Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-03-04
CHARLESTON, s. O., As TITS.

The Boston Journal has a letter from
Charleston, S. c., thai, gives rather sad pic
ture Of that venerable city that ought to be
one Of the most hourishing in the South.
We copy also from the same letter the SER
geants story of the attack on Sumpter
fla New England man was landed in a
Spanish or Portuguese city, he would hardl Y
see place less resembling his home than
this, or more novelty. 1t is queer old burgh,
and very dingy looking, there appearing TO be
q natural horror of paint. Some of the build
ings, indeed, are so rusty that they could
hardly have had a coat since Noah waa a little
boy. Tiled roofs are quite plentiful. There
are large proportion Of wooden buildings,
and most Of the houses have shutters on the
lower stories and blinds above. One feature
is the inevitable piazza at each story, no mat
ter how lofty the building, generally on the
SIDE of the house. There are hundreds of
! residences that would suggest castle Or pub
lie building, with high brick wall surround
ing about an acre or two OF ground, and the
two. story brick negro quarters AT the rear OF
the great house, inside the inclosure. Ia the
palmy days of slavery it would not be consid-
cred the thing to allow slaves to sleep in the
same house with their owners.
In no city that have ever seen, and / have
travelled far and wide over the world, have |
ever beheld so many Of these palatial and ex-
elusive residences. Like all the rest of the
buildings, they are, however, destitute of new
paint and sadly out OF repair, the mas:ic,
which is quite general for coating, being
badly battered. Many of the owners are glad
to let them at almost ony price, like the own
ers Of the old palaces in some cities of the
Old World. Poverty has fallen heavily upon
| "a
condition the sidewalks are made of fac.
stones in portion of the place, and oyster
shells in another. Many OF the streets are
planked. The gardens are very handsome,
great attention being paid 10 the ornamental
thinning and training of shrubbery. In the
garden of the "King Mansion" one of the
grand houses of which | have spoken In
which am now writing, Is q japonca tree
eight feet high, the red flowers nearly b!oonlqd
| out.
eyes, sir, said the Sergeant, Al was down
there at Sumter when il was bombarded, and
lively time it was, though we were not
much scared. We had always been on pleas
ant terms with the people about here, and
never had harsh word; but it was plain To
be seen that they were getting ready to fight
Us for all that. They were building forts and
practinng gunnery from them for weeks be-
fore they turned their guns on us. Major
Anderson felt very badly about these prepa-
rations, and have seen him almost crying,
for he knew well the trouble and terrible loss
that these people were bringing upon them
selves. He sail at the first what the result
Of their action would be. When the Star Of
the West was fired upon, his officers, Capt
Doubleday, ei company L, and Brevet Capt.
Seymour, of our company, and others, were
anxious to open fire upon Fort Cummings,
that threw the shot, and almost insisted, BUT
the Major sternly forbade it, They had been
teasing HIM before TO fire upon the men who
were building the forts and batteries, and stop
the work.
Had we received the supplies of the Star we