Palmetto Outdoor Center

History Tour - Capitals on Fire!

History Tour - Capital's on Fire!

Map of This Tour

• Bring the Whole Family and Join Us for a Tour of Columbia.
• All Paths are Paved Making it Easy for Children and Accessible by Wheelchair.
• Children Under 6 are FREE of Charge!
• Great for School Field Trips or Youth Groups.
• Stand on the Ground Sherman Stood Before Destroying and Setting Columbia Ablaze.
• You Guide Will Read From Primary Source About a War that Pitted Brother Against Brother in America's Bloodiest War!
• Discover Why Columbia was the End of Sherman's "Total War" Campaign Against the South.

In February of 1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman and 60,000 men stood on the banks of West Columbia looking at the State Capital.  On his command, the Federalist artillery gunners released their thunderous fury upon a crippled confederacy in an effort to further decimate the confederate morale.  In a few hours time, the Confederate General, Joseph Wheeler had fled the capital and General Sherman and the Federalist Army controlled the city which they burned to the ground ending their "total war" campaign.  The Federalist reveled at the devastation with confidence that the war would soon be over.  Confederate General Joseph Johnston wrote, "When I learned that Sherman’s army was marching through the Salk swamps, making its own corduroy roads at the rate of a dozen miles a day, I made up my mind that there had been no such army in existence since the days of Julius Caesar." Southern treason cried for mercy after a craving of personal objectives were inflicted upon the state that fired shots of Southern secession. Adorned with awards from the North but scorned with hatred from the South, General Sherman will forever be immortalized as a man who united the nation but lost his Southern Gem, which he beloved the most.  Check Out the Calendar for the Next Tour!

Tour Details:

For the Civil War's Sesquicentennial, Palmetto Outdoor Center will be offering a tour on the same ground Sherman's troops stood as they battled for the capital.   Focusing on the Historical background of the Industrial Arm to Columbia and the rampant effects of the Civil War. We will also be highlighting a specific region once formally referred to as Brookland or “New Brookland,” a city leveled to ashes after torrents of fiery flames engulfed the community. Familiarize yourself with Columbia’s Three Rivers Region, and discover the rich history that makes Columbia so unique and beautiful. Enjoy Historical markers, relics, and landmarks, alongside the narrative voice of our accredited historians! Check Out our Map for Details.

Your Adventure Waits in the Palmetto State!

Our Calendar

Tour Rates

Tour Map

Tour Photos

Highlighted Along theTour...

• Clearly Mark Placard Along the Paths
• Sherman's March Through the South
• Whitewater Fall Line Cutting Through the City
• Birth of the Mill Town Brooklyn
• Facts on the Three Rivers Region of Columbia
• Sunken Remains of the S.S. Columbia
• World’s first Electrically driven Textile Mill!
• History of Gervais St. Bridge and It's Predecessor, Set Ablaze in 1865
• Friday’s Ferry, The Only Way to Fly
• The Nationally Registered Guignard Brick Works
• Devastating Fire in March 2, 1905
• Newly Paved Paths that is Energizing Tourism to the State
• The Congaree Rivers First Boardwalk
• Wheelchair Accessible Outcrops

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