Ft Moultrie is not as well known as Ft Sumter but without
the first the second one is not important. It was from Moultrie the first shots
were fired at Sumter. It was the ‘rockets red glare’ that Moultrie put in the
sky towards Ft Sumter that inspired our national anthem song.
The ride around to Sullivan’s Island made it clear how big
Charleston Harbor is. We entered the Fort first by visiting the National Park
Service Museum. After viewing this museum we found out how important Ft
Moultrie was to Ft Sumter over the years.
The Fort was not even complete before it was attacked in June 1776 by nine British warships. It was constructed by rising two palmetto logs 16 feet apart and filling in the space with sand. The spongy palmetto logs and yielding sand absorbed shots from the British artillery. Positioned on Sullivan’s Island it was unseen until ships had entered the harbor. In this position ships couldn’t fire on it until it was too late.
Over the years it was modified three major times. Moultrie
II (MII) in 1794 was one of 16 forts of the new American Defense System (SDS).
The Fort was built as a five sided structure with earth and timbers 17 feet
high. It was neglected and was destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. Congress in
its wisdom authorized funds for a second and stronger SDS and so Moultrie III
was built.
Moultrie III (MII) was made of brick and stone. Moultrie changed little after that but with the addition of Ft Sumter and Castle Pinckney in the SDS it now completed a three Fort ring around Charleston Harbor.
Moultrie III (MII) was made of brick and stone. Moultrie changed little after that but with the addition of Ft Sumter and Castle Pinckney in the SDS it now completed a three Fort ring around Charleston Harbor.
They received their baptism of fire in December of 1860 with
the succession of South Carolina from the Union. The new rifled cannon used
during the Civil War demolished the brick-walled fortifications. In 1870 the
Fort was modified again using new cannons,
magazines and a bombproof building by using thick concrete covered with earth.
Over the years large weapons were placed elsewhere on Sullivan’s Island and the
old fort became just a small part of the Fort Moultrie reservation. The Fort
was last used in WWII to guard from enemy submarines entering Charleston
Harbor. Over the years with modernization of high tech weapons and the need for
a coast defense was no longer needed.
We entered though the Sally Port where you could see the
thickness of the concert walls. Through this entrance you could turn right to
the underground fortifications or straight into the Fort’s center court. The heavy steel door would keep everything
from entering, even hurricanes I thought. Walking the grounds we could see the
different fort layouts, four-point, U-shaped and the pentagon-star shape. Large
batteries faced the open waters of Charleston Harbor on three sides. The WWII
submarine tower sat high on a hill inside with high tech equipment. Off to the
side stood a signal light and semaphore flags. Below in the bunkers were
offices, bomb shelter and a communication room. Against the south and western
wall they had place some of the different cannons from the Civil War and the modification
periods MII and MIII.
I stood on the battery’s highest point and tried to capture a picture of Ft Sumter far off in the bay. It was more than a stone’s throw. It was impossible to see the city of Charleston. I was humbled and yet amazed to see how these forts were built without cranes. Each of the original cannons weighed more than 1500 pounds and was placed on the battery ridges using a block and tackle system.
In the front of Ft Moultrie was the grave of Osceola and a monument
to the Patapsco American Natives who once lived here. The island that day was
covered by clouds as we walked the beautiful white sand beach. Most of the houses
on Sullivan’s Island are summer cottages raised on high water stilts. There
were a few fishing boats but most of the commercial water docks were built for
the novice fisherman. Then it was back across the bridge to the mainland…wait
the draw bridge is up? A small sailing craft had requested a port opening to
the sea. “Is he crazy” I said to Peggy because the rain was coming down pretty
hard now as he turned back inland to a small pier. The bridge clanged back into
place and the traffic started to slowly move. It was back across the large
Charleston bridge home to the RV camp for the night.
Happy RV travels to the next nearest Fort,
George (with Peggy & Coco)