Your statement "I expect the City of Charleston and the State of South Carolina did not fund the project" is just flat out wrong and a function of your wishful thinking rather than fact.
After the allocation of funds in the act, according to Coker, ..."private and public agencies fought over who would control the project."
Work ceased.
"By now, Gourdin (Henry Gourdin, President Charleston Chamber of Commerce) had made deepening the harbor channel a personal cause, and refused to let the matter die. He managed to get legislative support for a new harbor commission that proposed using a new machine invented by Nathaniel H. Leeby of Charleston. Leeby's concept for dredging was based on his patented centrifugal pump that was used to drain rice fields."
And specifically here is where you are wrong:
"In 1853, the Charleston City Council pledged $45,000 to purchase a Patent Steam Dredge Machine from Jason C. Osgood of Troy, New York, who had designed the first hopper dredge in the United States....The State also chipped in, and the dredgeboat A.H. Bowman, named for the engineer in charge of the project, arrived in July 1854."
So, it is clear that Charleston and the State FUNDED the boat and began the dredging.
And now a quote from your source:
"A significant milestone in the history of dredging occurred in 1853, when the Corps of Engineers contracted for the first hopper dredge and used it in Charleston Harbor. Although this early hopper dredge was a considerable improvement, it did not live up to expectations."
The article here is referring to the Bowman which the State of South Carolina contracted for and owned. They may have called it a "milestone" in 1853, but since the boat did not arrive until 1854 the author of this blurb is off.
Whether or not the Corps thought they were "contracting" or leasing it is a moot point since due to "mechanical and jurisdictional problems over the next year, was never able to remove more than 450 cubic yards of material per day"...which was vastly less than the original ability to remove 100 cubic yards per hour.
Then your source makes this interesting entry:
"The Corps replaced it in 1857 with the General Moultrie, a hopper dredge that employed a centrifugal pump and suction hose to pump up the sediment from the bottom of the harbor. Thus, the world's first hydraulic hopper dredge appeared, the prototype for all future hopper dredges."
The Corps replaced it? How would they replace it? Would the Corps have a dredge ship named the General Moultrie?
I think not. So let's revisit Coker for the answer.
"With a contract from the city (of Charleston) to dredge the channel, Charleston machinists James and Thomas Eason had the experimental dredgeboat General Moultrie built in New York, incorporating Lebby's ideas.
General Moultrie began operating in Charleston in February 1857...(it) cleared 190,000 cubic yards of silt from the channel at a price of 66cts. per cubic yard."
So, it is seen that the city of Charleston arranged for the plans, allocated the money, contracted with Charleston companies,had the ships built, and dredged the harbor. Period.
It is abundantly clear from the tone of your quoted article that the author is attempting to "borrow historical facts" to enhance the status of the story. Other comments from Coker indicate that the Corps of Engineers disagreed among themselves, meddled in the project, and according to your article tried to take credit for the project.
It is clear why the City of Charleston found it expedient to spend their own money and complete the project to their satisfaction. They were dealing with meddling federal authorities.
Actually HR585 was a request for an additional Federal appropriation to lower the bar in Charleston harbor. I'd hate to think that Federal represntatives from South Carolina were trying to appropriate additional money they didn't actually need.
Your statement "I expect the City of Charleston and the State of South Carolina did not fund the project" is just flat out wrong...
No it isn't, your reading between the lines however is.
The City of Charleston was a sub-contracter to the Federal government. They spent money to buy a dredgeboat so they could bill the Federal govenement for the work the boat did. According to your own sources in 1857 the General Moultrie pumped 190,00 cubic yards of silt @ 66cents per yard. Thats roughly $125,000 dollars, more than enough to offset the cost of the dredgeboat.
-btw Federal appropriations for improvements to the Charleston Harbor have a long and illustrious history. A quick visit to Lindsey Graham's website reveals $5,000,000 appropriated for that purpose this year.