A look at baseball during its earliest years in Columbia including the city’s first organized game, the first games at the State Fair, and some of the early amateur teams in South Carolina’s capital city.
by Paul Armstrong
Prior
to the Civil War, there was at least a basic awareness of baseball in South
Carolina, and the newspapers around the state reported on the northern clubs
playing the “national game”.1,26,47 However, those in the Palmetto
State who had the time and resources primarily pursued other leisure activities
such as marksmanship, archery, horse racing, fives (similar to handball),
boxing, wrestling, etc. If baseball was played in the state before the war, it
was probably in informal, pick-up games and not between organized teams.
The
Civil War gave South Carolinians direct exposure to the game of baseball in several
ways.13 Some soldiers from the state who were interned in Union POW
camps learned the game from their captors and experienced it firsthand as part
of their outdoor exercise routine.29 Others, who served as guards at
certain Confederate prisons, witnessed the game being played by the northern
soldiers held there.13 Also, South Carolina residents who lived in
the Union occupied areas of Beaufort county observed regular matches between
baseball clubs comprised of northern soldiers.27 But organized
baseball did not come to the state capital until after the war was over.
Contemporary newspaper articles indicate that the game arrived here in response
to a challenge by northern troops occupying Columbia during Reconstruction.
Union Prisoners Playing Baseball at Salisbury, NC Drawing by Otto Boetticher Image Courtesy of Library of Congress |
According to the Daily Phoenix, the city’s primary newspaper during Reconstruction, the first baseball game between organized clubs in Columbia took place late in the summer of 1867.8 The 5th US Artillery arrived from Fort Monroe, VA in June of 1867 and joined the occupation forces garrisoned in Columbia.14 A baseball team, named the Phil Sheridan Base Ball Club, was formed within the artillery unit’s ranks and practiced regularly on the University Green which was also being used at the time as a military parade ground. This club placed an ad in the Daily Phoenix inviting the men of Columbia to play friendly games of baseball.5 In response, four adult baseball clubs were formed in Columbia that year by local citizens. These were the Chicora Base Ball Club, Columbia Base Ball Club, Palmetto Base Ball Club, and University Base Ball Club.2,6,7
The newspaper reported that “the maiden game of base ball in Columbia” was played between the Phil Sheridan and Chicora clubs on September 9 from 2:15 to 6:15 PM on the University Green. The military club won by a score of 82 runs to 29.8,44 The lopsided score apparently did not discourage the Chicoras who agreed to future contests versus the Phil Sheridans. Over the next two months, the Phil Sheridan and Chicora clubs played a series of five games with the military club winning all but one.30,10,11,45 The Chicoras finally achieved a victory over the military team in the fourth matchup on October 31 by a decisive score of 89-51.11
Box Score of Columbia's First Baseball Game The Daily Phoenix, September 10, 1867, page 2, column 6 |
University Green Red oval on this map excerpt shows field where many early baseball games were played. 1872 Bird's Eye View Map of Columbia by Camille N. Drie |
Beyond 1867,
baseball continued to grow in popularity among players and fans. Additional
teams were formed, and games became more common in subsequent years especially
during holidays and special events. Fourth of July celebrations began to
feature baseball games along with the traditional picnics and fireworks.15,28,48
Other events also began to include baseball games in their activities.
The 1871 South
Carolina State Fair featured two baseball games played on the infield of the
racetrack adjacent to the fairgrounds on Upper Street (now Elmwood Avenue). The first was played at 11:00 AM on Wednesday,
November 8, by two local teams, the R. E. Lee and Alert Baseball Clubs. By a
score of 23-14, the Alerts won what was possibly the first team sport contest featured
at the State Fair.49 The second game, between the local Palmetto
Club and the Mutual Club of the military garrison, began at 11:00 AM on
Thursday and was halted after five innings by a rainstorm.50 It was
completed on Friday and the Mutuals were victorious. The winning club in each game was awarded a
$10 prize by the fair association.42
Columbia’s local
teams were primarily amateur and were composed of part-time players who held
other means of livelihood. There were, however, some occasional
semi-professional exceptions where a team would compensate one or two players.
The primarily amateur nature of the game continued until 1892 when the Columbia
Baseball Association formed Columbia’s first professional team and led the
effort to start the first minor league involving South Carolina clubs.
- “The American Game of Base Ball.” The Charleston Daily Courier, April 19, 1859, page 1, column 7.
- “Attention, Palmetto Base Ball
Club.” The Daily Phoenix, November 3, 1867, page 2, column 3.
- "Attention, Alert Base Ball Club." The Daily Phoenix, June 3, 1868, page 2, column 5.
- “Base Ball Among the Little Folks.” The Daily Phoenix, October 23, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, July 23, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, August 11, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, August 30, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, September 10, 1867, page2, column 5.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, September 29, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, October 17, 1867, page 2, column 5.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, November 1, 1867, page 2, column 5.
- “Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, November 28, 1867, page 2, column 4.
- Brown, Zachary. “Baseball and the Civil War.” US History Scene, 26 Nov. 2016.
- Bush, James C. “Fifth Regiment of Artillery.” US Army Center of Military History.
- “The Celebration of the Fourth.” The Daily Phoenix, July 6, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- “Chicora Base Ball Club.” The Daily Phoenix, August 18, 1867, page 2, column 4.
- “Chicora Base Ball Club.” The Daily Phoenix, September 29, page 2, column 3.
- “City Matters.” The Daily Phoenix, Aug 16, 1874, page 2, column 6.
- "City Matters." The Daily Phoenix, Aug 19, 1874, page 2, column 5.
- "City Matters." The Daily Phoenix, Aug 25, 1874, page 2, column 5.
- "City Matters." The Daily Phoenix, Aug 28, 1874, page 2, column 5.
- “City Matters.” The Daily Phoenix, Mar 18, 1875, page 2, column 5.
- “City Matters.” The Daily Phoenix, Mar 23, 1875, page 2, column 5.
- “City Matters.” The Daily Phoenix, Apr 6, 1875, page 2, column 4.
- “Columbia Base Ball Club.” The Daily Phoenix, August 16, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Correspondence of the Courier.” The Charleston Daily Courier, July 19, 1858, page 2, column 2.
- “How it was spent here, at Beaufort
and the Navy.” The New South (Port Royal, SC), December 27, 1862, page
3, column 2.
- “The Late Game of Base Ball.” The Newberry Weekly Herald, July 19, 1871, page 2 column 4.
- “Letter from Asa Hartz.” The Camden Confederate, July 6, 1864, page 2, column 1.
- “Local Items.” The Daily Phoenix, October 1, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, November 7, 1867, page 2, column 5.
- “Local Items.” The Daily Phoenix, January 11, 1868, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, November 26, 1868, page 2, column 6.
- “Local Items.” The Daily Phoenix, July 20, 1871, page 2 column 6.
- “Local Items.” The Daily Phoenix, July 22, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, July 28, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, July 29, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, August 4, 1871, page 2, column 6.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, August 9, 1871, page 2, column 6.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, August 18, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, September 13, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, November 3, 1871, page 2, column 6.
- "Local Items." The Daily Phoenix, November 6, 1872, page 2, column 5.
- “Match Game of Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, September 8, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Match Game of Base Ball.” The Daily Phoenix, November 8, 1867, page 2, column 6.
- “Our New York Correspondence.” The
Charleston Mercury, August 27, 1860, page 1, column 5.
- “Out-Door Sports and Pastimes.” The Abbeville Press and Banner, August 13, 1858, page 5, column 4.
- “Scraps.” The Newberry Weekly Herald, July 5, 1871, page 2, column 5.
- “The State Fair.” The Daily Phoenix, November 9, 1871, page 2, column 3.
- "The State Fair." The Daily Phoenix, November 10, 1871, page 2, column 2.
- “Tribute of Respect.” The Daily Phoenix, October 8, 1867, page 3, column 2.
Paul -
ReplyDeleteYour research never disappoints! Thank you for delving into this fascinating aspect of Columbia's past-just in time for the season!
Thanks.
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ReplyDeletePaul, I noticed on the Box Score for the first game ever played the name "Yates" appears. I know my family has long-held roots in the Columbia area, and I would love to know which "Yates" this was. Do you have any idea where that might be found?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to find the first name of the Yates that played on the Chicora team. I suspect it was one of the only two male Yates listed in the 1868 Columbia City Directory, John and Henry. Records found on Ancestry.com indicate that the former was John Brown Yates who would have been 18 years old at the time of the first game. He lived in Richland County until his death in 1915. His older brother, Henry Taylor Yates, would have been 23 years old at the time of the game. He also lived the rest of his life in Richland County and died in 1915 only three months before John. Both were buried in the Mill Creek Methodist Church cemetery on Garners Ferry Road.
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