Ft. Sumter South Carolina

April 12, 1861, 0430. The first shots of the Civil War are fired from Charleston, SC at Fort Sumter, a Union bastion in the harbor. The Fort was an impressive structure, with a history dating back to the war of 1812 when the fort was commissioned. Construction of the pentagonal structure began in 1820. It has five-foot thick brick walls that are 90 feet above the low tide mark. Though it was never staffed to its full capacity, it was designed to hold 650 troops, manning 135 guns in three tiered emplacements.

In 1898, at the beginning of the Spanish-American war the site was renovated, with new emplacements – named Battery Huger – based on the Endicott system installed in the center of the fort. Today, there are large black block-house structures in the center area of the fort which housed coastal defense guns, including disappearing guns and mortars. These were removed in 1943, and 90mm antiaircraft batteries were installed for the duration of WWII.

In 1948 the site was transferred to the National Park Service and become a historic site.

These photos were taken the day before the 153rd anniversary of that first shot of the Civil War. The ferry takes around 30 minutes to get to the Fort from the visitor center in Charleston. Upon arrival, there’s a bit over an hour to tour the site, take photos, visit the on-site museum and gift shop before having to re-board the ferry for the trip back.

Ft. Sumter, SC

Castle Pinckney

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Ft. Sumter South Carolina

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