My last visit to Fort Sumter was in August 1997. The air was heavy with moisture to the point of being just shy of raining, it was 95 in the shade and I was six months pregnant. My only recollection of the visit is the air conditioned gift shop which is where I spent most of my time on the island. Fast forward 17 years and it was hat and gloves weather with a whole lot of fog on my most recent visit.
View from the ferry-boat looking back at Charleston
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and on April 12, 1861, the Confederate Army fired on the Federal soldiers at the yet completed Fort Sumter. It would be four bloody combat years and over 600,000 dead before the Union Forces recaptured Fort Sumter. The Civil War’s first fatality occurred at Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861, the day after the battle ended. Private Daniel Hough died while loading a canon for the Union’s 100-gun salute to the U.S. flag. The canon round discharged prematurely and killed him.
Fort Sumter is part of the National Park Service. Liberty Square (near the Aquarium) and Patriots Point (Mt Pleasant) are the two locations where you can catch the ferry to the island. Once there you can choose to wander around on your own or listen to the roughly 10 minute historic talk by the Park Ranger which I found very interesting. Click here for scheduled times.
Our Park Ranger ~ interesting with a touch of humor. Careful though, he’ll test your Civil War knowledge
A Canon facing out to the water ~ we couldn’t see far due to the heavy fog
Heavy Artillery within the Gallery
Swivels for the heavy artillery
Battery Isaac Hunger, named after Brigadier General Isaac Huger, is a concrete fortification built on Fort Sumter in 1898-99 as part of a major coastal defense upgrade.
A restful spot inside the fort
A reminder of what happened 150 years ago in Charleston
An artillery shell embedded in the wall
Fishing in the fog just off the island of Fort Sumter
Another Heron bracing against the wind
We were hoping there was a message in this bottle ~ but there wasn’t
Bottlenose dolphins escorting us back to Charleston. The Park Ranger on the ferry explained the dolphins like to swim in front of the boat because it creates a wave they can ride. It was obvious they were having a lot of fun!
A single dolphin riding a wave
General Anderson, who was in command when Fort Sumter fell into Confederate hands, returned (from retirement) on April 14, 1865 to re-raise the Federal Flag when the Union Forces recaptured the fort. Sadly, it was the same day President Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, DC while attending a play.
Image of the “raising the flag” ceremony on April 14 1865. (a Library of Congress image)
Great post… I will definitely try going here when we make our way to Charleston!
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Thanks! Hope you enjoy your visit as much as we did.
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This is so cool, I love places that will take me back to the old times.
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Thanks for stopping by. I’m a tactile learner so I retain the information so much better when I can actually see the locations. And if there’s a great storyteller like the Park Ranger we had speaking to us, all the better.
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That’s a nice tip.. I’ll remember learning it from you 🙂
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Enjoyed the post, the history, and the photography!
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Thanks so much. Happy New Year to you!
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I love this. 😀
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Thanks!!
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Such great part of history. Now I am sorry I didn’t make it there when I was in SC. Back to my bucket list then. Thanks for sharing this.
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It was definitely worth the $18.00 ferry ride. When you go, be sure to watch for the surfing dolphin on the way back.
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I certainly will.
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