General View of the Harbor and the City of Charleston, S.C. – From a Sketch by Our Special Artist.
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, December 8, 1860
The beautiful city of Charleston, which we illustrate this week, is the largest city of South Carolina, and is situated on a tongue of land, bounded on either side by the rivers Ashley and Cooper, which, joining at the extreme outward point, form a large and beautiful bay, which communicates with the ocean at Sullivan’s Island, seven miles below. It was founded in 1672. In 1687 a large company of French Huguenots, flying from religious persecution, landed at Charleston, and made it their permanent residence, and from this noble stock are descended many of the first families in the city. It was incorporated as a city in 1783, and played a glorious part in the following Revolutionary struggle. History mentions no more gallant action than the victory gained by Colonel Moultrie and his four hundred gallant volunteers who
repelled and badly beat a British squadron of nine ships, making it retreat with much damage and severe loss of life, before the well-served guns of Fort Moultrie. Charleston has suffered immense losses by fire, the loss at one, in 1838, being over five millions of dollars; but she has great recuperative powers, and the beautiful city comes out still more beautiful after each desolating disaster.
The ground on which the city of Charleston is built is some eight or nine feet above high water-mark. The tide rises about six feet, and passing, like the tide of our Hudson and East Riven, on either side of the city, preserves it pure and healthy. The streets are laid out in lines running parallel with each other from the Cooper to the Ashley Rivers, and are intersected almost at right angles by others. Many of the streets are very broad, varying from sixty to seventy feet in width. One of the most delightful features of the city is the abundance of beautiful shade trees which line the streets of the Palmetto City, serving the double purpose of screening the pedestrian from the rays of the summer sun and of an ornament of rare and unequalled beauty.
The public buildings of the city were planned on a liberal scale. They are remarkable for architectural beauty, and for the solidity of their structure. Not only are the Government buildings particularly worthy of notice, but the banking-houses, churches, public institutions, hotels and private mansions are rich in their architecture and spacious in their accommodation.
Charleston is a great resort for strangers, not only for the salubrity of its climate, but for the charming case, the hospitality and the refined and elegant tone which prevails in every class of its society. The commerce of Charleston is very considerable, not only by the marine, but inland, by means of the several railroads which centre in the city.