Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863

by Stephen R. Wise

Known for sharply affecting the Civil War's outcome, the Charleston campaign of 1863 included the assault on Battery Wagner, so vividly depicted at the culmination of the film "Glory." Stephen R. Wise vividly re-creates the campaign in Gate of Hell, and his retelling of the battle pits not only black against white and North against South but also army against navy. Wise contends that the significance of the campaign extends beyond its outcome, arguing that an understanding of the strategy used at Charleston is vital to understanding the very nature of the Civil War.

Lasting almost two months and resulting in thousands of casualties, the campaign began as a joint army-navy operation. Wise continues to follow the campaign through the capture of Battery Wagner and near-demolition of Fort Sumter to its final days, when the Confederates prevented Union forces from entering the port city. Wise describes the campaign as a major testing ground for African-American troops and attributes Lincoln's expansion of African-American recruitment to the admirable performance of the 54th Massachusetts. Wise ultimately concludes that the skill, and in some cases foolish theatrics, of the campaign's leaders determined the course of the campaign.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, Military Fiction, History

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Stephen R. Wise is the director of the museum and the Cultural Resource Manager for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC. A native of Toledo, Ohio, Dr. Wise received his bachelor degree from Wittenberg University; a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Manray9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Wise's Gate of Hell is a detailed assessment of the Union's combined arms campaign to capture the seedbed of secession, Charleston, in the summer of 1863. It is well-written, informative and accompanied by a fine selection of photographs, superior hand-drawn maps and schematic plans of key fortifications important during the fighting. Dr. Wise also appended tables with full ground and naval orders of battle for both Confederate and Federal units at differing junctures throughout the fighting.

The campaign was not decisive. The Union forces ultimately failed to take Charleston – and as with so many other such operations, the army blamed the navy and the navy the army. The failure provided an uplifting victory for the South in the aftermath of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Federal focus on coastal South Carolina did prevent Union naval units from conducting operations against Mobile and Wilmington until 1864. The navy's single complete squadron of ironclad monitors was occupied for almost one year off Charleston, but in being so it effectively ended the city's preeminence as a Southern blockade-running port. Perhaps the most important impact of the campaign was in providing a theater for the first extensive use of black and white Union troops together in combat. African-American soldiers won the endorsements of many skeptical officers by their performance on James and Morris Islands. The assault of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry on Battery Wagner on 18 July was a shining moment in the history of American arms.

The 1863 campaign against Charleston saw a number of tactical and technological innovations in warfare: employment of an armada of ironclad monitors, combined naval and ground artillery bombardments coordinated by signals, sophisticated use of three types of landmines (torpedoes, as they were known then), employment of searchlights (Union calcium lights, called “limelights”), use of observation balloons, a shift from masonry to earthwork fortifications, and long-range artillery fire using compass sightings and timed-fire techniques. Dr. Wise explored all these developments and others too. Gate of Hell is worthy of a strong Three Stars, but it is slightly undermined by too many typographical errors and misspellings.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine study of a campaign that is famous for only one thing: the charge of the 54th Massachusetts, made iconic in sculpture and film. The larger story though is compelling. This was one of the more "modern" campaigns of the Civil War. Wise's prose is direct and fair. I would have liked more about Du Pont's naval attack, but really this is about Battery Wagner and the reduction of Fort Sumter. That being said, the end seems sudden. Dahlgren would not make a naval attack and Gillmore, who was lauded for his engineering talent, would not make a major infantry attack on other forts. The whole thing seemed to end through loss of will. The result was a campaign barren of results. Blockade runners shifted to Wilmington and Charleston remained Rebel until the war was all but over.

[Phillip Steinmetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and detailed account about the Union campaign to take Charleston and Fort Sumter, as well as the abortive attempts to storm Battery Wagner. This was veery interesting and informative. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Civil War history or military history in general.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with excellent descriptions of the campaign for Charleston. Pretty easy read with lots of entertaining stories to keep the reader interested. One of the few books to shed light on the Charleston campaign and the department of the south.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good account of a campaign that has not much coverage or accounts, due no doubt to it being a Union failure. I liked that the book wasn't overly focused on the 54th Massachusetts, but that it also gave a good account of the "Grand Assault", and that there were other regiments that charged as well, and that the assault was only one day of several months of fighting and artillery duels. It seems possible that the naval engagements and decisions were possibly neglected in this book, and probably covered better in other accounts.