[BroJoeK]

FLT-bird: "Nobody would have tolerated another country holding a fortress in the middle of one of their biggest harbors."

Just so we're clear on this point: Charleston then as now was far from the South's biggest harbor.
Overall Charleston's 40,000 population ranked 22 among US cities in 1860.

Among Southern cities:

1. Baltimore was 5 times bigger than Charleston.
2. New Orleans and St. Louis were both 4 times bigger.
3. Louisville was almost twice Charleston's size.
4. Richmond & Mobile were both about the same size as Charleston.
5. Other Southern cities from Norfolk to Wilmington to Savanah, Mobile & New Orleans were all connected into the Southern railroad grid and could serve just as well as Charleston to handle Southern shipping needs.

So the idea constantly promoted by DiogenesLamp & others that Charleston was somehow unique & special is just fantasy except, of course, in the minds of Charlestonians.
They can certainly be forgiven for promoting their own city, but nobody else need buy it.

[FLT-bird]

So the idea constantly promoted by DiogenesLamp & others that Charleston was somehow unique & special is just fantasy except, of course, in the minds of Charlestonians.
They can certainly be forgiven for promoting their own city, but nobody else need buy it.

Look at the value of the goods flowing out of Charleston. Only New Orleans was more important in terms of ports in the original 7 seceding states.