Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter (1842-1947) - A Third System masonry fort begun in 1829 and unfinished when the U.S. Civil War began in 1861. Located in Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, South Carolina. Attacked by Confederate forces on 12 Apr 1861, marking beginning of the U.S. Civil War. Named after General Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War Hero. Fort Sumter became a National Historic Monument in 1948. Fort Sumter circa 1861 Fort Sumter 1861 in Confederate Hands Fort Sumter External View 2010 Third System (1816-1867) Part of the Harbor Defense of Charleston. Established as one of the forts protecting the entrance to Charleston Harbor along with Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney. The land for Fort Sumter was procured 21 Dec 1836 by resolution of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Construction on the Third System masonry fort begun in 1829. 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, it was never filled to capacity with guns or men. U.S. Civil War (1861-1865) Fort Sumter 1864 ruins The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter on 12 Apr 1861 marked the first battle and the real 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 and it is estimated that 3,500 tons of shells were rained down on the fort just between Apr 1863 and Feb 1865. At the end of the war only one wall remained standing with the others just jagged piles of rubble. After the U.S. Civil War Fort Sumter was reconstructed but reduced to a two tier structure. The first tier was restored with 100-pounder Parrott rifles. The fort was unmanned in the years between 1876 and 1897. Interior View of Fort Sumter, April 1861 East Face taken after 1861 East Face Fort Sumter Interior, 1863-65 Fort Sumter, 1872 File:Also shown on the 1921 plan is a trestle walkway leading out to a single 60" searchlight over the water. File:== Current Status == File:---- File:(F) 32.752763, -79.874361 File:(B) 32.7523573, -79.8746663 File:(B) 32.752126, -79.874189 File:Battery AMTB - Fort Sumter File:'''Location:''' Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, South Carolina File:* Elevation: 5' File:'''Sources:''' File:'''Links: ''' Fort Sumter Entrance Sign Fort Sumter Casemates Fort Sumter Parrot Gun Fort Sumter Gun in Casemate Fort Sumter Mine Casemate Fort Sumter Mine Casemate Entrance Fort Sumter Quarters Ruins