The firing on Fort Sumter marked the beginning of America’s Civil War.
While not particularly interested in the fort– basically a rock island at the entrance to Charleston harbor–I recently visited it with my husband who loves them.
The National Park Service is in charge of the island, and we picked up a ferry on the east side of downtown Charleston, about a mile from our hotel.
On a beautiful May afternoon, the half-hour trip out to the island provided plenty of sites to see along the Charleston waterfront.
Fort Sumter National Monument
Visitors get one hour on the island–which is nearly enough to see all you want.
Park guides began our visit with a ten-minute overview of the fort’s history.
We were then free to roam wherever we liked.
I loved the peeks at Charleston proper, not really very far away.
Made of brick, as was the fashion and knowledge in the nineteenth century, the fort encircles the island.
A surprisingly small parade ground is inside the walls, with most of the living spaces from that era in the walls themselves.
The fort houses a small bookshop and a museum with authentic artifacts.
We hiked first to the outer walls facing the ocean–which is where the magnificent flag flies.
The wind blew strong and we watched large cargo ships make their way into the harbor.
The views also swept along the coast past Sullivan’s Island to the north, and to Morris Island and Folly Island to the South.
We could not help thinking of the movie Glory, which depicts Northern soldiers trying to take Charleston during the Civil War.
They fought along the beach to the south of Fort Sumter.
Fort Sumter Museum
Of course we visited the museum which detailed the fort’s history, including how it was built.
This is a photograph of the battle flag that flew above Fort Sumter on April 12-13, 1861, when the Confederate Army fired on the fort.
One of their projectiles broke the flagstaff and the flag fell to the ground.
Union soldiers scurried to retrieve the flag, even as more shells exploded around them.
When they abandoned the fort, Confederate General P. G. Beauregard allowed the Union commanding office, Major Anderson, to take the tattered flag with them.
His family returned the flag to Fort Sumter in 1954.
The museum featured many photos of the fort’s history before, during and after the American Civil War.
If it’s history you’re looking for, go straight to the museum. The hour we spent on the island wasn’t enough time for me to read everything!
Harbor Ride
We enjoyed the afternoon we spent riding out to the fort and back.
Along the way, we enjoyed seeing the Charleston fountain from the waterside!
We passed a submarine, an old aircraft carrier, and watched a huge cargo ship sail past the soaring Ravanel Bridge on the Cooper River.
It was a glorious day to visit the past.
But more than anything that caught our attention was the mesmerizing American flag flying in the stiff breeze.
Tweetables
Where the American Civil War began, today. Click to Tweet
The American flag flying over Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Click to Tweet
What’s to see at Fort Sumter National Monument? Click to Tweet
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