Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter

Sunday was actually a bonus day in Charleston. We arrived a day ahead of schedule (luckily, they had a room) and in reviewing our reservations, Jason realized everything after Charleston was off a day. So, rather than try to reschedule everything, we left things as is (We’ll still be back on Friday, Kaila!).

Since we knew we had an extra day, we spent Saturday at the plantations and saved Sunday for Fort Sumter, where the opening shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.  Since the fort, or more specifically what remains of it, is on an island, the only way to get to it is by boat.  The trolley took us to Liberty Park (next to the South Carolina aquarium) where we spent about 45 minutes in the Visitor Center reading more about the fort and its part in the Civil War before boarding the ship. We enjoyed top tier seats during the 45-minute narrated ride to the island.

As you approach the Fort, even in its ruined state, it is easy to imagine the imposing structure it once was. The building began in 1829, as one of many coastal fortifications built after the War of 1812. It was still incomplete when the first shots were fired in 1861.

Despite the crowd of visitors wandering about, walking among the ruins was eerily silent.  The Fort was defended by Union troops for less than two days before Major Anderson agreed to a truce and surrendered. Confederate forces, despite desultory fire from Federal troops, occupied the fort, which was in ruins, until January 1865.  The fort withstood more than seven million pounds of artillery, yet through the 20-month siege, Confederates losses (52 killed; 267 wounded) were minimal.

Attempts were made at refortification after the Civil War; giving some uniformity to the jagged and damaged walls, constructing storage magazines, arming it with Parrott guns. It served mainly as a lighthouse station until World War I and was used again during World War II until custodianship was transferred to the National Park Service and Fort Sumter became a national monument.

As we sailed back to Liberty Island, Fort Sumter gradually faded in the distance, but the significant and center stage role it played in our nation's history will never be forgotten.