Battery Number 5

Battery Number 5 was one of several Confederate earthworks built on the southwest portion of James Island in the summer of 1863 as an important part of the “New Line” or “Siege Line” intended to defend Charleston from Federal attacks up the Stono or Folly Rivers. This line replaced the 1861-62 lines that had run across James Island from Clark Sound to Wappoo Creek. In April 1864, Company H of the 2nd S.C. Artillery, commanded by Capt. W.H. Kennady, manned Battery Number 5 with three 24-pounder smoothbore cannon and one 12-pounder smoothbore cannon. Battery Number 5 and the rest of Charleston’s defenses were evacuated on February 17, 1865, and it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Charleston, South Carolina · United States