Fort Sumter National Monument is located at:

1214 Middle Street
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
Voice: 843-883-3123
Web Site: www.nps.gov/fosu

Fort Sumter National Monument is located in Charleston Harbor and can only be reached by boat. Tours can be arranged at the Aquarium Wharf in Charleston or at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant. When you dock at the fort and enter you will find that today it bears only a superficial resemblance to its original appearance. The original fort was reduced largely to rubble during the Civil War. Battery Huger, built across the parade ground at the time of the Spanish-American War, dominates the interior.

With the Southern States secession from the Federal Government, the new Confederacy seized nearly all the Federal forts and navy yards. Fort Sumter was one of the few that remained in Federal hands. On April 12, 1861, the opening shots of the Civil War were fired upon Fort Sumter. On April 14, 34 hours after the first shot was fired, the Federal troops boarded a ship giving up the fort.

On your visit to the fort you can learn much more about the fort's importance during the Civil War and also the years following. In the museum area there are many displays showing the battles, artifacts found, and the renovations that have been made.

KAT'S VIEW