East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-07-19
Appearance of Charleston.


y Correspondence Of the N. Y. World.
z Charleston is at present cut off from
the rest of the State, as the only line
of railroad leading out of the oity---
the South Carolina road-runs to
Branchville and Orangeburg, both are
considerable places, where they are
abruptly ended by the fact that there
is graded path, but neither the ap-
pearance Of rails nor cross-ties. The
only communication with Columbia is
by one Of the poorest swamp-roads in
the world, and the only vehicles and
draught animals such as were abso-
lutely too poor for Sherman to drive
off. The distance, 45 miles, may be
accomplished in two days, however
Char eston, with its antiquated, bat
tered, specked, and decayed-looking
houses, is without parallel or compar-
ison. 1t has no one thing to recon-
mend it, unless it be its magnificent
harbor. There it is, however, with
its teeming population of blacks, its
narrow, dingy streets, its tuInble-down
warehouses, its alleys and courts, its
'sombre shade-trees, its abundance Of
churches, banks and Public buildings,
now in the last stages of dilapidation.
Its battery promenade is feature, but
the gay promenaders who were wont
to throng its walks are missing
Green mounds Of forts curtail its pro-
portions, and black throats of cannon
disfgure its peaceful aspect. Charles
ton is a wreck of ruins-wide, gaping
holes in wall and roof and cornice
everywhere. The core Of the city is
burnt out, its grotesque Egyptian
architecture looking more like the
tomb of the first Rameses than an
American, mart. It's swarthy popula-
ton, with their mixture of Congo and
English, all serve to produce upon the
stranger the impression of morbid
growth in the very gates of the CONT
nent.
Charleston was onco busy mart.
Foreign ships no longer throng its
worm eaten wharves; its stores are
vacant, or occupied by few Jews and
suffers; its wealthier inhabitants are
fled. Strange voices are heard in the
parlors where once the eye of beauty
inspired the voice of melody. The
wines which were won't to flow at the
successful trip of blockade-runner
now gurgle at the command of new
owners. The amount of property con-
fiscated in Charleston will not be
known Black guards patrol the town.
The whites who remain make only an
appearances of poverty.
The men of wealth who remain are
much troubled to keep what they have.
The blockade-runners who were most
successful were Wagner, Bee, and
Silcox, but in fact, nearly everybody
who had any funds to spare invested
in blockade-running stock. The fuc-
tuations incident to such shares were
so great as to lead many. widows and
others to put in their little store in
hopes of getting an income. They
have lost all; nor are the larger own
ers better of. Charleston was de-
Tended, with unusual engineering skill
and bravery. AT the rear was heavy
line of earthworks extending from tho
Ashley to the Cooper rivers. In front
of IT moat. But the true land de-
fenses of Charleston are the seventy
five miles of swamps and jungles
! which stretch back into the country.
1t was thus that General Sherman
had to flank it at such an enormous
! distance. trs,j. ,bnu
Towards the sea its defesses are
formidable, and one can the more
readily understand why our navy
could not have entered without serious
loss. This siege will be valuable,to
the nation as a lesson in the art of
coast defense, The accumulation of
sand forts, piles torpedoes, and heavy
guns, is a match for the navies of the
world. Beauregard, who generally
gets the credit for the skillful erection
of thase works, was not their author;
Ia couple, of French engineers planned
and executed ! the most important
works. The courage and fortitude Of
the Carolinians in holding on to some
of them is truly wonderful.
We visited Forts Johnson, Bee
and; Wagner, and the Morris Island
batteries. The green grass is growing
over these mounds, as if to hide the
features of war; the rain, the winds,
the waves, are pulling them down,
grain by grain, as if to efface the
traces Of the struggle. Soon the scars
of this generation will have to DO
sought out by the next sD