by Denise Calaman

Created on: February 01, 2010

Charleston Harbor, South Carolina is home to one of the most historic sites in all of South Carolina; the Fort Sumter National Monument.  The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.  From that moment began the bloodiest war on American soil in United States history. On that fateful April day Confederate soldiers fired on unprepared Union soldiers and forced them into surrendering within 34 hours.  By the end of the Civil War the Union Army had gained control of Fort Sumter but by that time it had been fired upon so heavily only piles of smashed bricks and debris remained.  The Fort Sumter National Monument site encompasses three different historic sites; the Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Sumter Visitor Center and Education Center and the Fort Moultrie National Monument. 

 Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter is named after the Revolutionary War hero General Thomas Sumter.  Over 70,000 tons of New Hampshire granite was used to reinforce the sandbar where Fort Sumter is located.  The Confederate Army had control over Fort Sumter for the entire four years of the Civil War until Robert E. Lee surrendered.  It was then that the Confederate Army handed over control to the Union Army.  After the Civil War ended the US Army worked to restore the fort to its original glory but from 1876 to 1897 the restored fort was only used as an unmanned lighthouse station. 

Fort Moultrie

Fort Moultrie was the first fort built on Sullivan’s Island.  It was attacked by the British on June 28, 1776.  A nine hour battle ensued before the British retreated leaving the fort in ruins.  It remained that way for many years until 1794 when the federal government realized that they needed to rebuild it for protection.  From 1794-1798 Fort Moultrie was rebuilt and fortified only to have an 1804 hurricane destroy it once again.  It was rebuilt for a second time in 1809 and has been renovated quite a few times since then.  Due to its unique position, Fort Moultrie was used for over 170 years by the United States military for coastal defense.  Because of the shoals in Charleston Harbor’s entrance military ships were forced to enter the harbor from the south and sail towards the fort.  Therefore they couldn’t fire until they sailed into the harbor.    

Fort Sumter National Monument Site is maintained by the National Park Service. To learn more about Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie or for more information about visiting Fort Sumter visit http://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm. 

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