Fort Sumter - Part II - Touring the Island

While the fort visible today bears little resemblance to what it looked like during the Civil War it is that era for which Fort Sumter is famous.

The Confederates garrisoned Fort Sumter for almost four years. Two years after the signal shot that started the Civil War, Fort Sumter became the focus of a long defense in which determined Confederate soldiers kept the US Army and Navy at bay for 587 days. In the summer of 1863, when Federal forces gained control of Morris Island, the bombardment of Charleston and Fort Sumter began in earnest. Union rifled artillery reduced Fort Sumter to a ruin, and Confederate soldiers and enslaved laborers worked to dig bombproofs. The damage wrought by Union artillery and the Confederate repairs to Fort Sumter transformed the former three-tiered brick and masonry fort into an earthwork. The Siege of Charleston continued until February 17, 1865, the longest siege in US military history. During the Confederate defense of Fort Sumter, at least fifty-two Confederates were killed in action, and an unknown number of enslaved African-American laborers died.
--from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP website

We ventured inside the walls of the fort fairly quickly once we were off the ferry.  You can see a 360° view of the interior here.

The original walls were about 55 feet high, two stories higher than the current dimensions.

Before too long one of the rangers gave a very engaging presentation that I recorded.  She let us know that each ranger prepares their own program that goes in depth into part of the fort's history.  Her story was very engaging and I'd encourage you to listen to her--pardon the movement of my phone as I was trying to juggle it along with fussy kids and it didn't make for the smoothest video, but the audio quality is good.

There were quite a few cannon sprinkled throughout the fort's grounds.

This massive black concrete structure (Battery Huger) "was built in 1899 in response to the Spanish-American War." It used to be partially underground on this side before being dug out by the National Park Service after they started interpreting the site.

Yet more firepower.

The inside exhibits were very crowded with groups of kids.

Nevertheless I was able to enjoy several of the displays such as this explanation of the Atlantic Fortifications which reminded me of our visit to Maine's Fort Knox the year before.

Here you can get a glimpse of what the fort used to look like.  While technically never completed, the walls were much higher than they are today.

This Palmetto Guard flag was the first Confederate banner raised over Fort Sumter following its capture.

After leaving the air conditioned exhibits area behind we walked out onto the upper portion of the battery.

From here you could get a great view of the older portion of the fort.

You could also get a good view of the section of land outside of the fort's walls.

Here you can see more of the interior of the fort.  All of this area was underground when the battery was in action and as mentioned above only dug out after the Park Service came in so that they could start to interpret the older parts of the fort.

Here you can see the ground level comparison on the other side of the battery.

By this point in the tour I was rushing around grabbing pictures before we had to leave.  While I definitely felt rushed I also felt as though I'd been able to see a good bit of the fort.  While it left a desire to come back (especially when the kids are older) I didn't feel as though I'd been totally cheated out of a good experience by the shortness of our time within the walls.

This rear-wall was not as heavily reinforced as the seaward side of the fort and so it was especially vulnerable to Federal shelling when Union troops took Morris Island.

Here is another good view of the battery.

Before heading towards the ferry I took a look at the cannons inside the casemates.

This is a 42-pounder that was rifled by Confederate forces to increase its accuracy and range.

I think I was the last person to leave the fort and head to the ferry.

For some reason this is the only shot I took of the actual entrance to the fort.

I headed towards the boat and up the gangplank.

Behind us the fort drifted into the distance.

And another ferry came up to take its turn at the dock.

You can see a number of other pictures of our visit to the fort in this folder.

~Matt

Fort Sumter - Part I - The Approach

After visiting Charles Pinckney's house we headed towards the water to take a ferry to Fort Sumter.  There were two departure points for visiting the fort and we picked Patriots Point which turned out to be a great choice as we got some good views before and after departure.  The ferry docks very near and then goes around the USS Yorktown.  I definitely want to take a trip back to the area at some point and explore the Yorktown and the rest of Patriots Point.

We didn't know exactly what to expect, but we knew that we wouldn't have too much time at the fort with the ferry schedule, but we figured that with young kids we wouldn't want to spend all day there (even if I could have had I been there on my own).

Since the American Revolution, Americans have built systems of forts at harbors along the coast to strengthen maritime defenses. Following the War of 1812, several major weaknesses in the American coastal defense system were identified. To fill these voids, Congress and the US Army Corps of Engineers planned the construction of around 200 fortifications, primarily located along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Maine to Louisiana. Over 40 fortifications were built before construction halted with the outbreak of the American Civil War. These forts are collectively known as the Third System of Seacoast Defense.

Charleston Harbor made the list of sites vulnerable to attack, prompting the construction of Fort Sumter. Construction on the man-made island began in 1829.
--from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP website

It was a fairly crowded day with several school/scout groups if I recall correctly.

We caught a glimpse of the Yorktown as we were waiting.

There were many people waiting in the queue.

Once we got moving it didn't take too long for us to board the boat.

We had a great view of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge that spans the river just to the north.

When I spotted this seagull I have to take a shot and I think it turned out well, I just wish I'd been able to zoom in on him while taking the photo.

Before too long we started moving, heading around the USS Yorktown (as seen above).  The ferry had some signs to begin to introduce you to the fort.  Did you know that it looks virtually nothing like it did during the Civil War?  It was actually a part of the U.S. coastal defense system until after World War II.

The boat even had a snack counter on board, though we'd bought our own snacks.

I wandered around the boat to see what I could see and also where I could get a good view.  Quite a few people were in the bow.

Eventually we could spy the island in the distance.

Most of the chairs on board were just plastic lawn chairs arranged in rows on the deck.

Every minute the fort came closer into view.

Since I'm involved in making so many signs at work I enjoy taking pictures of signs when I'm on vacation.

Finally we could spy another ferry at the dock waiting to depart.

Here you can see what the approach was like (and hear all of the warnings that had to be given).

Once we got close enough I was able to get a picture of just the fort--but the lighting wasn't great.

The boat docks just offshore from the actual island and you walk over a pier/bridge to the island.

Did you know that the fort was "built on an island of over 50,000 tons of granite shipped from New York and New England"? (more info here)

Once on land you are greeted by the old name of the National Park site before it was updated in 2019 to include Fort Moultrie.

I'll leave off this post at this point and save our actual tour of the fort for next time.

~Matt

Fort Moultrie

On the day that we left North Carolina and drove by Congaree National Park we rolled into Charleston, South Carolina in mid-afternoon.  We knew we were going to take the ferry to Fort Sumter the next day but figured that we had enough time that day to hit the other part of the park on the mainland, Fort Moultrie.  A series of forts were erected during many different forts that culminated in the current fort that was shaped by a modernization campaign in the 1800s and then changes during World War I and II.

The first fort on Sullivan's Island, constructed of palmetto logs and sand, was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker of the Royal Navy and nine British men-of-war attacked it on June 28, 1776. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charlestown was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel William Moultrie. In May 1780 the British finally captured Charlestown, including Fort Moultrie, finally evacuating the city in December 1782 as the Revolution entered its final year.

After the Revolution, Fort Moultrie was neglected, and by 1791 little of it remained. Then, in 1793, war broke out between Great Britain and France. The next year Congress, seeking to safeguard American shores, authorized the first system of nationwide coastal fortifications. A second Fort Moultrie, one of twenty new forts along the Atlantic coast, was completed in 1798. It too suffered from neglect and was finally destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. By 1807 many of the other First System fortifications were in need of extensive repair. Congress responded by authorizing funds for a Second System, which included a third Fort Moultrie. By 1809 a new brick fort stood on Sullivan's Island.
--from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP website

We arrived and parked and headed in side fairly quickly, knowing that our time was limited.

Directly inside you're greeted by an impressive painting.

There are a number of exhibits.

I took a couple photos, but didn't look around too much since we knew we needed to get to the fort itself.

We picked up Junior Ranger materials and got our bearings on local geography.

Then we headed out the backside of the visitor center and across the street to the fort.

Before we entered the fort I detoured to the side to see what was out front.

It turns out that these were graves.  This one was the grave of the Seminole leader Osceola who was held at the fort at the end of his life.

This monument marks the grave of five sailors from the ironclad monitor USS Patapsco that sank in the harbor on January 15, 1865 after striking a mine.

Thankfully we didn't have to pay as we had an active Interagency Pass.

The tour started inside the walls.

There were plenty of long halls/tunnels.

The magazine needed to be safely protected from bombardment and the construction utilized concrete and a layer of earth.

Eventually you exited above ground inside the fort.

I was a bit surprised by how much grass there was inside the fort.

Directly after Pearl Harbor a buildup started at the fort to allow it to protect the coast from a possible attack/invasion.

From the observation post you could get a good view over much of the fort.

Below this tower was the entrance to the Harbor Command Post.

Down into the depths once more.

And through the thick protective door behind which air conditioning systems were active.

This was the Duty Officers and Operations Room.

This room served as headquarters for the officer in charge of the HECP-HDCP.  His primary duty was to take immediate action against any suspected enemy threat or activity within this defense sector.  Ships entering or leaving Charleston harbor were also monitored from this office.  The officer in charge supervised a forty man staff and was assisted by a senior noncommissioned officer.
--from exhibit signage

This was the radio room.

There were also large batteries installed as part of the fort's modernization that served as part of the defense of Charleston during the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II.

I thought that the name Battery McCorkle was a great name!

You could go up right next to the guns.

This battery was part of the defense after the Civil war and usage was discontinued after the Spanish American War.

50,000 pound guns like this one were not easy to move.

These foundations are the remnants of enlisted barracks that stood from 1809 thorough 1863.

These pieces of artillery were what were used for defense during the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Northwest Bastionet.  U.S. forces under Major Robert Anderson hastily expanded this part of the fort in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War.  From here musket fire could sweep the adjoining walls to repulse an expected land attack.
--from exhibit signage

This was the powder magazine from the 1820s.

We also walked outside the fort to see the coastal side of the fortifications.

There were quite a few palm trees visible.

There are outlines of old doorways and traces of walls from the 1860s that were part of an extension of the fortifications at that time to protect the low walls.

It was very interesting to read about the Hunley.

I remember reading about this submarine when I was a kid.

It was awesome to hear about the recovery several years ago.

The row of cannons show different sized guns from different periods of time before or during the Civil War.

Before too long we had to take off as everything was closing up for the day.  You can find some more pictures of our visit in this album.

~Matt