retaken in spite of relentless efforts (seven million tons of ordinance were fired on the fort during the course of the war), until after General Sherman cut off the South’s supply routes, near the end of the war.

I have added all of this history, because being there, seeing it, and hearing about it, all at once is an experience that no textbook, or historical account can match. It was such a tiny place, relative to the landscape. And, the canons, which fired on the fort did so from two miles away. They were tiny canons—no more than eight or ten feet long--not the bigger ones that one associates with being capable of such an assault.

Upon returning to the harbor, I was able to board the USS York, an aircraft carrier, which completed service after WW II and board and tour a submarine, reminding me that Charleston Harbor is a sprawling naval enclave.

Before catching my plane, I had time to visit Hyman’s Restaurant on Meeting Street, the main drag in Charleston. I had steamed peanuts, which I was assured were an acquired taste, collard greens, a flounder, which took up the whole plate and sweet potatoes. I had found the restaurant by looking to see where the largest crowd was each night and ate there three times, figuring that I have not had that much flounder before in my life, nor will I ever likely be so fortunate again. It was fried, but not boned with lots of meat, the specialty of the house, there and in several other places in the area.

Another “don’t miss,” spot is Waterfront Park, located near the downtown area, close to the US Customs House, built in 1853, before South Carolina seceded from the Union. The downtown area is replete with historic buildings, such as the Confederate Museum, St. Phillip’s Church, St. Michael’s Church and the Old Powder Magazine. It was a pleasure to park in the St. Phillip’s Church parking lot and know that I was contributing to its preservation.

Finally, no visit would be complete without a trip to River Street Sweets for some of their famous Bear Claws, or pralines. I can smell and taste them right now, because I've frequently ordered and reordered them since my visit.

But, what I remember most of all is tossing about in the waves, feeling the sea breeze against me in the warm, humid sunshine of early afternoon, eagerly anticipating my own personal assault on Fort Sumter with the quaint, steepled city of Charleston, wrapping its arms around the bay, thereby framing a most picturesque, idyllic and inviting Southern setting.

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