Holding Charleston by the Bridle

Castle Pinckney and the Civil War

W. Clifford Roberts, Matthew A.M. Locke

• Publisher: Savas Beatie
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781954547650
• Subtopic: American Civil War History

Castle Pinckney, a pivotal fort in Charleston Harbor, influenced Civil War events from its construction in the War of 1812 through Reconstruction. On the eve of the Civil War, the London Times informed its readers that Castle Pinckney has "been kept garrisoned, not to protect Charleston from naval attack from the ocean, but to serve as a bridle upon the city." Located on a marshy island in the center of Charleston's magnificent harbor, the large cannons on the ramparts of this horseshoe-shaped masonry fort had the ability to command downtown Charleston and the busy wharves along East Bay Street. This inescapable fact made Pinckney an important chess piece in the secession turmoil of 1832 and 1850, and in the months leading up to the 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter. Holding Charleston by the Bridle: Castle Pinckney and the Civil War by W. Clifford Roberts, Jr. and Matthew A. M. Locke is the first book on the subject—from the fort's innovative design as part of America's "Second System" of coastal fortifications to the modern challenges of preserving its weathered brick walls against rising sea levels. The impressive bastion was constructed as a state-of-the-art seacoast fortress on the eve of the War of 1812. Luminaries including President James Monroe and Gens. Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, and P. G. T. Beauregard inspected its casemates and barracks. The history of Pinckney is as impressive as its list of visiting VIPs. Defending the fort was one of Winfield Scott's major concerns during the Nullification Crisis of 1832. Seminole Indians and Africans from the illegal slave ship Echo were held there. In 1860, Maj. Robert Anderson knew Pinckney was the key to protecting his small Federal garrison at Fort Moultrie, but his requests to Washington for troops to hold it went unheeded. That December, three companies of Charleston militia scaled Pinckney's walls and seized the fort in a daring act that pushed the nation to the edge of civil war. After First Manassas (Bull Run), 156 captured Yankee officers and enlisted men were sent to the island, and in 1863, members of the famous 54th Massachusetts were held there as POWs. The fort's guns helped defend Charleston during the war's longest siege. By 1865, the old fortress had been transformed into an earthen barbette battery with a Brooke Rifle and three giant 10-inch Columbiads. During Reconstruction Pinckney became an "American Bastille" for Southerners accused of crimes against the government. Authors Roberts and Locke rely on extensive primary research and archaeological evidence to tell the full story of Castle Pinckney for the first time. Given its importance to America's history, it is a history long overdue.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• A Glossary of Significant Fortification Terms
• Castle Pinckney Biographies
• Chapter 1: Before There Was a Castle on Shute’s Folly
• Chapter 2: Building a Castle (1807–1828)
• Chapter 3: Lynchpin of the Nullification Crisis (1829-1834)
• Chapter 4: A Convenient Repository (1835-1859)
• Chapter 5: Scaling Ladders (1860)
• Chapter 6: Declaring Southern Independence (1861)
• Chapter 7: A Prison by the Sea (1861-1862)
• Chapter 8: A Small Artillery Garrison (1862)
• Chapter 9: Circles of Fire (1863)
• Chapter 10: The Middle Ground (1863-1864)
• Chapter 11: Lowering the Stainless Banner (1864-1865)
• Chapter 12: American Bastille (1865-1875)
• Chapter 13: Lighthouse Depot (1876-1916)
• Chapter 14: Holding the Hot Potato (1916 -2011)
• Epilogue
• Appendix 1: Patriotic Toasts Given at the Naming Ceremony
• Appendix 2: 1814 Resolution Written from Castle Pinckney
• Appendix 3: Clothing Received at Castle Pinckney
• Appendix 4: An 1834 “Memorial” Petition
• Appendix 5: Field & Staff Officers of the 1st Rifles, South Carolina Militia
• Appendix 6: 1858 Returns of Officers and Privates in the Meagher Guard
• Appendix 7: Roster of the Washington Light Infantry
• Appendix 8: A Newpaper Description of Castle Pinckney
• Appendix 9: Confederate Signal System
• Appendix 10: Record of the Baltimore Volunteers
• Appendix 11: 1861 Castle Pinckney Armaments Inventory
• Appendix 12: List of Union Prisoners of War
• Appendix 13: Muster Roll of the Charleston Zouave Cadets
• Appendix 14: Roster of 1st Regiment South Carolina Artillery Officers
• Appendix 15: 1st South Carolina Artillery Companies
• Appendix 16: List of Prisoners from the 54th Massachusetts
• Appendix 17: Record of Prisoners Confined at Military Prison
• Appendix 18: 1895 Memoir of Jane E. Chichester
• Bibliography
• About the Authors