Citadel, The, is a public military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Its full name is The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. The Citadel traces its beginnings to 1822, when the South Carolina Legislature passed an act to establish a municipal guard for Charleston and the surrounding area. Governor John P. Richardson thought that guard duties and education should be combined. In 1842, the Legislature established the South Carolina Military Academy. The college adopted its present name in 1910.