April 9 - 10
Anchored just short of Charleston and had John and Rita over for skillet lasagna. We were tired from a 78 mile trip and fighting the current most of the way. The next day we docked at Charleston City Marina known as the mega dock which is a quarter of a mile long. This brought back memories of when we were here for a Looper Rendezvous three years ago dreaming about doing the Great Loop. We are 1/3 of the way complete!
Fort Sumter is where the opening shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. The fort named for South Carolina Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Sumter was started in 1829, one of a series of coastal fortifications built by the United States, after the War of 1812. As with many federal projects, enslaved laborers and craftsmen were among those who worked on this structure. The fort was still unfinished when Maj. Robert Anderson moved his 85 man garrison into it the day after Christmas 1860, setting in motion events that would tear the nation asunder four months later.
Brig. Gen. Pierre Beauregard, commander of Confederate forces at Charleston, SC, had been one of Anderson's artillery students at West Point in 1837 and, while determined to evict the Federal troops from Fort Sumter, did not welcome the prospect of firing on his old friend and former instructor. Anderson surrendered on April 14, 1861 after a hot shot from Fort Moultrie set fire to the officer's quarters. Miraculously, no one on either side had been killed during the engagement. Major Anderson had defended Sumter for 34 hours. The Civil War, so long dreaded, had begun.
 |
| Fort walls were 5 feet thick and rose 50 feet above the water, controlling the shipping channel |
 |
| Big guns for defense of the fort |
 |
| A tourist boat docks in more peaceful times |
 |
| The view from the gun emplacements |
 |
| Sailing vessel passes by the fort |
No comments:
Post a Comment