Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1913-01-15
'The Defenders of Charleston"

"Ehe Defenders of Charleston"
The history of any nation is
largely the history of its great men,
its leaders in thought aud action.
ESPECIALLY is this true Of Edgeield,
for her history has been made en-
tirely by her own brave men. Edge
field County may justly claim a con-
splcuous place in all IF the great
struggles that have involved the
country since it has been establish
edaasla county, by the number and
bravery of the soldiers she has sent
lo4he front, and for the heroism of
our urRom.n that sustained them at
home III that sad struggle between
the States from the borders of
Edgeield county, a large number
of opipanies went to the front in
defe,s ,se Of The principles they be.
be a;s, g
Tne subjectsof this sketch is
''The defenders of Charleston," c and
it is with a feeling of plide that 1
write, that the defenders of Char
lesion in the sixties were 10 a large
extent E,igefeld county men. 1t is
not my purpose in this article to
give ALI account of the battles out
side of this state, even of these in
which our troops participated, for
time and space will not permit. l
will only state here, that the volun-
teersifrom Edgeteld were mostly
embodied in the nineteenth and
seventh regiments. Those in the
nineteenth went west, and were in
all the campaigns and battles in
Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and
Mississippi, and those who endured
were with Johnston at the final sur
render. The seventh was sent early
in the war TO Virginia, and shared
with the dauntless Lee, tue gIories
and disasters that befeIl him from
Bull Run to the falling Of the cur
tain at Appomattox.
Charles on, being then the lar
eest ea-port town in South Caroli-
na. with full bay open to the lar.
gest steamers, and in close touch in
commercial way with the largest
countries of the world, was necessa-
rily much desired port to be TAX
en-. The union troops realized this
and from the beginning it was evi
dent that they would bend every
effort to capture the city. On the
l9th of April President Lincoln
issued proclamation blorkading
the whole southern coast from
South Carolina to Texas and they
felt assured that with Charleston
we'll in hand, they could land troops
and supplies as needed. IL only re-
manned TO be shown that the city by
the sea was not To be as easily cap.
tured as was supposed, for history
will agree wit" me that the fights
about Charleslon Earbor are among
the no.t remarkable Of all time. All
eyes were now turned on Sumter,
and from the booming of the first
gun, there was a tremendous out
burst of patriotic feeling over the
entire south. The defense of Fort
Sumter stands in the first rank
among the great siegcs of history,
and must have a place along with
the defense ~ Gibraltar and Sevasto-
pal. Alfred Rhett, was the immortal
co.nlnandcr vf this port and the
credit IL due 10 his courage, and the
value of the men who manned his
batteries.
The Confederate government sent
Gen. Beauregsrd 10 assume charge
of the defense in Charleston har Dor,
and be also had in his command
troops from Georgia and Florida.
These were under Gen. Johnson
Hugood, and it Mas III Honey ill