Civil War Tour: Fort Sumter

June 2015

Off the coast of Charleston is a fort that is considered to have the first shots of the Civil War: Fort Sumter.  It is a sea fort, meaning that it is on an island in the harbor.   

Since it is an island, getting to the fort requires a boat ride. 

The Charleston Port is an active commercial port, as it was in the days of the Civil War.  The boats look a little different now. 

We were actually on the first ferry of the day, so the park ranger gave us the overview during the boat ride.  The view as we approached the island:

We got to see them raising the flag for the day.  (You might notice the picture above that there are no flags.)

The fort was an impressive 3 stories at the start of the Civil War.  That did not last long, however.  Over a day of bombardment by the Confederate forces did some damage to the fort, and is commemorated in an inscription at the fort.

But further bombardment later in the war by the Union forces destroyed the walls.  Interestingly, the then rubble walls actually made the fort stronger, and better able to absorb the impact from the shells.  The walls are mostly 1-story now.

According to the signage at the park, a well-trained canon crew of 5 men could fire an accurate shot in under one minute.  27 guns occupied the 1st tier casements.  What we see is a reconstruction from 1870 (remember, the walls became rubble during the war) but the cannon was an original.

The Wikipedia article gives a good history of the fort. 

Now on to Page 3, and Fort Moultrie ...

Updated April 2026