Daniel Castlebury

Enslaved workers like Daniel Castlebury were sent to the ruins of Fort Sumter throughout the Civil War.  The inhospitable conditions may have motivated his act of resistance.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.35434/

Most Americans know Fort Sumter as the place where America's deadliest conflict began. The first shots of the Civil War are covered, and argued about, in most history textbooks, documentaries, and other public works about the war.

Hidden within these historic walls, however, are smaller, more personal stories. The story of an enslaved man named Daniel Castlebury illustrates the fear that might be caused by going to Fort Sumter – an active war zone – late in the Civil War. It also adds a small chapter to the history of attempted escapes from Charleston Harbor, now recognized as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Enslavement at Fort Sumter

Throughout the war, the Confederate government forced at least 1,210 enslaved people to work at Fort Sumter. The Confederates forced enslavers to rent their human “property” to the government; in return, the enslaver would receive payment.

During Confederate occupation of Fort Sumter, six enslaved workers were recorded as killed, and 38 wounded or hospitalized, according to Confederate records digitized by the National Archives. [1] These records are not considered exhaustive by the park – the true casualty numbers for enslaved workers may be higher.

For more details on enslavement at the fort, you can check out the website article about Confederate slave payrolls at the forts of Charleston harbor.


Daniel Castlebury’s Story

Daniel Castlebury, described as “an elderly man”, was enslaved by John Adger [2]. In his memoir, written in 1899, Adger describes the Confederate government forcing him to send two of his enslaved workers to work at the forts of Charleston Harbor during the Civil War. He sent Ben Collins and Daniel Castlebury.

In 1863, US forces on nearby Morris Island began bombarding the fort, a siege which would last for about 18 months. In response, the Confederates and their enslaved workers created intricate – and hazardous – defenses inside the fort. Castlebury experienced these horrors.

According to Adger: “…the large space surrounding the ruined walls, which was covered over with brick-bats, had strong spikes of iron driven down amongst them, to sustain wires stretched from one to the other, these being intended to trip up the enemy…old Dan would stumble over the wires in his flight”.

Adger, required to send enslaved workers to the forts a second time, again selected Collins and Castlebury. Adger’s memoir again states:

“[Castlebury] was willing to go, however, if I would promise that he would not be sent to Fort Sumter. He never wanted to see that place again.”

Adger was unable to control where the Confederates sent different enslaved workers. When Castlebury was sent to Fort Sumter again, he turned up missing upon reaching the fort. He had “secreted himself” “in the hold of the vessel”, hoping to avoid detection by the Confederates.

Once he was discovered, Castlebury was forced to work a second stint at Fort Sumter.

An Uncertain Future

The remainder of Castlebury’s life is largely unknown. We can use a limited amount of information to piece aspects of his story together.

Adger specifically states that Castlebury “passed unhurt through his second service in the dangerous fort, and returned home safely…”. He contrasts Castlebury’s safe return with that of his counterpart, Ben Collins, who lost an arm because of an incoming artillery shell.

The US bombardment of the fort ended in February 1865, when Confederate forces evacuated Charleston. With the arrival of US soldiers in Charleston, local African Africans celebrated their de facto freedom. By December of 1865, the 13^th amendment, which abolished slavery, would have legally emancipated people like Castlebury. [3] [4]

Adger mentions Ben Collins’ life after slavery, stating that he ran a produce-selling business in Columbia. However, he does not mention Castlebury’s later life.

No matter how the story ended, Castlebury’s attempt at freedom is a small example of resistance among enslaved workers during the Civil War. It also illustrates why Fort Sumter is still important to us today. During the war, Fort Sumter was such a difficult place to be that Castlebury would take desperate measures to avoid it. But by war’s end, the war that began at Sumter now resulted in freedom for four million people.

Endnotes:

[1]: “Confederate Slave Payrolls Reveal Details About the Lives of African Americans During the Civil War.” National Park Service, 2022 April 23. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/confederate-slave-payrolls-charleston-harbor.htm
[2]: Adger, John. My Life and Times, 1810-1899. Whittet & Shepperson, 1899. Pp. 331-332. https://archive.org/details/mylifetimes00adge/page/330/mode/2up?view=theater
[3]: Kytle, Ethan J., and Blain Roberts. Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Heart of the Confederacy. The New Press, 2018. Pp. 41-44.
[4]: “From South Carolina. Grand Procession of Colored Loyalists.” New York Tribune, 1865 April 4. P. 6. Accessed via newspapers.com, 18 Dec. 2023. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-ny-tribune-account-m/137030650/