Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter circa 1861

Fort Sumter 1861 in Confederate Hands

Fort Sumter (1842-1947) - A Third System masonry fort begun in 1829 and unfinished when the U.S. Civil War began. Became a National Historic Monument in 1948.

Fort Sumter History

Established as one of the forts protecting the entrance to Charleston Harbor along with Fort Moultrie.

Fort Sumter was built upon a sand bar in Charleston Harbor. Seventy thousand tons of New England granite were imported to build the base of the structure. The fort itself was a five-sided brick structure, 50' high and 170' by 190', with walls 5' thick. It was designed to house 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers of gun emplacements, but it was never filled to capacity with guns or men.

The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter on 12 Apr 1861 marked the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. The shelling of the fort continued for 34 hours. The fort commander, Maj. Robert Anderson, surrendered on 13 Apr 1861 and the fort remained in Confederate hands until 22 Feb 1865. During the war the fort suffered considerable damage from Union bombardments.

After the U.S. Civil War the fort was reduced to a two tier structure and the first tier was restored with 100-pounder Parrott rifles. The fort was unmanned 1876-1897 but the Spanish American War saw the installation of an Endicott Period battery, Battery Huger, with 2 12" guns. The battery was manned during World War I by a small garrison. During World War II two 90mm antiaircraft were place in AMTB #1 as the only battery on the island.

Fort Sumter Endicott Period Batteries Battery No. Caliber Type Mount Years Huger 1 12" Disappearing Carriage 1906-1943 Huger 1 12" Barbette Carriage 1906-1943 Source: Coastal Defense Study Group

Fort Sumter World War II Batteries Battery No. Caliber Type Mount Years AMTB #1 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1946 Source: Coastal Defense Study Group

Current Status

Fort Sumter became Fort Sumter National Historic Monument in 1948. Can be reached by a 30 minute boat ride from Charleston, South Carolina.

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Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina Maps & Images Lat: 32.752344 Long: -79.87465 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: '

Sources:

• Lewis, Emanuel Raymond, Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 7th printing, 1993, ISBN 1-55750-502-0, page 51

Links:

• National Park Service
• Wikipedia

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  Fort Sumter 1864 ruins