Fort Sumter and more

The Start of the Civil War, aka The War between the States, aka, The War of Northern Aggression

While South Carolinians may not be fighting the 150-year-old Civil War, they certainly have not forgotten it. Our visit to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie were rich in history. In the 1700s a fort was built on Sullivan’s Island to protect the mouth of Charles Town (now Charleston) harbor. Under the command of Colonel William Moultrie it protected the colonial shores from attack by the British during the Revolutionary War.

In the early 1800s the Union had built three forts to guard against any hostile ships trying to attack Charleston harbor. The original fort, later named for Moultrie, was poorly situated for defense from troops of the newly seceded colony of South Carolina. Hoping to improve his position, Major Robert Anderson left Moultrie in 1861 sailed his 85 men to an island fort called Sumter.

Poorly funded when it was built after the War of 1812, only about a third of the cannon were installed. The size of the Patriot cannons was very impressive.

The cannon balls weighed 434 pounds each and were loaded into the breach by four men.

Anderson hoped for reinforcements and supplies from Union ships that were promised but which did not arrive in time.

On April 12, 1861 Anderson was given a demand for surrender which he refused. Knowing that reinforcements and supplies were coming, the Confederates began a thirty-four hour barrage of cannon fire which burned the officers’ barracks and left him with too few men to maintain the battle. He had no food and could not return fire so he had no alternative but to surrender. Amazingly, the only loss of life and the first casualty of the Civil War was a Union soldier killed by cannon fire during the salute to honor the Union troops who left the fort not to return until 1865.

Upon departing the fort, Maj. Anderson carried this battered 34-star United States flag.

Four years later Gen. Anderson returned and again hoisted a United States flag over the fort. This was after Union forces continuously shelled the city of Charleston and the fort for almost two years bringing it to surrender.

On our boat ride to the fort, we saw dolphins and jelly fish. Our ranger guide gave us background on the fort and we enjoyed wandering around. One of the volunteer guides showed Jerry a cannon shell still embedded in the wall.

After leaving Sumter, our next destination was Fort Moultrie which continued to serve as a line of defense during the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II. Battery Hugar, built for the Spanish-American War, fills much of what was the original parade ground.

Where Sumter has been restored to 1865 condition, Moultrie has been upgraded many times up to the 1940s. During WW II German submarines regularly patrolled off the South Carolina coast looking for merchant ships that they could sink. The fort became the command center for the anti submarine effort in the area. Even a 1940s era radio room can be seen. Interestingly, the command center was air conditioned, a welcome relief from southern heat and, probably, a desirable military assignment.