Battle of James Island

The Battle of Secessionville (or the Battle of James Island) on June 16, 1862, was the defeat of the only Union attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, by land during the American Civil War.

Battle

In early June 1862, Maj. Gen. David Hunter transported Horatio G. Wright's and Isaac I. Stevens's Union divisions under immediate direction of Brig. Gen. Henry Benham to James Island where they entrenched at Grimball's Landing near the southern flank of the Confederate defenses. The Union forces, under the command of Brig. Gen. Benham, landed 6,500 men from the 3rd New Hampshire, 8th Michigan, 7th Connecticut, 28th Massachusetts, and 79th New York "Highlanders" on the southeastern end of James Island, and marched toward Charleston. However, "Shanks" Evans, who commanded less than half that number of Confederate forces, made up of troops from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, met the Northern troops at a fort at Secessionville commanded by Colonel T. G. Lamar and routed them.

Aftermath

The Union suffered 683 casualties (107 dead), compared to 204 (52 dead) by the Confederates. Although the battle was minor, it served as a powerful propaganda victory, increasing morale particularly in Charleston and offsetting recent Confederate losses in the Western Theater.

Benham had acted against orders in attempting to take James Island, and he was subject to a court martial after the loss. Although the numbers involved were small, the stakes were high. The Union would continue to attempt to starve and attack Charleston for the rest of the war, and, had they succeeded, the "Fort Lamar" at Secessionville (which had been named not for the secession of South Carolina, but for an earlier attempt of some plantation owners to rebel) would have controlled the harbor.

References

* Foote, Shelby, "The Civil War, A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville", Random House, 1958, ISBN 0-394-49517-9.

External links

* [http://www.schistory.org/displays/CivilWar/Secessionville/Secessionville.html The South Carolina Historical Society page on the battle]
* [http://www.awod.com/gallery/probono/cwchas/lamar.html A history of the battle]
* [http://www.battleofsecessionville.org Re-enactment of the Battle of Secessionville]