FORT SUMTER AND FORT MOULTRIE

Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by

Fort Sumter National Monument

Fort Sumter is a tourist must-do while in Charleston. When the Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 the Civil War was officially begun, and the rest is history. It can only be reached by a 20 minute ferry ride through Charleston Harbor.

How long should I spend?
Unfortunately, you are not in control of your time here. Round trip ferry schedules are set by a third party concessionaire.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the trip over, and the brief history talk by the Rangers, due to the tight schedule of the boats, you barely have time to do a quick circuit around the fort. The museum is very well done, but unless you are a proficient speed reader, you are there to see and not read with the time constraints.
The fort itself has been reduced to a fraction of its original construction after being raised by the Union army at the end of the Civil War, but there is still enough there, coupled with some great views of the city skyline and harbor, to want to spend an additional hour or more. Unfortunately, lots of other folks also want to visit and enjoy the island, so I guess that’s a little selfish.
If you happen to be on the first tour of the day, you will have the opportunity to unfurl and raise the colors. It’s an educational experience and the Rangers do their usual great job of teaching.

Fort Moultrie National Monument

How long should I spend?
Allow yourself two to three hours to explore Fort Moultrie and the Visitor Center and some time to walk along the beach. It is a short drive to the lighthouse – allow an additional hour for the round trip.

Fort Moultrie, by contrast, sits directly across from Fort Sumter and was placed specifically to force any ship attempting to navigate the harbor directly into a crossfire. Unlike Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie survived the Civil War and was in fact pressed into service during WWI.

The graves of General William Moultrie and Osceola are also here. Osceola was an influential leader of the Seminole tribe and a key player in the Second Seminole War. He was captured in St. Augustine under a false flag of truce by Army troops and transported to Fort Moultrie where he remained until his death in January, 1838. You might note the gravestone has omitted the S from his name, but I couldn’t find any literature explaining it. Bizarrely, the attending physician, Frederick Weedon, removed Osceola’s head after death and displayed it in his drug store for five years. The head then transferred to Valentine Mott where it was lost to history.

The grounds are quite large and sit right at the edge of the harbor giving us the chance to stroll along the beach for the first time in nearly three years.Only slightly terrifying were the signs every 100 yards with HUGE warnings of DEADLY CURRENT – DO NOT SWIM OR WADE. We were sufficiently deterred although we were both ankle deep before we saw the first sign. We engaged in some significant discussion on the definition of wading before we opted to move up the beach a little farther.

Cross the street to the Visitor Center and enjoy the short walk out to the bay. Or, if you’re lucky, the classic car club will be in town!

Stella Maris Catholic Church and Post Chapel

Also across the street and adjacent to the Visitor Center is Stella Maris Catholic Church. The Stella Maris is the second Catholic Church on the Island after St. John the Baptist was heavily damaged during the Civil War with a final coffin nail occurring after a hurricane in 1885. This new church has been in continuous service for the past 150 years.

Not to be confused with the Post Chapel which has since been renamed Mugdock Castle and is a private residence.

Charleston Lighthouse

A short trip down the beach lead to Charleston Light lighthouse. It’s quite an ugly thing, triangular shaped as opposed to the classic round column with aluminum siding. It was designed that way to withstand hurricanes and the architect clearly had it right since it’s been there for 60 years. Interestingly, the lighthouse would appear to be poorly positioned to guide boats because it is so far from the shore. In fact, it was sitting on the coast when it was constructed but the tidal basin has receded several hundred feet over time. Apparently the oceans are only rising on the West coast.