January 19 is the birthday of National Unity Leader Robert E. Lee

       Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary, recently removed

 April 9, 1865 was a sad day for the 28,000 strong  Army of Northern Virginia. It was the day that marked the end of the long struggle by southern states for independence. General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to General Grant at Appomattox. Grant’s terms were generous, allowing the men to go home and carry their personal property. Officers were even allowed to keep their swords. Grant wanted to strike a tone of reconciliation. As the surrender was announced, his men commenced firing a salute of a hundred guns in honor of the victory.

 Quoting Grant “. I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped. The Confederates were now our prisoners, and we did not want to exult over their downfall. “

 General Robert E Lee announced the terms of surrender to his vanquished troops. Among his final orders he declared:

 “Let us furl the banner, never to unfurl it again”

 Robert E Lee became a symbol of national reconciliation. The leader of a Confederate army earned respect and admiration both north and south. Because Robert E Lee was such a great man, and because he set the tone for reconciliation after the War, he was lionized, and rightly so, by vanquished southerners. He aimed to set the tone for healing the wounds of a war torn nation. Shortly after the War he became president of Washington College, later Washington and Lee University. The day he was sworn in as college President, he took an oath to “henceforth” support the U.S. Constitution, his recommendation to all former Confederates. 

At his funeral in 1870, no flags of the Confederacy were displayed.. Lee did not want such divisive symbols following him to the grave. Former Confederate soldiers marching did not don their old military uniforms, and neither did the body they buried. The flag was folded up and put away, making occasional appearances at funerals and later, Veteran’s reunions.

As for the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, it has been a symbol of heritage to some, a symbol of  terrorism to others. The young man that killed the nine martyrs at Mother Emanuel AME Church in June 2015 wrapped himself in that flag, and so now the flag has been furled, never to fly again, at least not on Public property..
General Robert E Lee would be pleased.

February is Black History Month : Identifying the ironwork of Peter Simmons

Peter Simmons (1856 - 1957) was a blacksmith and the mentor to Phillip Simmons, the famous African American  blacksmith who was commissioned to forge beautiful ornamental ironwork that graces  the driveways, balconies  and garden entrances in downtown Charleston and throughout the Lowcountry. It is estimated that a full 60% of surving ornamental iron work in Charleston is attributed to him over his 65 year career, But many ofd those attributions are incorrect, as they are the work of his mentor, Peter Simmons, whose commissions, up to now, have been  unhdocumented. .  

I am a believer that when it comes to history, the absence of evidence is not necessarily the evidence of absence. Consider that gentlemen in the Age of Letters oftentimes instructed estate executors to burn their correspondence. The idea that a google search will provide the definitive answer –end of discussion—is a flawed approach. I contend that just because it can be found  on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s the last word, or the only word, on a topic..

To paraphrase Paul Harvey, there’s always the rest of the story.

Such is the story of Peter Simmons. As many of you know, Peter Simmons was mentor for famous Charleston blacksmith Phillip Simmons. The literature tells us that Phillip Simmons trained in his blacksmith shop at 37 Calhoun Street starting at about age 13. One would think from the literature that Peter Simmons was engaged in a utilitarian trade, fixing wagon wheels, spokes etcetera. There is no mention that  he took commissions for ornamental work., yet his apprentice Phillip Simmons is famous for his ornamental work. Ah, the absence of evidence….

The idea that Peter Simmons taught Phillip Simmons the magic of turning iron into artwork is a logical conclusion. After all, was Phillip Simmons so innately talented that he taught himself? Some would have you think so, but now the evidence has emerged confirming speculation that he learned his ornamental skills from his old mentor.

Here we have a gate, photo provided by  Phillip Simmons to the Old Slave Mart Museum, ornamental ironwork directly attributable to Peter Simmons. 

The Old Slave Mart Collection, gathered and curated  by Miriam Wilson in the first part of the 20^th century, included ornamental wrought iron donated by Phillip Simmons in 1967. In the 1980s the collection sold for $12,000 to a black gentleman in Walterboro who sold off a substantial parts of the collection at auction, including Peter Simmon’s ironwork, in 2018.  I went to the auction to document his work, and attached are those photographs. Peter Simmon’s ironwork was purchased by the Smithsonian Museum.

Peter Simmons Ironwork

One design element unique to Peter Simmons is the stamen and frond design as  seen in the second piece to right.This design can be found on a number of properties around town including the garden wall at the Colonel John Stuart House at 106 Tradd Street and the driveway gate at  36 Meeting Street, a gate executed by Phillip Simmons using fine  hanmmered husk work created by his mentor Peter Simmons> Note also the twirled or twisted iron bar design taken up by Peter Simmons.

 

The Six Mile House - A Spooky Story For Halloween!

Its Halloween and its time for Spooky Stories! Charleston Old Walled City Tours has launched our 

Spectral Adventure Charleston Ghost Tour and ytou can purchase it at the website. The public Tour is offered nightly at 8 PM for 28.50 for adults and 11"50 for kids. Buy at the website nad  use the code for a discount. You can also make it a private tour, just you and your homies, for $200 at the website, with aflexible start time. So here's an old chestnut, one of many in my repertoirem and IU hope ypu will come out and join us for spooky fun! And the picture? That is me telling a story with orbs circling my head!

Go here www.walledcitytours.com/

enter code CGT25

See ya on the streets!

                                        The Story of the Six Mile House

The story that I tell today is one of Charleston’s oldest and most colorful legends, a legend used to terrify tiny Charlestonians for generations, Indeed, I was but 6 years old when my father told me the story of  Charleston’s favorite serial killers, John and Lavinia Fisher.  

  But to properly tell the tale, I first need to reference Charleston’s most haunted structure. It sits on a notorious site. First, it was the site a paupers graveyard, but in 1772 they built a gunpowder storage facility, a powder magazine, on the site . Eight years later, in May of 1780, when the Patriots surrendered to the British, terms of parole demanded that they surrender their firearms and gunpowder at the Magazine. It seems that someone dropped their pipe! The magazine went up with a huge explosion that liquidated 29 men and sent body parts flying across town. They claimed that the imprint of a body was left in the steeple at the Unitarian church! 

No, the building I speak of was built in 1803 on that very site. It stands today as a tall, gaunt, crumbling Gothic castle. We know it as the old County Jail on Magazine St. Without a doubt it is Charleston’s most haunted structure. Through its years of service from 1803 to 1937 there were 35,000 registered deaths in that building. No small wonder then that it is claimed as Charleston’s most haunted structure. Fittingly, it also holds Charleston’s most terrifying specter; a floating ghost in white that haunts the long vaulted hallways… But I digress, back to John and Lavinia Fisher.

The Fishers were innkeepers, the name of their inn was the Six Mile House, located some 6 miles up Meeting Street Road. The year was 1819, and 6 miles up Meeting Street was pretty far out of town.  You might say that the Fishers were running a country Inn. Today, when we think of a country inn we think of fresh flowers and mints on the pillows. But in the old days a country inn was called a roadhouse, and a roadhouse typically had 2 rooms. The ladies slept in one room, the gentleman in the other, and the beds---the beds slept 3 each! I guess they had different expectations of privacy back in 1819.

But John and Lavinia Fisher were ahead of their time. You see, on the first floor of the Six Mile House  the Fishers had a private room with a single bed reserved for wealthy guests traveling alone, and traveling alone was the operative term.  Those wealthy guests got the very best the Fishers had to offer… the best food, the best drink... And at bedtime they got a very special nightcap which put them to sleep…a sleep from which they never awoke! A poison draft so to speak..... And the bed, they claim that even the bed was special, that is, if you can believe the old tales, they claim that the bed was really a platform, and the platform had a latch. They would lift the latch and spin it. The bodies would drop to a quick lime pit beneath the house! No muss, no fuss, no evidence!

Over a period of 14 months, a dozen wealthy lonely travelers disappeared from the neighborhood of the Six Mile House and, finally, stolen goods belonging to two of those gentlemen were traced directly back to John and Lavinia Fisher, who, at that point, found themselves with a new address, and that address was the old County jail on Magazine Street.

The good people of Charleston did not want to convict Lavinia Fisher of murder. She was, after all, a married woman. In the social expectations of the time it was assumed that a good wife would never commit murder,  unless, that is, coerced by her husband! But Lavinia Fisher gave them no choice; she showed no sorrow, she showed no remorse for her actions. Lavinia Fisher boasted of her exploits from the witness stand! Indeed, Lavinia Fisher was convicted of murder. Her sentence was to hang by the neck until dead.

To give you an idea just how difficult she made it on the community, one of her requests for her execution date was the she be allowed to wear her wedding dress. Because, to quote Lavinia Fisher,

“I shall be Satan’s favorite new bride in Hell!”

And so, Lavinia Fisher's execution date arrives. The community has an answer to the scandal of executing a married woman. You see, they hang husband John first. That made Lavinia a widow! So now they could proceed with Lavinia Fisher's execution, without stain of scandal! 

The minister leads her to the gallows, he leads her with prayer. As she mounts the platform the minister turns to Lavinia, he pleads,

 “Sister Lavinia, wilt thou repent!?!”

 Her answer to the minister, and to the silenced witnesses?

“If you've got a message for the devil, give it to me now, I'll carry it.”

 At that, witnessed by the horrified crowd, Lavinia Fisher , with the rope around her neck, pulls the lever, the trap drops and Lavinia Fisher hangs herself. ..

But here in Charleston, we don't believe that Lavinia Fisher ever met the devil. You see Lavinia Fisher is Charleston’s most terrifying specter. It is she who haunts the long vaulted hallways of the old County Jail where she appears as a floating specter in a white dress. And for those unfortunates who meet Lavinia , she rushes forward at them down the hallways, screeching and pulling her hair. Why, Lavinia Fisher turns her neck sideways, to show the rope burns.

CHARLESTON PRIVATE TOUR GUIDES

 

Engage a Private Tour to suit your schedule and interests with the best  guides in Charleston! Tours can be arranged for the city only, or a “Town and Country” Driving Tour can take you to the Gardens and beyond!  In addition to our general history walks, The Charleston Gardens and Architecture Tour,  The Charleston Ghost Tour, and the Slavery and Freedom Tour  are great theme tours for church and  school groups, family reunions, wedding guests and corporate retreats.  Our seasoned guides can accommodate your Private Tour group of up to 20. We can  also  accommodate larger groups of 200 with the best guides in Charleston! Call for details at (843) 343-4851

Charleston Old Walled City Tours

www.walledcitytours.com

 Unveiling  Lowcountry Charm: Embark on a Charleston Private Tour!

Old Walled City Tours invites you to engage a Charleston priivate tour that providing travelers an

 experience withthe authentic southern charm that defines the Carolina Lowcountry. 

Charleston, South Carolina is a charming city that has captured the hearts of tourists from

around the globe, and offers a myriad of experiences for visitors to enjoy. A Charleston

Private tour provides the opportunity to explore and understand the historic, cultural,

and natural beauty of this iconic city with a skilled expert in your topics or  areas of interest. Your

 pivate tour guide will tailor your Charleston experience to your unique interests. Walking the

 cobblestone streets, its hard not to feel transported back in time, surrounded by antebellum mansions

 and centuries-old live oaks draped in Spanish moss. For history enthusiasts wanting to delve deeper

 into Charleston's storied past, a private tlour guide can emphasize  Civil War landmarks,

architectural gems, garden elements and monumental churches to paint a vivid picture of the city's

 historical landscape. Spoleto Festival USA has been bringing international culture hounds to

 Charleston Since 1979. Music, Dance, Theater, and Visual Arts run from 9 AM to 11 PM for two full

 weeks in  May and June. Spoleto USA 2024

Besides the  history, the city's contemporary  vibrant art scene and culinary prowess garner

 worldwide accolades. Your Charleston Private Tour Guide  can offer customized

itineraries highlighting the best of the city's galleries, theaters, and award-winning

restaurants. For foodies, a food-centric tour of Charleston exposes visitors to the creative

fusion of Southern and international flavors, showcasing the ingenuity and passion of the

city's celebrated chefs. 

For nature lovers, the Lowcountry's lush landscape offers unparalleled opportunities for bird-watching,

 fishing, and kayaking. Guided tours of the areas natural gems, such as expansive marshlands or

picturesque coastal views, enable visitors to explore and immerse themselves in the region's

breathtaking wilderness. I recently discovered the Donnelly Wildlife Management Area , about 30 miles

 south of Charleston. Awesome! Donnelly Wildlife Management

A trip to Charleston would not be complete without delving into the unique Gullah culture.

The Gullah people, descended from enslaved Africans brought to the Lowcountry, have

nurtured and preserved their customs, traditions, and language for generations. Private tours can

 provide an intimate glimpse into the Gullah way of life through storytelling,

traditional sweetgrass basket weaving demonstrations, and music performances.

A Charleston private tour experience marries the best of personalized itineraries

and expert knowledge, providing guests with a memorable and fulfilling visit to this

endearing city. As the impacts of global variables, such as technology, political events, and

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industry, Charleston Old Walled City Tours  has adapted to accomodate changing preferences and

the unique requirements of modern-day travelers.

Our cultivation of private tour guides with specialized topic knowledge exemplifies  our commitment to

 creating authentic, immersive experiences for our guests. We hope that when you come to town, 

 you will engage us for your Charleston Private Tour. We will have a chat,  and then engage just the

 right guide for you! Go to www.walledcitytours.com/tours to make your reservations.

This is perhaps the first recorded instance of enslaved persons actively taking the opportunity to leave their lives of enslavement behind!

 DASH TO FREEDOM --CELEBRATE  Black History Month!

“The first sunbeams glowed upon … the blossoming hedges along the rectangular dikes. What were those black dots which everywhere appeared? Those moist meadows had become alive with human heads, and along each narrow path came a straggling file of men and women, all on a run for the river-side”

 February is Black History Month!

 I present some excerpts from the book, Army Life in A Black Regiment  by Thomas Wenworth Higginson. (1869).  I recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand the mindset of newly liberated freedmen and women.. During the Civil War, he served as colonel of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first federally authorized Black regiment, from 1862–1864. This regiment was comprised entirely of Black soldiers freed from slavery. While the Emancipation Proclamation allowed for Black soldiers to serve, the Army still required White officers to command them. Higginson addressed this in his Civil War memoir, stating:

"We, their officers, did not go there to teach lessons, but to receive them. There were more than a hundred men in the ranks who had voluntarily met more dangers in their escape from slavery than any of my young captains had incurred in all their lives."

He was an  American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionist movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism. He was a member of the Secret Six who supported John Brown. Following the war, Higginson devoted much of the rest of his life to fighting for the rights of freed people, women and other disfranchised peoples.(Wikipedia)

It is notable that his account is largely missing denigrating commentary commonly found in accounts of Blacks by Whites, and deeper reading of the book provides insites into the  thought processes, the habits and the Faith of his men who he clearly considers equal to any white soldier. His assessments provide a clear first person account as commander of the unit, a unit that went up rivers in Florida , Georgia and South Carolina to destroy rail lines.

Thomas Wentworth Higginson as Commander

 

First, from the opening preface to the book, a description of the 1^st South Carolina Regiment:  

"These pages record some of the adventures of the First South Carolina Volunteers, the first slave regiment mustered into the service of the United States during the late civil war. It was, indeed, the first colored regiment of any kind so mustered, except a portion of the troops raised by Major-General Butler at New Orleans.

The First South Carolina contained scarcely a freeman, had not one mulatto in ten, and a far smaller proportion who could read or write when enlisted. The only contemporary regiment of a similar character was the "First Kansas Colored," which began recruiting a little earlier. These were the only colored regiments recruited during the year 1862. The Second South Carolina and the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts followed early in 1863."

 

Next, he describes how he came to be their Commander:

This is the way in which I came to the command of this regiment. One day in November, 1862, I was sitting at dinner with my lieutenants, John Goodell and Luther Bigelow, in the barracks of the Fifty-First Massachusetts, Colonel Sprague, when the following letter was put into my hands:

BEAUFORT, S. C., November 5, 1862.

MY DEAR SIR.

I am organizing the First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers, with every prospect of success. Your name has been spoken of, in connection with the command of this regiment, by some friends in whose judgment I have confidence. I take great pleasure in offering you the position of Colonel in it, and hope that you may be induced to accept. I shall not fill the place until I hear from you, or sufficient time shall have passed for me to receive your reply. Should you accept, I enclose a pass for Port Royal, of which I trust you will feel disposed to avail yourself at once. I am, with sincere regard, yours truly,

R. SAXTON, Brig.-Genl, Mil. Gov.

 

He then goes on to describe various raids and campaigns, but then he recalls a scene as his ships made their way up the Edisto River   in which enslaved persons made their Dash to Freedom! 

 

“The battery…met us with a promptness that proved very shortlived. After three shots it was silent... The bluff was wooded, and we could see but little. The only course was to land, under cover of the guns. As the firing ceased and the smoke cleared away, I looked across the rice-fields ... The first sunbeams glowed upon … the blossoming hedges along the rectangular dikes. What were those black dots which everywhere appeared? Those moist meadows had become alive with human heads, and along each narrow path came a straggling file of men and women, all on a run for the river-side. I went ashore with a boat-load of troops at once. The landing was difficult and marshy. The astonished negroes tugged us up the bank, and gazed on us as if we had been Cortez and Columbus. They kept arriving by land much faster than we could come by water; every moment increased the crowd, the jostling, the mutual clinging, on that miry foothold. What a scene it was! With the wild faces, eager figures, strange garments, it seemed, as one of the poor things reverently suggested, "like notin' but de judgment day." Presently they began to come from the houses also, with their little bundles on their heads; then with larger bundles. Old women, trotting on the narrow paths, would kneel to pray a little prayer, still balancing the bundle; and then would suddenly spring up, urged by the accumulating procession behind, and would move on till irresistibly compelled by thankfulness to dip down for another invocation.

Reaching us, every human being must grasp our hands, amid exclamations of "Bress you, mas'r," and "Bress de Lord," at the rate of four of the latter ascriptions to one of the former.

Women brought children on their shoulders; small black boys leaned on their black little brothers equally inky, and, gravely depositing them, shook hands. Never had I seen human beings so clad, or rather so unclad, in such amazing squalid-ness....

Perhaps the most important thing in Higgins tome is that he relates a rare first person account by an elderly freedman recalling his personal Dash To Freedom! Says Higginson:

" I wish that it were possible to present all this scene from the point of view of the slaves themselves. It can be most nearly done, perhaps, by quoting the description given of a similar scene on the Combahee River, by a very aged man, who had been brought down on the previous raid, already mentioned. I wrote it down in tent, long after, while the old man recited the tale, with much gesticulation, at the door; and it is by far the best glimpse I have ever had, through a negro's eyes, at these wonderful birthdays of freedom:

 "De people was all a hoein', mas'r," said the old man. "Dey was a hoein' in the ricefield, when de gunboats come. Den ebry man drap dem hoe, and leff de rice. De mas'r he stand and call, 'Run to de wood for hide! Yankee come, sell you to Cuba! run for hide!' Ebry man he run, and, my God! run all toder way! "Mas'r stand in de wood, peep, peep, faid for truss [afraid to trust]. He say, 'Run to de wood!' and ebry man run by him, straight to de boat. "De brack sojer so presumptious, dey come right ashore, hold up dere head. Fus' ting I know, dere was a barn, ten tousand bushel rough rice, all in a blaze, den mas'r's great house, all cracklin' up de roof. Didn't I keer for see 'em blaze? Lor, mas'r, didn't care notin' at all, was gwine to de boat." 

Dore's Don Quixote could not surpass the sublime absorption in which the gaunt old man, with arm uplifted, described this stage of affairs, till he ended in a shrewd chuckle, worthy of Sancho Panza. Then he resumed. "De brack sojers so presumptious!" This he repeated three times, slowly shaking his head in an ecstasy of admiration. It flashed upon me that the apparition of a black soldier must amaze those still in bondage, much as a butterfly just from the chrysalis might astound his fellow-grubs. I inwardly vowed that my soldiers, at least, should be as "presumptious" as I could make them. Then he went on.

  "Ole woman and I go down to de boat; den dey say behind us, 'Rebels comin'l Rebels comin'!' Ole woman say, 'Come ahead, come plenty ahead!' I hab notin' on but my shirt and pantaloon; ole woman one single frock he hab on, and one handkerchief on he head; I leff all-two my blanket and run for de Rebel come, and den dey didn't come, didn't truss for come. "Ise eighty-eight year old, mas'r. My ole Mas'r Lowndes keep all de ages in a big book, and when we come to age ob sense we mark em down ebry year, so I know. Too ole for come? Mas'r joking. Neber too ole for leave de land o' bondage. I old, but great good for chil'en, gib to us and tank ebry day. Young people can go through, force [forcibly], mas'r, but de ole folk mus' go slow." 

And so, there you have it. First person excerpts of witnesses to the Dash to Freedom! Happy Black History Month! 

Charleston Old Walled City Tours does public and private history tours. We strive to present true and authentic history by seeking out first person sources and interpreting history within the context of the culture and politics of the time, all done in an engaging and entertaining Small Group Format. To join us go to www.walledcitytours.com

Charleston Walking Tours - Learn Why I Never Joined The Hibernian Society -- Happy St Patrick's Day!!!!!

This  being the season for the “Wearing of the Green” I thought I might  take this time to wish  my readers a Happy St Patrick’s Day and relate to you the story behind why I didn’t join the Hibernian Society.