Recently, Thomas Jefferson Stubbs 2523 Conroe Chapter member, Beckie Endebrock and her husband Don, visited the southern historic city of Charleston, South Carolina. They had many places they wanted to visit, within a limit span of time. Most everyone knows, that the first shot of the War Between the States was fired on Fort Sumter. The Endebrock’s enjoyed a tour of Fort Sumter, learning that the fort sits in the middle of Charleston Harbor and is very close to Fort Moultrie, where much fighting also took place in the WBTS.
The Endebrock’s visited the museum that houses the H. L. Hunley, the Confederate submarine. There had been two Hunley’s before the 3rd attempt to make it out to sea actually happened. On the night of February 17, 1864, the Hunley was successful in sinking an enemy warship, the USS Housatonic. The sub was powered by a hand cranked crew of eight, they surfaced, signaled to shore and were headed for the harbor. The Hunley never made it back home, it was found in 1995 on the seabed about four miles off the coast of Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, lying on its starboard side, buried in about 3 feet of sediment. The bow of the Hunley was pointed towards the shore. The Hunley laid there untouched by the devastating 1886 earthquake that hit Charleston and at least four hurricanes from 1893 to 1989.
Another visit took them to the St. Michael’s Anglican Church, which is located near Meeting and Broad Streets in the historic area. This church was built between 1751 and 1761, survived the many hurricanes and the earthquake. Many notable people have worshipped there over the years and set in Pew 43, two of those folks were…George Washington in 1791 and General Robert E. Lee in 1861. There is a Book of Remembrance inside the church, which Mrs. Endebrock was looking for the name of a Confederate soldier, Oliver Hering Middleton, there is a plaque on the wall honoring the young man. He was a member of the prominent Middleton family of Charleson and served in an elite Confederate unit during the WBTS…the Charleston Light Dragoons. He was killed during the war on May 31, 1864 at the age of 18.
Another most interesting place was the former Citadel Military College building, which now houses the Embassy Suites in the Charleston Historic District. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Buildings and is located on Meeting Street on the site of the original Citadel. This was a state arsenal built in 1829 and was converted into the Military Academy in 1842. Union tropps occupied the Academy in 1865.
Charleson, South Carolina is a fabulous historic place to visit. The Stubbs Chapter is in the Texas Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Article by Eva Rains, Publicity Chairman for the Stubbs Chapter, the picture by Don Endebrock