Tour Charleston SC -- It was 150 Years Ago This Week That Sherman Burnt Out My Family

On my Charleston Walking Tours I have been emphasizing Sherman's March this month. After leaving Savannah Georgia in mid January, he systematically burnt his way through South Carolina, leaving a swath of destruction and misery 40 miles wide. He was virtually unopposed until he attempted to cross the swampy Salkehatchie River. After a few days of stalling, the Confederates were overwhelmed and the enemy crossed the River. This is known as the Battle of Rivers Bridge.

After bivouacking and regrouping on the north side of the river, they exacted a heinous vengeance on the countryside. Sherman's orders to his men as they entered South Carolina was to burn everything except the houses of the plain folk (log cabins), but he made exception for the communities at the site that dared resist his advance. A terrorized civilian population witnessed the pillage and burning of their homes and outbuildings. Even slave quarters were torched, lest the whites seek shelter in them. Sherman's men ruthlessly and systematically burnt everything to the ground except the Mizpah Church. The farming community of Buford's Bridge, the site of my Ray Family Home Place, disappeared and never recovered. My brother formerly owned a charred plantation desk supposedly removed from the farm office before it was torched. Sitting on the ground as the office burnt, the building collapsed on the desk and it had to be rescued from the embers, or so the story goes. Sherman's men took great satisfaction in their pillage and destruction. Although some speak of rape, no stories of that survive in my family history or others I have read. But then again, recollections of such wouldn't be repeated , would they? All food stores and livestock--everything--was stolen. The livestock they couldn't carry was killed, crocks containing preserved food were shattered so that nothing remained to sustain the civilians.That pillage took place 150 years ago this week. For that reason, today I am reposting my blog entry on Southern Memory, for my friends from the North who don't get why we remember.

So Here It Is

I was looking for some information in the Charleston Mercury newspaper ( the old one, not the current newspaper) for an 1864 article. As often happens when I peruse, I found myself on other topics. I happened across a poem that somehow touched an ancient retained memory, one barely discernible in an age so far removed from the time of the War Between the States.You see, my family was burned out by Sherman's March. So many people move here from other places, with no understanding of Southern Memory. Perhaps this poignant poem will lend perspective.


Published in the Charleston Mercury

May 1864

At Fort Pillow.
By James R. Randall

You shudder as you think upon
The carnage of the grim report--
The desolation when we won
The inner trenches of the fort.

But there are deeds you may not know
That scourge the pulses into strife;
Dark memories of deathless woe
Pointing the bayonet and knife.

The house is ashes, where I dwelt
Beyond the mighty inland sea;
The tombstones shattered where I knelt
By that old Church in Pointe Coupee.

The Yankee fiend! that came with fire,
Camped on the consecrated sod,
And trampled in the dust and mire
The Holy Eucharist of God!

The spot where darling mother sleeps,
Beneath the glimpse of yon sad moon,
Is crushed with splintered marble heaps
To stall the horse of some dragoon!

God! when I ponder that black day,
It makes my frantic spirit wince--
I marched--with Longstreet--far away,
But have beheld the ravage since.

The tears are hot upon my face
When thinking what bleak fate befell
The only sister of our race--
A thing too horrible to tell.

They say that, ere her senses fled,
The rescue of her brothers cried;
Then feebly bowed her stricken head,
Too pure to live thus--so she died.

Two of those brothers heard no plea,
With their proud hearts forever still--
John shrouded by the Tennessee,
And Arthur there at Malvern Hill.

But I have heard it everywhere
Vibrating like a passing knell;
'Tis as perpetual as the air
And solemn as a funeral bell.

By scorched lagoon and murky swamp
My wrath was never in the lurch;
I've killed the picket in his camp
And many a pilot on his perch.

With deadly rifle, sharpened brand,
A week ago, upon my steed,
With Forrest and his warrior band
I made the hell hounds writhe and bleed.

You should have seen our leader go
Upon the battle's burning marge,
Swooping like falcon on the foe,
Heading the grey line's iron charge!

All outcasts from our ruined marts,
We heard th' undying serpent hiss,
And in the desert of our hearts
The fatal spell of Nemesis.

The Southern yell rang loud and high
The moment that we thundered in,
Smiting the demons hip and thigh,
Cleaving them to the very chin.

My right arm bared for fiercer play,
The left one held the rein in slack;
In all the fury of the fray
I sought the white man, not the black.

The dabbled clots of brain and gore
Across the swirling sabres ran;
To me each brutal visage bore
The front of one accursed man.

Throbbing along the frenzied vein,
My blood seemed kindled into song--
The death-dirge of the sacred slain,
The slogan of immortal wrong.

It glared athwart the dripping glaives,
It blazed in each avenging eye--
The thought of desecrated graves
And some lone sister's desperate cry.

Wilmington, April 25.

How We Love Charleston!! Come See Us!

Here is a great music video designed to inspire you, gentle reader,  to come visit Charleston!

So many things to see and do! We're about done with the sultry dog days of  summer, and one of Charleston's best kept secrets is that September is wonderful weather and the city is empty!
Eventsin September include Charleston Restaurant Week --great food at bargain prices. Participating restaurants include the very best in town, with prix fixe menus at $20, $30, and $40 the week of September 3-September 10). Charleston Watersports Week offers 10 days  of continuous opportunities to enjoy one of  Charleston's greatest assets--the water! Events include competitive sports, leisure activities and special water tours for your getaway trip to Charleston.The Charleston Maritime Center offers a Watersports EXPO September 12-14.
As if Restaurant Week were not enough to satisfy the most discriminating gastronome, , the Southern Living Taste of Charleston will be held September 26-28 at one of my favorite venues, Boone Hall Plantation.Fifty of Charleston's best restaurants will showcase their creations with sample plates. There is also entertainment to keep the kids busy!
And to round it out, the MOJA Festival,  a celebration of African American and Caribbean culture, it is in its 30th year here and brings to Charleston the vibe of the Islands, doncha know? Find out more at  http://www.mojafestival.com/ . I will be offering my Charleston Slavery and Freedom Walking Tour daily during the Festival.
Ya'll come down now, you hear?

Preservation Society of Charleston Annual Awards Program

This past Thursday night I attended the Preservation Society of Charleston’s Annual Carolopolis Awards Presentation at the old Riviera Theater on King Street. For those of you not familiar with the Preservation Society, it was founded in 1920 and pioneered the modern preservation movement in Charleston. I hate that I forgot my printed program at the meeting, (it really was informative), but they awarded at least 10 Carolopolis Awards this year, a number of them to homeowners who restored by repairing or replacing original fabric with like kind. As an old school preservationist I have been an advocate for sensitive and authentic work and I was pleased to see such efforts being held up as a “Gold Standard”.

For all you oyster fans, the Preservation Society of Charleston  is holding their Membership Oyster Roast this coming Saturday, February  4  from 2:00-5:00 at the historic Quarters A at the old Navy Yard in North Charleston. For $35, you get oysters, music and fun---chili too I guess? –PLUS an annual membership to the Preservation Society! Hey, you gotta do it! For more info and to purchase tickets go to http://preservationsociety.org

Edwin Augustus Harleston: African American Master of the Charleston Renaissance Arts Movement and Vanguard Civil Rights Leader

We who know the history of the Arts in Charleston are aware of Charleston Renaissance Artists such as Alfred Hutty, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and Alice Smith.




Boone Hall, by Edwin Harleston

 But today is the Birthday of the greatest and perhaps only African American member of that movement. His name is Edwin Harleston  Born March 14,1882, in Charleston, SC. Edwin Augustus Harleston was one of eight children. His father was a rice planter, a sea captain, and owned a funeral home.

Harleston received a scholarship to study at the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston and graduated valedictorian in 1900. For four years he attended Atlanta University where he played football and sang in a quartet. He relocated to Boston in 1905 to attend the art school of the Boston Museum of Fine Art where he studied under William Paxton and Frank Benson until 1913.

The seven year course was formed under the Beaux Arts tradition and formed the foundation of his style. With a passion for his art, he reluctantly returned to South Carolina to help in his father’s funeral home. It was during this time that he became active in local civil rights groups and eventually became president of the newly formed Charleston branch of the N.A.A.C.P. He led an effort that soon forced the public school system to hire Black teachers.He married Elise Forrest in 1920. She was a photographer , and two years later they opened a studio, which featured both of their works.

Influenced by of much of her work, he developed a highly realistic and academic technique of portraiture; many of his works were commissioned. His patrons included prominent national figures including the president of Atlanta University, philanthropist-Pierre S. Dupont, and the president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Co. Harleston's character studies include The Bible Student (1924), and Miss Bailey with the African Shawl (1930)..

At the request of Aaron Douglass, he assisted in painting murals for Fisk University that depicted a panoramic view of Black history from slavery onward. This work was completed in 1931 the year that he died. Shortly before his death Edwin Harleston received the Alain Locke Prize for portrait painting for his work The Old Servant at an exhibition of the Harmon foundation.



Edwin Augustus Harleston,self portrait


Source: African American Registry

Preservation Society of Charleston Fall Tours are around the corner!

Hard to believe it now, but the cool air of Fall will soon be here, and that means the return of the Preservation Society of Charleston’s Annual Fall Tours of local Homes and Gardens. I like the new format that they use for tours. For those of you who love seeing  old homes and beautiful gardens, the Saturday tours focus on neighborhoods, and will provide an eclectic choice of homes in targeted neighborhoods. This is also great for those who want to concentrate their time in a limited area.

However, on other days the tours have themes, such as “Charleston’s Cosmopolitan Legacy”.,  Colonial Charles Towne, Homes of the American Revolution, and The Civil War. I love the description for Charleston’s Cosmopolitan Legacy:

“….explore the diverse cultural influences that shaped life in 18th and 19th century Charleston, the rich ethnic traditions, skills and religious ideologies that blended together to establish Charleston as the cosmopolitan hub of life in America.”

Note the uncanny similarity to the description for our Charleston Old Walled City Walk! Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I always say!  The thematic tours relate to eras in history and provide not only the opportunity to see lovely old homes, but to learn about eras in Charleston’s storied history. The tours commence October 2, so you might want to purchase your tickets now while they are readily available, because they just might sell out if you wait too long! Check out the tour descriptions at  http://www.thefalltours.org/.

If you would like to volunteer as a docent in the houses, you can call the Preservation Society of Charleston at 843-722-4630 or check out the many programs and volunteer opportunities available at http://www.preservationsociety.org/.

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens and Carolina Gold Rice -- Happy New Year!

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens and Carolina Gold Rice! Happy New Year Everyone!

 I made traditional Hoppin' John yesterday using Carolina Gold rice. For those of you not in the know, Carolina Gold was deemed the gold standard in rice for generations and was the strain that created great wealth in Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry. Boiled rice tends to be gummy, so many folks use a rice steamer. But my stovetop boiled Hoppin' John turned out perfectly using Carolina Gold. Perhaps its short grain allows for less surface area for it to stick together. Unlike short grain rices used for sushi or rice pudding, I suspect it has a lower starch content as well.

Here in Charleston, we use field peas or cowpeas to make traditional Hoppin' John.  Eaten with collard greens, this is the traditional meal for New Years Day eaten in humble cabins and grand mansions. The old saying is that the Hoppin' John is for good luck and the collard greens for cash!
These dishes have deep roots in African American cooking. Despite that claim, the name Hoppin' John is most probably a derivative of the French phrase pois a pigeon, "pigeon peas", which when said quickly sounds like "Hoppin' John. It is theorized that this West African dish was brought to Charleston in the late 18th century  with the French Refugees and their slaves fleeing  Haiti and introduced into the general culture.

If you feel inspired to make your own Hoppin' John, the recipe in Charleston Receipts is classic.
I boil the field peas up with half a small onion finely diced, fried out salt pork or fatback, and salt and pepper. I make the Hoppin' John using the pot likker from the beans and always keep enough beans and pot likker aside to dish some over the Hoppin' John for those who so desire. The peas are quite tasty all by themselves!

For the collard greens, fill a tall pot with water one third  up, a tablespoon each of vinegar and  white sugar, and Lawry's Seasoning to taste and put to boil.. Put in a pound of seasoning meat. I use pork neck bones but smoked turkey is a good alternative. Scrub and rinse the greens, then slice in ribbons horizontally, discarding large stems. Place prepared greens in the boiling water and force them down into the water if it looks like you have too much for the pot. Don't worry, they will wilt and greatly reduce in volume in no time. Cover and simmer for at least two hours.

Enjoy!

Suggested Rules for Tour Guides from your President

As many of you know, I am President of the Charleston Tour Association. Now that the high season is winding down, the timing is off for my timely suggestions , but I will bring them back up in the springtime when it all gets crazy again!

Tour Guides, locals, your comments are encouraged and welcome!

Dear CTA Members and Friends:

 We certainly are busy this season! As one 87 year South of  Broad resident related to me, he has never seen so many people on the streets. Inevitably there is bound to be stress on the residents of the Historic District.

The CTA is a membership of tour professionals. It is our responsibility to conduct our groups down streets and alleyways in a least intrusive fashion which still allows us to effectively share this beautiful city with our visitors. As a long time guide, I would like to share some tips and suggestions that will enhance the tour experience for yourself, visitors and residents alike. Although many of us have been at Broad and Meeting at 11 o’clock in April, I have the added perspective of 8 o’clock two weeks before Halloween and many a summer evening I wager that there are usually as many if not more ghost tours going out any night as go out during the day. Ghost tours are on a tightly controlled route, so frequent “close encounters” are the norm. I will post this on my blog,  I hope that anyone with suggestions not posted here will feel free to post them at my blog at walledcitytours.com. I’ll credit your suggestions or post them from anonymous, whatever works for you.

(1)    Don’t block the sidewalk and don’t run over the natives!

Sometimes the stress of a large group can be overwhelming. The amateur photographers are falling back, the baby is crying and the lady from  Schenectady keeps interrupting. And that other group just took my favorite spot! So you forget about the Composition of your group. On streets with wide sidewalks, instruct them to walk on the street side (ie,  Meeting Street south walking on the outside or to the right.) This keeps doors clear for residences and businesses to maintain stress free ingress and egress.It moves your group efficiently and quickly past crowds waiting at restaurants or entry to other events, i.e, Home and Garden Tours. Ed Grimball has this under control. He stops his groups where he can line them up “execution style” against a wall and begins his talk. This allows locals to pass. Sometimes Ed greets old friends  residents or even the Mayor! Brilliant!

Another strategy for taking charge of an unwieldy crowd is to identify places where three or more topics can be addressed from the same location. “Cluster”  your visitors  like this:

Upon arrival move fifteen feet past where you intend to talk. Stop, and instruct the first guest to stand there .Moving back to the group center, place your visitors. This also allows stragglers to get close before you commence narration. Even with three topics, it is best to move on between 7 – 12 minutes, so keep your narration pithy and succinct when you cluster.

Find spots to talk at the corners where you can talk on the side rather than in front. Stop in front of gates, walls and churches ( no churches during services of course.) Stop in public parks, graveyards or parking lots. Avoid standing in front of restaurants, businesses ‘and residential front doors.

( 2) Keep Your Visitors Safe!                                                                                                                                    Charleston is incredibly beautiful. Newcomers can be overwhelmed---sensory overload is a rule of thumb. Sometimes we   forget how lovely it is in the course of a hectic workday. It’s all new to them. . With a large group, you feel the need to move on. After all, you only have two hours and what you have to say is so important! The group is gawking up, cameras are flashing, but the sidewalks below, well, they can be treacherous! Be sure to warn them about the sidewalks. My favorite line:

“The city motto was adopted in 1783 and translates from the Latin: She guards her buildings, customs and laws”. But not so much her streets and sidewalks. Please be aware of where your feet are. Take my professional advice, you’ll have a much better time standing up than flat on your face.”

This minimizes your liability as well in the case of accidents. Then again, there is the traffic. Between a healthy business district, again, gawking visitors, (this time in cars), carriages and buses, we should always cross at traffic lights and crosswalks if there is any traffic on the streets.

Last year I saw an experienced guide approaching the Dock Street Theater on the east sidewalk.  She had crossed  Chalmers diagonally from the southwest to northeast corner with a group of twenty, all the while narrating for the first five or so! They  were stretched halfway down the block to the Confederate Home! If you can’t get your entire group through an intersection in 45 seconds, you are opening yourself up to potential accident. Gather your group and cross all at once and as Momma would say, look both ways.

(3)  Just Say No! to  playing  Dueling Tour Guide

 I was in St. Michael’s Church the other day, and there were four other guides with groups. St’ Michael’s turned into the Tower of Babel.

During the high season, there are groups and groups and more groups. Each guide has something important to say, so there is a tendency to speak over the next guide---loudly. So the other guide gets louder. Now let’s add in traffic din. The Result: nobody hears anything and everyone loses. In the event you find yourself talking with another group in close proximity, professional courtesy mandates that you gather your group so that your position with the other guide is back to back and  to speak in a lower tone. Ghost tour guides have this figured out, but not all the daytime folks.

I have had walking guides lament that carriage drivers will speak over them at some stops.
In front of the  Calhoun Mansion is one example.

Walking guides, remember that the carriage folks are just doing their job just like you. But unlike walking guides, the carriages are on a prescribed route. Since they have to travel up Meeting Street on the east side of the street, walk your groups on the west sidewalk.

When  speaking in a narrow passage such as an alley stand  with your back to the wall with your group no more than three deep and left and right. That way, if another group comes through, you can gather your group closer to you so that the other group can pass behind them.