Charleston Before and After

Wednesday, November 20th
Charleston, SC
Mostly Cloudy - 55 Degrees

The Civil War

"The War of Northern Aggression"

"The Recent Unpleasantness"

South Carolina seceded from the Union by a unanimous vote on December 20, 1860.  At that time, the primary federal military installation in the area was at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island.  Fort Moultrie, under the command of Major Robert Anderson, had two companies totaling 85 men.  It was a fort in name only, in a residential neighborhood, isolated at the tip of an island.  The walls of the compound were so short, some of the neighboring houses looked down into the fort.  Major Anderson was surrounded by enemy territory, and his position was indefensible.

After the War of 1812, the federal government began strengthening coastal defenses up and down the Atlantic seaboard.  As part of this program, Fort Sumter was under construction on a man-made island at the mouth of Charleston Harbor.  Work began on the island in 1829, and was 90% complete by December of 1860.  The walls of the fort were 50 feet high, designed for a full complement of 135 guns, only 15 of which had been mounted and were ready to fire.  At full force, Fort Sumter would have a garrison of 650 men.

Six days after the vote of secession, tensions were on the rise and Major Anderson had to make a move.  Under cover of darkness on December 26th, 1860, Major Anderson moved his troops across the harbor to Fort Sumter, not yet complete, but secure.  The next day, the South Carolina Volunteers took possession of Fort Moultrie and the other three federal installations around Charleston Harbor.

The secession movement continued to gain steam, By March of 1861, seven other southern states had joined South Carolina in seceding from the Union, and they had formed The Confederate States of America under the leadership of Jefferson Davis.  As each state left the Union, local forces took command of federal military installations in their jurisdictions.  Fort Sumter was one of the few that remained under federal control, and it became the flashpoint of the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy, which demanded the fort be vacated.

Brigadier General Pierre G.T. Beauregard took command of Confederate troops in Charleston just as Abraham Lincoln took office as President of the United States.  On April 4, 1861, Lincoln notified the governor of South Carolina that he would make an attempt to resupply the fort.  The Confederate Secretary of War ordered Beauregard to "at once demand its evacuation, and if this is refused proceed, in such manner as you may determine, to reduce it."

Beauregard called on Major Anderson to surrender on April 11th.  He refused.  At 3:20 AM on April 12th, Beauregard gave a one hour attack notice.  At 4:30 AM, a signal shell was fired, and an attack on Fort Sumter was launched from Confederate batteries all around Charleston Harbor.  The confederate siege on Fort Sumter lasted 34 hours before Major Anderson was forced to surrender on Sunday, April 14th.  He lowered the Union flag and his troops were allowed to escape on a ship to New York.  There were no fatalities on either side, and only five injuries total, but the Civil War had begun.

In the face of relentless Union bombardment, 46,000 shells totaling more than seven million pounds of artillery, the Confederacy held Fort Sumter until they retreated from General William T. Sherman's advance and evacuated the fort on February 17, 1865.  On April 14, 1865, four years to the day after surrendering Fort Sumter, with Charleston under Union control and the war nearly at an end, Major General Anderson returned to the abandoned fort.  Once again he raised the Union flag over the fort where the war had begun.  The very same United States flag he had lowered in defeat four years before.

The boat to Fort Sumter leaves from Liberty Square on the Ashley River, a site the National Park Service Visitor Education Center shares with the South Carolina Aquarium.

Cruising down river to Fort Sumter at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, St. Philip's steeple towers above the Charleston skyline and Waterfront Park.

Ranger Kate met us at the Pier for a tour of Fort Sumter.

The wall surrounding the fort today is about one-third as high as the original wall, the result of Civil War bombardment, but what remains dates from the War and is largely intact. The fort continued to be an active US military installation well after the Civil War, and has been altered since that time.  The black structure was a post-war addition and is not original.  It now houses the Fort Sumter Museum and gift shop.

Three Civil War shells remain lodged in the wall of the fort:

Getting off the Fort Sumter boat back at Liberty Square, cold and wind burned, we were in need of a restaurant and a respite.  A little north of the historic district, Hominy Grill is on every insider's shortlist of southern staples, and they are open for lunch.

"Located in an historic Charleston single house, Hominy Grill feels as though it has been open for generations, in fact this landmark has only been dishing up its simple, clean fare since 1996.  Combining the traditions of the past with the bounty of land and sea, James Beard Award winning chef/owner Robert Stehling lets the Low Country’s unique cultural history and flavors guide his cooking.  Widely acclaimed on television and in print, Hominy Grill has built a reputation as a place where Charleston cuisine lives.  Savvy regulars slip in between the crowds of out of town visitors.  This is the food we wished our grandmothers could cook."

Our first fried green tomatoes of the trip did not disappoint.  Cut thick, cornmeal dusted, fried hot and hard to crispy juicy perfection, served with ranch so rich with herbs and personality, we bought the cookbook.  The real deal. The Big Nasty Biscuit is the best name going for a fried chicken sandwich.  The biscuit was outstanding, the chicken good, the gravy just OK.  We saved the top half of the biscuit from the gravy and slathered it with butter and honey instead.  Oh, yeah.  BBQ in the South is pork, not beef, but the brisket special was mighty fine, sliced thin and tender with just enough fat to hold the smoke, the sauce dark and sweet over the top.  Here's my theory on how hushpuppies got their name:  Mama made some up one day, and the dog whimpered and cried for one.  She said, "Hush, puppy, you ain't gettin' none.  Too good for you."  After all of that, desert stole our hearts.  The apple walnut cake was so tender and light, it was held together only by the loving embrace of the cream cheese icing.  In your dreams, carrot cake.  And, if Heaven is a bowl of chocolate pudding, I finally know how to get to heaven.  It's in the book.

Hominy Grill Menu:

• Sweet Tea
• Fried Green Tomatoes with ranch dressing
• Big Nasty Biscuit with fried chicken breast, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy
• Smoked Beef Brisket Platter with Low Country red rice, ginger cole slaw, jalepeno hushpuppies, & black strap molasses bbq sauce
• Apple Walnut Cake with cream cheese icing
• Chocolate Pudding

The remains of three great antebellum plantations still grace the banks of the Ashley river outside of Charleston.  Drayton Hall, The Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and Middleton Place survived the war to varying degrees and differ in tone and presentation.  While they each provide a window into antebellum plantation life, Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark, "is a sublime, unforgettable combination of history and sheer natural beauty.  Nestled along a quiet bend in the Ashley River, the grounds contain an historic restored home, working stables, and sixty acres of breathtaking gardens...Middleton Place is the culmination of the Lowcountry rice plantation aesthetic."

Middleton place served as the seat of the Middleton family through four generations and 125 years of prominence in the life of the South, and the life of the Nation.  The 200 acre estate was granted in 1675, and the grand main residence dates from 1705.  In 1741, Mary Williams brought the estate as a dowry to her marriage with Henry Middleton, who would become president of the First Continental Congress.  Their son, Arthur, was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.  Arthur's son Henry was Governor of the State of South Carolina.  Henry's son, Williams, was a signatory to the Ordinance of Secession.  Williams lent his name to the Confederacy, and everything else as well.  He invested heavily in Confederate war bonds, continuing to invest even when it was clear that the North would win.  He believed so strongly in the future of an independent South, and the leadership role that he would play, that he had no exit strategy.  At the end of the war, he was broke.  A wealthy sister kept him afloat, but the Middleton dynasty of influence had ended.

The first Henry Middleton began the formal gardens almost immediately after taking control of the plantation.  He adopted the principles set forth in the gardens of Versailles.  "Rational order, geometry, symmetry, balance, vistas, focal points, and surprises were all part of the garden vocabulary."  A series of "allees" parallel and perpendicular to one another, lead to smaller garden rooms, and larger geometric gardens.  A reflection pool anchors one corner, a mill pond, another.  One central axis begins at the porch of the main house with two parallel lawns leading to a series of sculpted terraces, and finally to the Butterfly Lakes at river's edge, two symmetrical lakes, each in the shape of a single butterfly wing.

In 1755, Middleton expanded the residence as well, with two flanker buildings, one to the north of the main house with a family library, art gallery, and music room, and one to the south with office space and guest quarters for his businesses.

As badly as the war ended for Williams Middleton, the fate of Middleton Place was even worse.  On February 22, 1865 the 56th New York Volunteers, Union troops, who had occupied the plantation during the war, set fire to the main house and both flankers, and laid waste to the gardens, as they rode out of town.  The main house and north flanker were destroyed, the ruins left standing until the great earthquake of 1886 brought down what was left.  The south flanker was rebuilt as the family home in the same footprint as the original.

In the early 1900s, Middleton descendent J.J. Pringle Smith inherited the house and gardens, the latter in a terrible state, so "neglected and overgrown," that it took more than twenty years for restoration and recovery.  Much of the work done by the Smiths themselves, Mrs. Heningham Smith on her hands and knees feeling her way through the unruly growth to find the original brick borders that delineate the garden paths.  In 1941, in honor of the garden's bicentennial, the oldest landscaped garden in the United States was recognized by the Garden Club of America with the Bulkley Medal as "the most interesting and important garden in America."  In 1991, 250 years after work on the garden began, the International Committee on Monuments and Sites named Middleton Place a garden of international importance, one of only six in the United States.

Originally, an entirely green garden, some blooming plants have been added, even a few that bloom this time of year.  On a cloudy day, in the least appealing season, this is still a beautiful place.

We have, we think, saved the best for last...

"The Mobil Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond Peninsula Grill is at Planters Inn, the acclaimed Relais & Châteaux property located in the heart of Historic Charleston, South Carolina.  A seamless marriage of cosmopolitan accents and Charleston gentility, the ambiance at Peninsula Grill is simultaneously refined and relaxed.  Heralded by Esquire magazine as one of America's Best New Restaurants in 1997, the Grill has earned recognition from a host of other esteemed publications, including The New York Times, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, Wine Spectator and Food & Wine, which named it one of America's Top 50 Hotel Restaurants.  The Peninsula Grill experience begins with the very best Lowcountry produce and seafood combined with the finest ingredients flown in fresh daily from points around the world."

The Lobster and Corn Chowder was heralded by Richard Turen as a highlight of Charleston.  And it is.  Built on a foundation of medium roux, the chowder had the mouth feel of velvet with no hint of paste.  Nor did it suffer from an overpowering shell reduction, or the weight of heavy cream.  Just fresh vegetables and perfectly poached lobster in a happy medium.  The pork and beef were both outstanding, medium and sliced medium-rare respectively, highlighted by flavorful sauces, and complemented by the perfect potato.  And finally, the specialty of the house, The Ultimate Coconut cake:

"From Bon Appetit and Saveur to Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times, the Ultimate Coconut Cake has inspired many food and travel writers to wax poetically about its twelve layers of Southern perfection."

“The Peninsula Grill in the Planters Inn is deservedly famous for its scrumptious coconut cake, said to be a Charleston specialty.” — Vogue

“A little slice of heaven…” — The New York Times

“. . . skyscraper high. . . light as a cloud. . .” — Bon Appetit

"One of the South’s Grand Desserts.” — Southern Living

“All time favorite dessert.” — Bobby Flay

“The richest filling, and the best ingredients…” — Martha Stewart

At the first mention of the Peninsula Grill to anyone and everyone you may encounter, "You must have the coconut cake!"  So, we did.

Here's the thing...try to imagine the  V - E - R - Y   B - E - S - T  coconut cake you can possibly imagine.  It's moist.  It's rich.  It's light.  It's dense.  It's big.  It's beautiful.  It's the very essence of coconut.  This is it.  No question.  B - U - T . . . , it's coconut cake, a known quantity, easily within the grasp of your imagination, well within the reach of your fork.  We've all had good coconut cake.  How much better can the very best be?

Peninsula Grill Menu:

• Southern Manhattan
  Russell's Reserve Bourbon, Southern Comfort Liqueur, Angostura Bitters, Garnished with Brandy Soaked Cherries, Served on the Rocks
• Amuse Bouche
  Mushroom Mornay in Puff Pastry
• Chilled Wedge of Iceberg
  with Smoked Bacon Jerky and Buttermilk Dressing
• Lobster & Corn Chowder
  Basil Butter
• Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop
  Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Braised Greens and BBQ Jus
• Seared New York Strip au Poivre
  Crispy Potato Cake, Benne Beans and Brandy Pan Sauce
• Vidalia Whipped Potatoes
• The Ultimate Coconut Cake
  Coconut Anglaise and Strawberries

Next Stop:  Savannah, GA