The city of Charleston was originally called Charles Towne, in honor of King Charles of England. The king granted the Carolinas to eight of his friends who were known as the Lords Proprietor with the knowledge that they would settle the region. In 1670 the settlement began on the banks of the Ashley River. The city grew as a shipping port. By 1680, the settlement was located several miles southeast of its original location.

Charles Towne was frequently attacked by Spain and France, who deeply resented England’s possession of the area. In addition, Spain and France also used Native Americans and pirates to continue their harassment. The residents of Charles Towne built a fortification wall around the settlement to make it more defensible.

By the 1750s Charleston had become a major seaport behind only Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

During the American Revolution, Charles Towne was a main target of the British. The British assumed they had a strong Loyalist following in Charles Towne, but each attack failed when the Loyalists did not or could not rush to the aid of England. British ships used the church steeples as targets. Soldiers of the Continental Army painted the steeples black, making them difficult to see at night.

On June 28, 1776 General Henry Clinton with a force of about 2000 men and a naval squadron tried to capture Charles Towne, again with hopes of support from Loyalists. No help from the Loyalist came. The members of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment turned back the British at Fort Moultrie, which was not yet a completed fort. The artillery simply wasn't able to penetrate the thick palmetto logs being used in the construction of the fort’s walls.

General Clinton returned in 1780 with a force of 14,000 men. After a lengthy battle, the city fell to the overwhelming number of British. American General Benjamin Lincoln was trapped and forced to surrender his 5400-man force. This was the greatest loss America experienced during the American Revolution. Charles Towne was in the hands of the British until December 1782. After the British left, the name was changed to Charleston in 1783.

South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860. On January 9, 1861, cadets from the Citadel fired the first shots of the war when they opened fire on the Union ship, Star of the West, as it was entering Charleston Harbor. On April 12, 1861 General Pierre Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, using shore-based batteries. After a 34-hour bombardment, the Union officer, Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Some of these ground batteries were manned by cadets of the Citadel, also. The cadets of the Citadel earned eight battle streamers and one service streamer for its loyalty and service to South Carolina during the Civil War.

On the night of February 17, 1864, a most unusual thing happened in Charleston Harbor. There in the night the USS Housatonic simply exploded and sank! It was sent to the bottom by the Confederacy’s newest ship, called a submarine, the H.L. Hunley! Though the Hunley sank also, it made history by being the first submarine to sink a ship in wartime.

In 1886 an earthquake registering 7.5 on the Richter scale struck Charleston, damaging 2000 buildings and causing 6 million dollars in damage.

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