RACE AND INJUSTICE ON FOLLY, CIRCA 1864
During the Civil War struggles for control of Charleston Harbor, three regiments of African-American Union soldiers were stationed on Folly Beach. Racial inequality was not only a trait of life in the American South—the Federal government was notoriously slow to pay their black soldiers, and they were often assigned the most laborious and dangerous jobs. After one black soldier stationed on Folly with the 55th Massachusetts regiment was accused of mutiny in June 1864, his fellow soldiers were ordered to execute him.
In this photograph, another soldier—this time accused of theft—is forced to walk the “rogue’s march” through camp. Note the accompanying musicians.
Photo by Haas & Peale, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Many images like this one are included in Stratton Lawrence’s book, Images of America: Folly Beach. To purchase your own personalized signed copies, delivered to your home on Folly Beach, or to share a photo and story for next month’s Folly Flashback column, email Stratton at strattonlawrence@gmail.com.
