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Fort Moultrie (Sullivan's Island) | military, fortification, American Revolutionary War 1775-1783, historic landmark, American Civil War 1861-1865

USA / South Carolina / Sullivans Island / Sullivan's Island / Middle Street, 1214
 military, fortification, American Revolutionary War 1775-1783, historic landmark, American Civil War 1861-1865

1214 Middle Street
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
(843) 883-3123
www.nps.gov/nr/travel/charleston/sum.htm

Originally a small, unnamed fort made with palmetto logs, it was the site of American defenses during the British attack on Charleston in 1776. The palmetto logs absorbed the cannonballs shot at them without shattering and prevented the city from falling. The fort was strengthened afterward and named for the commander during the battle, William Moultrie.

Construction of the current Third-System coastal fortification was completed between 1841 and 1844.

By 1861, Fort Moultrie was the headquarters of the U.S. Army in Charleston. As war fever spread, Maj. Robert Anderson feared Fort Moultrie was too vulnerable to land attack, so under the cover of darkness he moved his entire command to the unfinished Fort Sumter. The sound military maneuver outraged the local populace, and further intensified the crisis which would culminate in the Confederate attack on the fort, which started the Civil War.

As of 1851, it was intended to be armed with thirty 32-pounder seacoast guns, three 18-pounder guns, nine 12-pounder guns, six field pieces, five 8" heavy seacoast howizters and one 13" mortar, for a total of 54 guns.

After its abandonement by the U.S. Army, the fort was one of the key sites from which Fort Sumter was bombarded in April 1861. Federal ironclads later bombarded and blockaded it from April 1863 until Confederate withdrawal in February 1865.

The fort later became the heart of a coast defense complex in the late 19th century designed to protect Charleston, a mission which lasted until the end of World War 2.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°45'33"N   79°51'28"W
This article was last modified 7 years ago