Disruption of Normal Trade to Charleston, S. C.
The normal trade patterns, on which the railroads were built, quickly gave way to the pressures of the war. Below are listed 6 categories of normal trade into Charleston on the South Carolina Railroad. Notice the immediate drop in 4 categories as soon as the war started. This drop came from two reasons -- the blockade prevented the departure of cotton to England and the drop in manpower on the farms reduced the quantity of goods available to put into trade. The only categories to see shipments grow were Flour and Grain as shipments were required to the Virginia army to feed both man and horse. This disruption was seen throughout the South.

Year

 Bales Cotton Barrels Flour Bushels Grain Barrels Naval Stores Bales Merchandise Live Stock
1860 314,619 23,216 36,179 54,439 12,853 15,213
1861 120,673 32,840 75,488 9,161 5,459 12,257
1862 24,884 49,710 259,328 1,149 1,606 8,475
1863 48,145 28,508 374,725 214 1,175 8,458
1864 10,315 26,965 287,204 0 1,244 6,201

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