The old way to travel to Folly Beach, early 20th Century...Before the roads were improved in 1920...Back then the drivers made their own roads... ROUTE TO FOLLY BEACH FEATUREFUL Mr. James Allan directs attention to some of the historic places, on and near the Highway through James Island - Headquarters of Southern Department of the Union Army was on Folly during the War Between the States. (Reprinted at the instance of the Central Labor Union from The Sunday News of April 12, 1925) [Maebelle’s note - some information was added and some deleted I am going to add the first section from his article written on April 12, 1925 here and then continue with this one published in the News and Courier May 31, 1925.] Mr. James Allan Points to Some of the Interesting Places Along Highway News and Courier, April 12, 1925 To the Editor of The News and Courier: Yesterday I rode down to Folly, and today I wanted to write you about that trip. I have made many trips to Folly before, but the trip of yesterday stands out in my memory as the most inspiring I have ever made in this low country. There is a never ending joy in the trip to Folly, ?? another road, beautiful woods, picturesque scenery. In so many places so reminiscent of (Sydney) Lanier’s Marshes of Glynn, where he says “Vanishing, swerving, evermore curving again into sight. Softly the sand beach wavers away to a dim gray looping of light” and then the long smooth stretch of the beach and the restful reach of the waters. But yesterday, I was seeking other things, I was looking at the country and seeing the things that had happened along, or so close to this road to Folly; things that my generation do not know or have forgotten, or have in the march of events overlooked. Things that meant so much to our fathers, which have meant so much to us and will mean more and more as the years go by to our children’s children. And so yesterday I made this trip thinking of these things and seeing the things I saw, and I want to tell you some of those things in order that others who, like myself, have only enjoyed this trip because of its present day loveliness might love this road as a holy thing sacred to the vision and deeds of valor that have preserved our city and our State and have had their great influence on our nation........[and now continuing with the article in the May 31, 1925 newspaper....] The trip to Folly Island, one of the most unique and picturesque of the many interesting trips through the low country surrounding Charleston. To the traveler interested in the history of the Old South from the days when the Spaniards with their headquarters at St. Augustine, Florida, harassed the Colonists of the English King, who was attempting to establish themselves on this continent at Charles Town through the stirring days of the Revolution and the heartbreaking days of the Civil War, when brother fought against brother in our national tragedy of 1861-1865; this trip possesses the most gripping and seductive charm. Almost every foot of the road way leading from Charleston to Folly Island is pregnant with historic significance. The barricades, batteries, earthworks, entrenchments and the cuts and creeks leading through the bosom of the marshes cry out to the God of Battles, and coupled with this the peacefulness of the trees and the marsh grasses, as a solemn shroud seem to dedicate this trip to the departed souls of the makers of a continent and to the death struggles of those who, at all times have been ready and willing to make even the supreme sacrifice that their ideals might be preserved, their homes kept inviolate and their sacred honor untarnished. From the St. Andrew’s Parish end of the causeway after passing over the Ashley River bridge, the first point of historic interest is reached by taking a road only about two hundred yards from the end of this causeway and to the left. This road is alongside the Eastern boundary of what is known as the Harrison farm. By taking this road leading to the left and traveling about three-quarters of a mile, you come to a point known in olden days as Albemarle Point, located just at the juncture of Wappoo Creek and the Ashley River. This is one of the most interesting spots that is connected with the early history of this whole country, because it was probably at this identical spot that the very first house that marked the settlement of Charles Town by the English in 1670 was erected. Although unmarked, the spot is easily located. Here were the headquarters of Colonel William Sayle from which spot he directed the settlement at Old Town Creek, just a little farther up the Ashley River, of those who had come with him from England, and from this spot he allotted the various parcels of land along the west side of the Ashley River to those who braved the unknown dangers of this new land and came here to start life and to help build a continent. This spot is on a high bluff over looking the river and surrounded by marsh. Safe on all sides from the approach of Indians, accessible to the sea. Standing on this high bluff one has a wonderful view of our great harbor on the one hand and a gorgeous view of the industry of our truck farmers on the other. Returning from this spot to the main highway, the next point of vital interest is the road turning off from the St. Andrew’s Parish Road to the road leading across Wappoo Creek, or what is now known as the Folly Beach Road. About one hundred and forty-five years ago, this very road was crowded with traffic, such perhaps as we do not see even today on a Fourth of July afternoon, for it was this road that the British took when they besieged Charles Town. Sir Henry Clinton, after taking up his headquarters at Fenwick Hall on John’s Island, moved his forces over to James Island, came down the King’s Highway and then sent a portion of his forces down the continuation of the King’s Highway to capture Fort Johnson, and the remainder of his forces moved down to Wappoo Creek, crossed the creek at practically the exact spot where the Wappoo Creek bridge now stands, continued across into St. Andrew’s Parish and to the site of old Charles Town, at Old Town Creek, and from thence crossed over the Ashley River to Gibbes Landing, just north of the present home of Mr. Santos Sottile, and thence besieged Charles Town from the north. Charleston at that time extending only as far north as Vanderhorst Street, and the headquarters of General Leslie, one of the British commanders, being then located at what is now the intersection of Rutledge Avenue and Congress Street. It does not take much imagination to picture the straining horses hauling artillery, the red-coated officers, the marching infantry, pouring down this road, bent on the capture of our old Charles Town, at that time defended by only a handful of soldiers assisted by gallant old men, women and children. And while these soldiers were crossing Wappoo Creek, the British were bringing from the Stono River, through Elliott’s Cut, their heavier munitions of was and were transporting these heavier munitions on flats through Elliott’s Cut, Wappoo Creek, and thence up the west side of the Ashley River to Old Town Creek, wherein above referred to Elliott’s Cut was dug by Col. Elliott in 1777, in order to shorten the long trip from Charles Town into the Stono River, at that time necessary on account of the windings of Wappoo Creek. And so within one mile of the end of the causeway leading from the Ashley River bridge into St. Andrew’s Parish is the site of the first settlement of the British in 1670, and the road over which the British forces moved to besiege Charleston in 1780. Crossing the Wappoo Creek bridge and immediately after leaving this bridge, you come to a road leading into what is now known as the Wappoo Country Club, and by taking this road to the left into the Country Club, and traveling up to the site of the Country Club, we find the Club House erected on the very crest of a battery that was used by the Confederate forces in 1861-1865 as one of the inner defenses to Charleston Harbor. This battery was known as Battery Means, and was named after a gallant Governor of this State, Col. John Hugh Means, who was killed in the second Battle of Manassas. This is a beautiful spot overlooking the harbor, and at dusk, with the shadows slowly creeping over the face of the waters, with the winding marshes in front and the lights in the distance, the new club surmounting and taking advantage of this glory, reminds one of a fairy castle in the land of dreams. Returning from the Battery Means to what we now call the Folly Beach Road, and proceeding towards Folly along this road about one-tenth of a mile, we come to a road to the right that is now designated “To Wappoo Hall”. By taking this road to the right and traveling almost directly west for about a mile and three-quarters, you come to a house now owned by Mr. Arthur Johnston, and located on one of the most beautiful and historic spots in this country. It overlooks the Stono River and in almost the front yard of this home is an old fort used by the Confederates and known as Fort Pemberton. This fort is in a remarkable state of preservation and is of tremendous size. It was the great western defense to any approach from the Stono over James Island, and guarded also the entrance to Elliott’s Cut, not a half-mile from this spot. There is a moat surrounding this fort and a path leading up into it that gives one a commanding view of the beautiful stretches of the Stono. The old maps show that the British had a battery at about this same spot, evidently to protect their forces from surprise by way of Elliott’s Cut from the Continental forces. Returning to the Folly Beach Road and proceeding towards Folly, the next point of interest, while not historical, is a road about six-tenths of a mile from the road to Wappoo Hall. This road comes into the Folly Beach Road when proceeding to Folly from the left and marks the southern boundary of the Wappoo Country Club. By taking this road and riding into it a little way, one obtains a panoramic view of the new golf links with the club house in the distance, which is a very beautiful sight. Almost exactly two miles from the Wappoo Creek bridge, the Folly Beach Road crosses almost at right angles the old King’s Highway. This is located at what is known now as Centerville, which is represented by a few negro shanties. It was from the west down this King’s Highway that the British forces marched coming into Charleston, and it was at this spot that the forces were divided, a portion continuing down the King’s Highway to Fort Johnson and the other portion crossing Wappoo Creek. Fort Johnson is at the eastern terminal of the King’s Highway and is several miles from the Folly Beach Road. At Fort Johnson today is located the quarantine station. This is one of the most interesting of all the spots around Charleston. Fort Johnson is the very first fort that was erected to guard the entrance to Charleston Harbor. It antedates Fort Moultrie by almost three quarters of a century and Fort Sumter by more that a century and a half. Fort Johnson was originally constructed in 1701 under the orders of Sir Nathaniel Johnson, at that time Governor under the Lords Proprietors, and was designed to resist any attacks by the Spaniards on the infant colony at Charles Town. The original fort was evidently designed by Edward Crisp, who, during the same year constructed the defenses around Charleston - the Granville, Cartaret and Half Moon bastions, etc. This fort was extended during the time of the Revolution and took a minor part in the Battle of Fort Moultrie, when the British under Sir Peter Parker, on June 28, 1776, attacked Fort Moultrie in an effort to capture Charleston. It is interesting, at this point, to note that the attack on Fort Moultrie was made exactly six days before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. When the British evacuated Charleston at the close of the Revolution they destroyed old Fort Johnson and only a portion of this very ancient fort remains. However, the fort used by the Confederated in the Civil War, and also known as Fort Johnson, is still easily discernible, and its gallant aid in the defense of Charleston Harbor and its association with the very earliest settlement here, coupled with its unsurpassed view of the beauties of this harbor, should make it a mecca for those who live here and for the visitors who come to see one of the cradles of American liberties. It was from this point that the first shot of the Civil War was fired at 4 o’clock of the morning of April 12, 1861. After returning from Fort Johnson to the Folly Beach Road, where such road intersects the King’s Highway, and proceeding towards Folly, about a mile and a quarter from the King’s Highway, and at the end of the red surfacing, you come to a fork in the road. This fork is located by the church, immediately to the left, and this road leads through battlefields and breastworks directly to the site of the battle of Secessionville - the battle that meant so much to Charleston and the entire South. The right-hand fork goes directly to Folly Beach, the left-hand fork (not the road by the church) goes to Secessionville. Just after turning into the fork leading to Secessionville and not two-tenths of a mile from the Folly Beach Road, there are wonderful earthworks, used by the Confederate forces from 1862 to the close of the Civil War. These earthworks are today in a remarkable state of preservation, and literally traverse the country in unbroken line from this point almost to the site of Secessionville. In order to reach the site of the Battle of Secessionville, after taking the left-hand fork, you bear to the left at each turn and about two miles from the fork reach Secessionville, where a monument has been erected. Immediately back of the monument is old Fort Lamar, one of the great defenses to Charleston, now in a horrible state of repair, with ugly little negro cabins built inside of and even on top of the old fort. Surely a giant, such as this was, is entitled to crumble into dust, if crumble it must, with some more visible respect to its ancient glory than to be infected with negro urchins and unsightly huts. But even today, standing on the battlements of old Fort Lamar and gazing in the direction of Folly, one cannot but be thrilled with the grandeur of the sight. A broad field stretching down to the marshes of Folly River, just behind the marshes is Folly Island, where the Northern forces, in 1862, were encamped. To the right and behind were the bristling breastworks of the Confederacy, and on this battlefield the soldiers of the North and the soldiers of the South were to battle for the things which each held dear. It was at this spot that the Northern forces were checked, where the gallant Johnson Hagood, arriving when the Confederate forces, under Colonel Lamar, were in desperate straits, turned the tide of battle and gave to Charleston safety from attack by land from this direction. It was in two weeks time after this battle that all Union troops were removed from James Island and withdrawn to Folly Island. You can return to the Folly Beach Road from Secessionville by bearing constantly to the left and can reach it by the river road, just where the causeway commences, and about two miles nearer than where you had taken the fork. The next point of interest is on the island where the toll gate is located and known as Sol Legare’s Island. Here a small engagement was had about ten days before the battle of Secessionville, resulting in an advantage for the Union forces. The next point of interest before reaching Folly is the Folly River, immediately before arriving on the island. In this river the Union forces maintained a picket line, outposts to guard the great force of Union troops on Folly Island. Gen. Q. A. Gilmore, who was in command of the Union forces on Folly, and also in command of the Southern Departments, leaves a map which would indicate that on or about the spot now occupied by Mr. Ladson LaBruce was a battery to protect Folly from any advances up the Folly River. There is a distinct line of breastworks extending from one end of the island to the other, but the exact spot of the location of this battery can only be surmised. By taking the Old Military Road, one of the most beautiful drives in this country, which winds in and out among breastworks, water oaks, sand hills and palm trees, one is impressed with the perfect screening afforded any movements on this road, and if the trip is continued along this road to the eastern end of the island, it is found to lead up to a tremendous battery at that point. This road played an important part in the drama of the War Between the States. It was so well covered that Confederate pickets and spies did not realize that a tremendous ‘battery’ armed with forty-seven guns, was being constructed at the East end of the island until the morning when these guns opened on and drove the Confederate forces away from the West end of Morris Island and made it possible for the Northern troops to land and move over to Morris Island. It is indeed more remarkable that so gallant and able a soldier as the Irish patriot, Capt. J. G. Mitchel (uncle of the late J Purroy Mitchel of New York) who commanded the Confederate forces, on the western end of Morris Island, should never have known that this tremendous battery was being erected, and it shows how completely screened this Old Military Road was from hostile observation. In the early days of the Colonies, some time prior to 1716, many pirates infested this coast, having their headquarters on these sea islands, and numerous parties have searched for buried treasure on Folly Island. The entire trip is a golden one, redolent with its historic atmosphere, a smooth road, picturesque landscape - in so many places reminiscent of Lanier’s “Marshes of Glynn” - “and then the long, smooth stretch of the beach and the restful reach of the great ocean”. (Reprinted with permission of James Allen)
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:02:58 +0000
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