Fort Sumter (Charleston)

Construction of Fort Sumter began in 1829 as part of a coastal defense system following the War of 1812. The fortress was intended to protect the entrance to the vital port of Charleston, which could not be controlled from surrounding islands due to its width. An artificial shoal was created for its foundation. In September 1858, the unfinished fort briefly housed 300 freed slaves. In December 1860, after South Carolina seceded from the Union, Major Robert Anderson moved Union troops from Fort Moultrie to the more strategically advantageous, though incomplete, Fort Sumter. After months of siege and a blockade of supplies by the Confederates, who also established artillery positions, hostilities commenced on April 12, 1861. After 34 hours of bombardment, the garrison surrendered. Two Union soldiers died during a post-surrender salute and are considered the first casualties of the Civil War. Confederates occupied the fort, but it was severely damaged in 1863 during a Union attack on Charleston. Union forces finally reoccupied the island in February 1865. After the war, the fort was only partially restored, and from 1898, the concrete structure Battery Huger was added for heavy guns, though it was never involved in combat.

Fort Sumter is located in Charleston, in Charleston County, South Carolina, USA, at sea level.

Today, Fort Sumter is a national monument managed by the National Park Service. The fortress is open for visitors. Inside the former concrete structure Battery Huger, there is a visitor center and museum, which also displays the historic Union flag from 1861. Access is exclusively by boat from Charleston.

• Fort Moultrie (fortress), approx. 1.8 km away
• Fort Pulaski (fortress), approx. 124.9 km away
• Fort James Jackson (fortress), approx. 132.1 km away
• Fort King George (fortress), approx. 211.8 km away