Description

Wartime Charleston, Group of Eight Scarce CDV Exterior Views 

Eight fantastically detailed outdoor views of Ft. Sumter and environs by noted local photographer H.C. Foster, Charleston taken in April 1865 during the festivities surrounding the official flag raising ceremony at Fort Sumter.

Five of the stark views reveal the crumbling casemates and makeshift interior of Fort Sumter after nearly four years of sustained bombardment. Another view shows the ruins of St. Finebar’s Church on Broad Street amidst the skeletal remains of the devastated city. Note the scaffolding put in place to commence repairs. Highlighting the vanquished Confederacy is a temporary artillery park in a shady vista showing captured Confederate ordinance parked wheel-to-wheel with rows of heavy shells marked by type and size.

The most memorable carte depicts Fort Sumter’s cluttered parade ground and flag pole bedecked in patriotic bunting in preparation for the flag raising ceremony. A gallery of invited civilian dignitaries and casually milling soldiers assemble to view the spectacle in this amazingly candid photograph. A hundred tiny soldiers and a battery of cannons appear on upper parapet with warships anchored on the horizon. On April 14, 1865, retired General Robert Anderson, the “Hero of Sumter,” symbolically hoisted the national colors over the remains of the post where the Civil War began. 

Provenance: Descended in the Family of Mary Crovatt Hambidge

Condition

CDV’s uniformly VG. with sharp edges and strong corners. Albumens are crystal clear with strong detail and contrast.