SOUTH CAROLINA - The Battery in Charleston, South Carolina, is a historic defensive seawall. Named after a civil war coastal defense artillery battery, it stretches along the lower shore of Charleston peninsula, bordered by the Ashley River and Cooper River, which meet to form Charleston harbor. The Battery is an excellent place to stroll and explore the city's history.
Historic Defensive Seawall in Charleston, SC
The Battery is bordered by historic antebellum mansions and offers majestic views of Fort Sumter, Fort Sumpter, Castle Pinckney, and Fort Moultrie. It also features the White Point Garden and Williams Music Pavilion, a bandstand built in 1907. The Pavilion is a popular spot for weddings and concerts.
The Battery was first constructed in 1670 as a defensive seawall. The city was concerned that the sea would encroach on its harbor. The Battery was later expanded by several years to protect its harbor, the White Point Garden, and surrounding homes. During the Civil War, the Battery was used to defend against Union invasion. Though the Confederate army never got to fire the cannons, they still stood at the exact location.
There are many secrets contained in the brickwork of the Half-Moon Battery. Investigating the surviving fabric will help us understand its history. The structure probably measured sixty-six feet in diameter, but the extant structure has never been systematically studied. However, the surviving brickwork shows a distinctive semicircular arc.
