Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into episode 257 of our Civil War podcast. I'm Rich.

And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

As you guys were recall, when we left off last time, we just talked about the Federal

Capture of Port Royal Sound. But how the Federals were unprepared and lacked the manpower to

follow up that success with a major drive inland. And so the US Navy would use the

Port Royal bases as originally intended, that is to help tighten the blockade. And then,

when I was ready, DuPont and his sailors backed by the army when needed would settle the

North's account with the despised city of Charleston.

Charleston in fact soon suffered a catastrophe, but through no effort of the Federals. On December

11th, 1862, a fire roared through the old central part of the city, destroying 540 acres

of buildings, including St Andrews Hall, where secession had been debated, and the Institute

Hall, where South Carolina's ordnance of secession had been signed.

But the blaze had little effect on the waterfront and its docks, which continued busily loading

and unloading the many ships that ran the blockade.

At this point in time, ships running in and out of Charleston, Savannah and other southern

points continued to evade the Federal blockaders with astonishing ease. In the first year of

the war, by some estimates, nine out of ten incoming blockade runners reached Port safely.

These daring clandestine efforts were growing more numerous and sophisticated. Enterprising

southern businessmen had been busy enlarging and fine-tuning their operations, often forming

syndicates with profit-seeking British companies.

By late 1861, these trans-Atlantic partnerships had acquired numbers of merchantmen and other

vessels for conversion to blockade runners. The best were the fast, Clyde steamers from

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