Civil War History Explored

We are all into Civil War history and being where the 'war began' is a fantastic classroom in which to learn even more.

We embarked our day's lessons walking the Hog Island Trail.
The history of the Hog Island trail dates back to its strategic importance in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, when it was used as a defensive position. Originally a small island named Hog Island, it was later connected to the mainland by dredged material and renamed Patriots Point in 1976. The current trail was established to preserve the area's natural beauty and historical significance.



Interestingly, in 1775, Patriot forces sank old ships in the Hog Island Channel to block British ships from accessing the Wando and Cooper Rivers, which led to the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. During the Civil War, the Confederacy placed mines in the channel and built a gun battery on the island to defend against Union ships. History is found in some pretty scenic spots.
Lunch was a picnic in a pretty idyllic place.

For our final history lesson of the day, we boarded the Spirit of Charleston for a 30 minute ride to Fort Sumter National Monument.
This Monument preserves the location of the first engagement of the American Civil War (April 12, 1861). Fort Sumter was designed as part of the defensive system protecting Charleston. Its origin stemmed partly from the 1812 war with Great Britain, which had highlighted how vulnerable the coastline and harbors were to foreign attack.
The fort is situated on an artificial island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Construction of the fort, named for the American Revolutionary War general Thomas Sumter, began in 1829 and was still in progress in 1861.


This is an interior view of Fort Sumter, under the Confederate flag, April 15, 1861.
The red mark on the flag pole shows how tall the Fort was in its heyday.
So why is this place so important? By early 1861, the seven Southern states that had already seceded from the Union claimed possession of all U.S. forts and arsenals within their territory. Only two forts remained under federal jurisdiction: Fort Pickens, Florida, and Fort Sumter, which was garrisoned by U.S. troops under Maj. Robert Anderson. Sumter was of no strategic value to the Union—it was incomplete and its 60 guns pointed out to sea—but it assumed critical value as a symbol of national union.
When President Abraham Lincoln took office in March, he was faced with the Confederate demand for evacuation of the fort, which was threatened by other fortifications erected by South Carolina in the harbor area. Lincoln had either to attempt resupplying the fort, then in danger of being starved out, or to abandon it and accede to disunion. The President determined to prepare relief expeditions to both forts, but, before the arrival of supplies, Confederate authorities demanded Fort Sumter’s immediate evacuation. When this was refused, the South’s batteries opened fire at 4:27 am on April 12, and Anderson was forced to surrender after 34 hours of shelling. On April 14, Fort Sumter was evacuated by federal troops, who marched out waving the American flag to a gun salute; on the 50th round of a 100-gun salute, an explosion occurred, causing the only death of the engagement. The shelling of U.S. property aroused and united the North. During the war the Confederates manning the fort withstood almost constant bombardment from July 1863 to February 1865. The fort itself was largely reduced to rubble.
After the Civil War, Fort Sumter was used for some years as an uncrewed lighthouse. Rebuilding and restoration work began around 1898, and it was used by the military during World War I and World War II. The monument preserves the ruins of Fort Sumter, which was later partly rebuilt and modified.
The Fort was hit 44,000 times during its bombardment. Three shells remain lodged in its walls, identified by yellow rope wrapped around it them.


With only an hour to explore this historical landmark, we saw as much as we possibly could. We definitely need to return one day!
Dinner was at Page's Okra Grill after 9 years of a highly anticipated return. Our dinner choice was shared Chicken and Waffles. Sausage, roasted corn, cheddar cheese and diced jalapenos cooked into a buttermilk Belgian waffle, topped with honey butter and a crispy fried chicken breast- all this tantalizing food for only $16.
"History is the story of our past.
It tells us about people
and events that happened long ago.
Learning about history helps
us understand the world today."
- Britannica Kids

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