SOUTH CAROLINA. 



711 



city, and but a mile from it, is Castle Pinek- 

 ney, covering the crest of a mud-shoal, and 

 facing the entrance. A little south of Pinck- 

 ney is Fort Kipley, a small square work, built 

 in 1862. On the south side" of the harbor, 

 about one and a quarter mile from the city, 

 are the ruins of Fort Johnson. The outer 

 harbor, lying within the bar, extends from 

 Sullivan's Island to the south channel, below 

 the light-house, a distance of six miles. The 

 bar consists of successive ranges of sand-banks, 

 which stretch away before the entrance for 

 several leagues ; and, as these ranges consist in 

 part of quicksand, they are liable, from storms 

 and undercurrents, to occasional change of 

 locality, greatly increasing the difficulty of 

 pilotage. Between these successive ranges of 

 sand are formed several channels of varying 

 depths of water. There are four of these chan- 

 nels : the ship-channel, with 16 feet of water 

 at ebb ; the small or middle channel, with 14 



feet; Lawford's or the south channel, with 10 

 feet ; and Maffit's, close to the shores of Sulli- 

 van's Island. The ship-channel is eleven and 

 a half miles from the city ; the middle, seven 

 and a half, while that of Maffit is still nearer. 

 The lighthouse at the entrance of Charleston 

 harbor is on Light-house Island, and west of 

 the ship-channel, latitude 82 41' 55" north, 

 longitude, 79 52' 29" west. The tower is of 

 brick, 110 feet high; the light is at an eleva- 

 tion of 133 feet above the sea. It may be seen 

 at a distance, in good weather, of twenty 

 nautical miles. The beacon in front of the 

 main light is visible at a distance of ten nauti- 

 cal miles. The height of the light above the 

 sea-level is fifty feet. There are beacons also 

 on Morris and Sullivan's Islands, at Fort Sum- 

 ter, Castle Pinckney, Mount Pleasant, and on 

 the battery at White Point, all within the har- 

 bor. From the entrance of the middle chan- 

 nel, a full view of the city is obtained, guided 



CITY OF CHARLESTON, S. C. 



by the spire of St. Michael's Church, which 

 bears from this point about north, 63" west. 

 The surrounding country is noted for the pict- 

 uresque character of its scenery. Rice and 

 cotton fields, oaks, magnolias, myrtles, and 

 jasmines, abound in profusion. On Sullivan's 

 Island are many cottages owned by the wealthy 

 citizens of Charleston and vicinity, and occu- 

 pied by them during the summer. The mean 

 annual temperature at Charleston is about 65. 

 The population in 1800 was 18,711; 1810, 24,- 

 711; 1820, 24,780; 1830, 30,289; 1840, 29,- 

 261; 1850, 42,985; 1860, 40,915, of whom 

 17,146 were colored; 1870, 48,956, of whom 

 22,749 were colored. Only 4,892 of the total 

 population in 1871 were foreigners. The city 

 covers a large extent of territory. The dwell- 

 ings are generally isolated, having large open 

 i r n>'indn on every side. The city is laid out 

 with tolerable regularity ; the streets, with few 

 exceptions, crossing at right angles. The 

 houses are mostly of brick or wood. There 

 are few regulnr blocks or rows of buildings, 

 and no regularity; but what is lost in this re- 

 spect is gained in variety, and with fine gar- 

 dens, open plats of shrubbery, shade and fruit 



trees, creepers, vines, the magnolia, the oak, 

 the cedar, and the pride of India, girding the 

 white dwellings and the green verandas, the 

 effect is highly picturesque. The battery is a 

 popular promenade, lying near the water's 

 edge, and commanding an extensive view of 

 the bay ; it is surrounded by fine private resi- 

 dences. 



Upon the surrender of Columbia, the State 

 capital, to General Sherman, February 17, 

 1865, Charleston was evacuated by the Con- 

 federate forces, all the public buildings, stores, 

 cotton warehouses, shipping, etc., having been 

 fired by order of General Hardee, who was in 

 command of the city. On the 18th Charleston 

 was occupied by the Federal troops, who ex- 

 erted themselves to extinguish the flames. 

 During the war many buildings were destroyed, 

 and the towers and steeples of churches rid- 

 dled with shot and shell. Business and trade 

 were paralyzed. Since its close rapid progress 

 has been made in the work of rebuilding, and 

 in every department of trade and industry. 

 In 1872, $473,800 was spent for new buildings 

 and repairs in the city, besides $177,509 for 

 similar purposes on Sullivan's Island. 



