Smoothbore Cannon

Fort Moultrie - Fort Moultrie & Fort Sumter National Historical Park (SC)

Few forts in the United States today can boast a pedigree to equal that of this unassuming fortification along the north entrance to Charleston Harbor. Fort Moultrie served the United States as a coastal fortification in no less than 6 conflicts and found itself under attack in two of them. The original structure, which no longer exists, was hastily constructed in response to an anticipated British attack on Charleston in the early days of the Revolutionary War. Despite being unfinished and wildly outgunned, the stout fort constructed of thick Palmetto logs withstood the British onslaught and delayed the British occupation of the city for a full four years. The next test would come 80 years later with the outbreak of the Civil War. Upon South Carolina's succession, Federal troops at Fort Moultrie abandoned it for "safer" quarters at nearby Fort Sumter. Moultrie was occupied and participated in the opening act of the conflict. Over the course of the war both Fort Sumter and Moultrie came under periodic Union bombardment but were never captured by force. Needless to say, there wasn't much left of the fort when the conflict ended. The fort was reconstructed, however, and was utilized right through the end of World War 2. The fort today has been reconstructed to give visitors a taste of each era in the fort's history. As you walk from one end of the fort to the other you are witness to life at the fort over a nearly 200-year span. It's quite a unique and interesting place to visit...

12-21-2011