North and South

We visited two plantations along the Ashley River yesterday. One, Drayton Hall, was spared the burning and looting Post Civil War mayhem ( legend is they posted a smallpox quarantine warning) and it remained in the family for 7 generations unchanged. No electricity or indoor plumbing-what remains is the mansion alone, empty but looking as it was 200 years ago-amazing. And very peaceful. Then we drove "next door" to Magnolia Plantation", which was burned and looted after the war. In fact it was rebuilt twice after starting as a huge Georgian mansion, destroyed by fire twice and now is a lovely , kinda Victorian looking English cottage. The grounds were fabulous. Can't imagine the work here. We walked a swamp path along old Carolina rice fields and saw 'gators and a snowy egret rookery up very close, slave cabins still remain as does the black families graveyard. A step back in time. Spent the morning at Ft. Sumter. The museum there is very good and definitely describes the absolute chaos that must have followed the firing of those "infamous first shots". Interesting side note. Lincoln was invited to a flag ceremony at Ft. Sumter in April 1865, but he declined, probably because of his unpopularity in Charleston , but publicly noting he had a previous engagement- theatre tickets at Ford's Theatre in Washington that night. Should have gone to Charleston!