The Battery (Charleston)


The Battery is a landmark defensive seawall and promenade in Charleston, South Carolina. Named for a civil-war coastal defense artillery battery at the site, it stretches along the lower shores of the Charleston peninsula, bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which meet here to form Charleston harbor.

Location

Historically, it has been understood to extend from the beginning of the seawall at the site of the former Omar Shrine Temple to the intersection of what is now Murray Boulevard and King Street. The higher part of the promenade, paralleling East Battery, as the street is known south of Water Street, to the intersection of Murray Boulevard, is known as High Battery. Fort Sumter is visible from the Cooper River side and from the point, as are Castle Pinckney, the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, Fort Moultrie, and Sullivan's Island.
In popular speech and in a number of unofficial guidebooks and Web sites, The Battery and White Point Garden are sometimes referred to as "Battery Park," but the park and seawall promenade are not regarded by the City of Charleston as a single entity, and the term "Battery Park" is not an official designation.

History

Fort Broughton and Fort Wilkins occupied White or Oyster Point, so named because of the piles of bleached oyster shells on the point at the tip of the peninsula. In the 18th century, rocks and heavy materials were used to fortify the shore of the Cooper River on the eastern side of the peninsula. In 1838, this area along the seawall became a promenade. First used as a public park in 1837, the area now known as White Point Garden became a place for artillery during the American Civil War.
Colleton Bastion was located near the intersection of Water and Meeting Streets. During the Siege of Charleston, the British had to contend with Fort Johnson, Broughton's Battery, Dorrell's Fort, Wilkins' Fort, and Gibbs' Fort. During the Quasi-War Fort Mechanic stood where the current Edmondston-Alston House is now located. During the Civil War, Battery Ramsay occupied White Point Garden.

Architecture

As a tourist destination, the Battery is famous for its stately, mainly antebellum homes. Included among the grand houses are the Louis DeSaussure House, the Roper House, the William Ravenel House, the Edmondston-Alston House, the Charles Drayton House, the George Chisolm House, the Villa Margherita, the William Washington House, the Col. John A.S. Ashe House, the James Spear House, and the Col. John Ashe House.

The Battery today

In 2004, a structural report by the City of Charleston showed that the Battery was suffering serious problems and could fail to protect the southeastern portion of the city during hurricanes. In 2012, the City announced that a $3.2 million restoration project would soon commence at the juncture of High Battery and Low Battery.