Part of Civil War @ Charleston Website
Summary - This page describes the work done clearing Battery Lamar, focus of the Battle of Secessionville, on Feb. 15, 1997.
Text, images and HTML coding by William J. Hamilton, III
Forty volunteers gathered from the reenacting, historic and local communities including at least one Ph.D. and one expectant mother cleared over three acres of the ground surrounding Battery Lamar on James Island on February 15, 1997. For detailed information on the historic battle on plans to develop the fort site as a Heritige preserve, see our Battle of Secessionville Page.
Image right - Cleanup Volunteers, Chris Judge of the Department of Natural Resources at left in blue.
Work began at 9:00 a.m. in a light mist under overcast skies on the Fort's right flank (all locations reference the Confederate position behind the fort, the left being on the Morris Island, Ocean site of the Fort. See McBean map.) This are was heavily shaded with large oaks and had a thin undergrowth of small trees and bushes which needed clearing. All growth over two inches in diameter was allowed to remain. Sloped areas were left vegitated to prevent erosion. This was the section of the fort held by the Charleston Battalion.
The remaining parapet is about 8 feet high and the flank wall appears to be intact along the inland marsh. The result of clearing here was an open grove of imposing trees surrounded by the parapet, which should be pleasant for visitors and ceremonies in the summer months. The total area cleared behind the fort's right flank was about an acre. Most of the front of this side of the fort is directly on the marsh and provides a clear understanding of the fort's natural defensive position. This side of the fort was exposed to the attempt to flank the battery by movement up the far side of the marsh, but the view from the area makes the impossibility of crossing the marsh under musket fire very clear.
The Battery is now bisected by a two lane, asphalt road. Work later in the day was on the Confderate left flank, across the road.
Image left, volunteers clear overgrowth on 1863 bombproof back face. Large grape vines cover the work.
The next area cleared was that found behind the 1863 bombproof magazine. This is a very large mound, running all the way to the creek on the ocean side, 200 feet, at least 10 feet tall. The top of this magazine was not cleared but is heavily overgrown with bushes and vines. Growth was pushed back to the lower slope in the rear and enough of the bombproof is now exposed to give visitors a good idea of how large it was. It is clear the larger shells used by the Federal Army later in the war at Pulaski and later Charleston forced the Confederates to dramatically scale up the size and mass of bombproof shelters. This bombproof was clearly large enough to shelter at least part of the garrison and ammunition.
The back side of this bombproof showed little of interest and the bombproof may be a natural back to the Heritage Preserve public area. The mass of the mound is equally clear from the front where it contrasts clearly with the much smaller mound remaining from the 1862 bombproof magazine. Unfortunately the front side of the 1863 bombproof shows signs of relic looting activity with one large hold near the road.
The area between the 1863 bombproof and the left parapet was cleared in the largest and longest effort of the day and when completed resulted in nearly two acres of open space, about half of it sheltered beneath large trees. The shaded area runs from the top of the 1862 bombproof to the parapet, which is studded with large trees. The only artifact located that day was found here, a period brick fragment. This area was very heavily overgrown with small second growth dating from the hurricane in 1989 which opened up the tree canopy and the time slightly later when the area use as a horse pen was abandoned. A small metal barn was uncovered set against the inside back wall of the left salient. This barn is of recent construction, but was completely lost in the undergrowth.
As work in this area progress a major problem developed with the debris which soon covered nearly all the area between the bombproofs, perhaps half an acre. Plans are to bring a grinder next time and chip the debris as they are removed, using the byproduct to cover paths planned for the site. By day's end over half the effort was being expended getting the debris away from the work area. Some was dragged across the road to be hauled away by the James Island PSD along with the material removed from that side of the road. The rest will have to either be burned or shredded on site.
Image right - Working within the left salient, volunteers contemplate a grape vine tangle and their sore backs at 3:30 before the final push.
The remaining parapet on the left was larger, being at least 10 feet high and higher in some places. Almost all the area to the rear of the fort was cleared. Portions of the right flank wall appear to have eroded into the adjacent creek and erosion control measures will be needed to prevent further losses there. Contrary to earlier belief, the area behind the Fort appeared quite dry despite several days of rain. There does not appear to be a serious drainage problem on the site.
The work completed on Feb. 15 now provides the surveyor or visitor with a sense of what the Fort was like. Most of the students of the Battle were impressed with the size, which seems larger than expected. In fact the Fort is considerably wider than the immediate approach to its front, a major source of its strength during the war. The view over the parapet makes the security of the fort's flanks obvious. The work remaining involves the clearing of the killing ground before the Fort and the dry moat, which is still clearly defined. Though eroded, the Fort is still imposing in size and position and everyone present felt they grasped the battle action better after having worked on the battery that day.
Image left - Doug Shauer, 27th. S.C. Reenactors looks macho with a bush ax, you too can be a hero on March 1.
The next work day on the Fort will be March 1. With a similar volunteer showing, the ground should be cleared in less than a full day before the warm weather and snake activity become a problem. After having experienced the tremendous density of the undergrowth, everyone present was adamant that they wanted to finish clearing before it got warm. If you can assist with finishing the clearing work on March 1, please bring your gloves and pitch in. Chris Judge of the Department of Natural Resources seemed impressed with the dedication of the workers and the amount which got done. The discoveries about the site are already supporting a revision of plans for how the site can be laid out. The clearing will also facilitate a detailed survey of the fort as it now exists, which may begin during the next work day. The clearing was also a lot of fun, the kind of hard, honest shared work that builds a sense of community as did the barn raisings of our past.
Work will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 1st. Carpool to the site if possible to conserve limited parking. Bring your own lunch and drinks. All this work is being done by hand, so bring gloves and hand tools.
Website Editor's Note:
Our Mapquest Interactive Atlas Link pinpoints Battery Lamar on an interactive landscape that allows the user to zoom in and out. Location Map - Fort Lamar Heritige Preserve. Due to computer mapping limitations, the Battery is slightly further up the road than indicated.
The Battery has been placed under police observation and the clearing will make it easier to monitor. Both the Department of Natural Resources and local law enforcement are working to protect the site. Several local volunteers are also watching. It is believed that most of the relics on the site were detected and removed years ago and the hope is to prevent further damage from digging. Chris Judge assured everyone that the recently strengthened state laws applicable to the property will be strictly enforced.
Web note: the background of this page was derived from a photograph of the cleanup area after work was finished Feb. 15