Fort Sumter National Monument South Carolina

Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.

The first shot of the American Civil War didn't hit anything. It was a 10-inch mortar shell, fired from Fort Johnson, that exploded above Fort Sumter as a signal for Confederate artillery to open fire on the Union-held fort.

Fort Sumter is located on an island in Charleston harbor and is only accessible by boat. Visitors without their own boat cannot reach Fort Sumter from Fort Moultrie. A concession-operated ferry service takes visitors to Fort Sumter from downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

At the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center, Liberty Square offers a connection by the Cooper River where visitors may sit, rest, read and watch the harbor traffic in a very pleasant setting.

Fort Sumter is designated historic, so recreational activities are limited to passive pursuits such as scenic viewing and bird watching. Ranger talks are offered to each group of visitors who arrive by ferry. Wayside exhibits interpret the historic resources found throughout the site and the vistas visible from the observation level.

Fort Sumter's island was constructed with a foundation of over 70,000 tons of granite and other rock. For over a decade contractors from as far away as New York and the Boston area delivered this material by ship and dumped it on a shoal in Charleston Harbor.

Fort Moultrie (Sullivan's Island) can be toured using the self-guided brochure. Interpretive wayside exhibits are posted throughout the fort. By using these signs and the park brochure, visitors guide themselves through the fort traveling back in time from World War II to the Revolutionary War.

Fort Moultrie is the only unit of the National Park System where the entire 171 year history of American seacoast defense (1776-1947) can be traced.

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