Fort Wagner (Charleston, South Carolina)

USA / South Carolina / Sullivans Island / Charleston, South Carolina
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Fort Wagner (also called Battery Fort) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. It was the site of two American Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston in 1863.

It was made famous in the film "Glory" at the location of the final battle.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wagner
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°43'46"N   79°52'10"W

Comments

  • The location for Fort Wagner is incorrect. Wagner was about 1 mile south of Cummings Point, and less than 2 miles from Fort Sumter. The location currently shown may be one of the many Federal batteries or saps used in the approach to Wagner or the shelling of Sumter.
  • Wagner is no longer on the Island. It was apart of the Island that was washed away. Wagner was closer to the lighthouse, which was 1200 feet away from shoreline when the light house was built after the war. Today the lighthouse and Wagner are apart of the Ocean. It is sad to know this but is true. If you look at maps of Charleston during the war you will notice Wagner on the souther tip of Morris Island.
  • I have been to the Swamp Angel site next to this by boat and there is a sign erected by the SC Coastal Council marking the site.
  • All the tour guides at Sumter say it is completely gone. None of the sites, save the one which marks it as submerged, are right.
  • Fort Wagner was located on the Northern end of Morris Island. The Northern end has seen much less erosion than the Southern section as is evident in aerial photographs of the island taken during the early 20th century. Most of the drawings of the island from the Civil War are completely inaccurate and were done by artist and private soldiers, not by engineers or professional cartographers. Gen Truamn Seymour, an engineer by trade, did draw some plat maps of the island for Gen. Quincy A. Gilmore after the fall of Wagner; but these are not perfectly accurate either. None of the techniques used then would render as accurate of a map as the modern mapping techniques of today, or aerial photography. There were some Confederate batteries located on the Southern end of the island which were captured by the Union Army on July 10, 1863 during Gen. Strong's small boat attacks. They basically consisted of sound mounds with fixed artillery pieces supported by rifle pits. The only Federal fort located on the Southern end of Morris Island was Fort Shaw, named for Col. Robert Gould Shaw 54th Mass. Infantry who was killed leading the second assault against Wagner on the evening of July 18, 1863. The site was located between the shore and the Western side of the lighthouse. The site is completely gone today.
  • Can anybody tell any facts of the fort's location? I have been to Morris Island 3 times to look for any signs. None were found. However one guide said that only a small corner (Not know to the naked eye) was still on dry ground. The site was about 500 yards below the rock jetty around some Palmetto trees. Has anyone heard of this?
  • There is now only a corner left, but it is not noticeable. Most of it is submerged and gunshells have been found deep in the sand. That is about all that is left of it.
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This article was last modified 13 years ago