"In the decades before the Civil War, Charleston, South Carolina, enjoyed recognition as the center of scientific activity in the South. This book examines the scientific activities and contributions of six Charleston naturalists: John Bachman, Edmund Ravenel, John Edwards Holbrook, Lewis R. Gibbes, Francis S. Holmes, and John McCrady. Bound together in spirit by their devotion to southern culture, their commitment to advancing science in their city and region, and their interest in natural history, the Charleston circle constituted a dynamic community of productive, respected scientists in a region that conventionally has been dismissed as largely devoid of scientific interests."--BOOK JACKET.