The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-18
WAR TINES IN CHARLESTON.
Where the First Shells from Gilmore's
Swamp Angels Fell.

On the first night that shells were
thrown into the City of Charleston by
the Federals on Morris Island from
the 'sSwamp Angels" that falling iu
King street near Queen street IVES the
first. A second struck a house in
Queen street, nearly opposite Phila-
delphia street passing through the
rooms in the rear of the building anu
demolishing the mosquito bar on ore
of the girls bed. This no doubt
spurred her to arise and get dowr
stairs with greater alacrity than if her
mother had simply informed her that
ssbreakfast is ready" for when Ireach-
ed the spot the room was vacant and
awfully demoralized. Another she'll
followed and exploded in the vicinity
of Broad and State streets, breaking
by conclusion the glass door in the
Bank of Charleston. A gentleman
standing near remarked in my hearing
that he did not care Colonial Dame
or words to that effect-about the
shelling OF the city, he only hated to
have that expensive door destroyed.
Nv quarters were in the Commercial
Hotel, on the northeast corner of
Church and Queen streets-now The
St. Phillips Church Homeland for
obvious reasons my concern now CEN
tered on-the proximity, not on the
number of shells that fell--here my
counting their number ceased.
It WIS said that the late VIM. Curtis
Noyes, the prominent New York law
yer and ardent Unionist in our late
family jar, remarked in public speech
denunciatory of South Cardinals in
itiatory activity in the matter OF seces-
sion that the time would come when
corn would be grown in the streets of
Charleston, meaning that it I'D
lose its commercial and political fes-
tige, and it's site untitled for an ther
use than corn field.
The seige and bombardment of Char
lesion by the Federal forces almost
made this political prediction material
reality, for I have picked tomatoes
from bushes growing wild in Market
street, gathered fruit off plum trees of
voluntary growth iu the new Custom
House yard, walked through dog fennei
growing as high as mans head IN
State street and MIXED COWS roaming
at large in East Bay street. Few houses
were occupied in the lower part OF the
city, and in walking through to edown-
town streets, lodging exploding shells
and viewing the dissolution, the poets
lines came to mind:
"Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn,
Thy SPORTS are fed and all thy charms Will
Amidst thy bowers the tyrant's hand is seen,
And desolation saddens all thy green
These experiences, along with others
personally and intensely uncomforta-
BILE, lead me to conclude that war and
material prosperity ere not twin broth
ers, and have almost determined to
retire to our back yard with the first
man that suggests war as a remedy for
political differences and have little
private war with him.
Common salt, ordinarily considered
the cheapest commodity of commerce.
and yet one of the most important that
enters into everyday life, was in the
South, during the late war, an article
most difficult to obtain. The usual
source of supply being cut off it had to
be manufactured from the sea water.
Farmers from the interior came in
horse carts and wagons to the seacoast,
bringing with them pots and pans
wherein to boil the salt water of the
Atlantic Ocean. Reaching suitable
place fires were built and the pots filled
with sea water, and at the different
stages of evaporation, it was transferred
from pot to panuntil at last it became
crystallized salt. This necessity for salt
created quite an industry along the At
lantic coast, particularly on the sounds
of North Carolina, for beside the farm
ers who came literally ''to earn their
own salt" a number of enterprising
people engaged in its regular manufac-
ture and shipment to the several mar
kets. Two dollars bushel at the fac
tory was not considered an excessive
price. W. J. Balentine, III Charleston
News and Courier.