Smoke on the Battery

An illustrated history of Civil War Charleston brought to life through firsthand accounts

In the predawn darkness of April 12, 1861, a mortar shell burst above Fort Sumter, igniting the Civil War and establishing Charleston's central role in America's defining struggle. The bombardment was just the beginning. Over the next four years, the city will suffer through numerous travails, including receiving nearly 46,000 shells into the city and its defenses during the Civil War's longest siege.

In Smoke on the Battery, historian Stephen R. Wise delivers a poignant, richly illustrated account of Charleston's wartime experience. Going beyond the firing on Fort Sumter, Wise examines ironclad clashes in the harbor, the brutal fighting on Morris Island and at Fort Wagner, the crucial role of United States Colored Troops, and the toll on civilians trapped in a city under relentless fire. Firsthand accounts from soldiers, sailors, and residents add a rich dimension to the story of these momentous years and are complemented by more than one hundred historic photographs.