Fort Moultrie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Moultrie |
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| Part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park | |
| Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Fort Moultrie in December 2006. The United States flag is at half-staff because of Gerald R. Ford's death.
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Fort Moultrie in 1861.
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| Coordinates | 32°45′33.81″N 79°51′28.05″W / 32.7593917°N 79.8577917°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | National Park Service |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1776 |
| In use | 1776–1947 |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Sullivan's Island |
Fort Moultrie is a famous series of forts located on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. These forts were built to protect the important city of Charleston.
The very first fort here was called Fort Sullivan. It was made from palmetto logs. These special logs inspired the design of the South Carolina flag. They also gave South Carolina its nickname: "The Palmetto State."
Later, the fort was renamed Fort Moultrie. This was to honor General William Moultrie. He was an American hero who led the defense of the fort during the Battle of Sullivan's Island. For a short time, when the British controlled it (1780–1782), the fort was known as Fort Arbuthnot.
Fort Moultrie's Story: A Look Back in Time
American Revolution: A Fort Built of Palmetto Logs
In 1776, American patriots started building a fort to guard Charleston harbor. Colonel William Moultrie took charge of Sullivan's Island on March 2, 1776. His group had about 413 soldiers.
The fort was still being built when the British attacked. It was designed to be a square with strong corners. The walls were supposed to be 10 feet (3 meters) high. They were made of palmetto logs filled with 16 feet (5 meters) of sand. But by June 28, only the front part was finished. The back walls were only 7 feet (2 meters) high.
A blue flag with the word "Liberty" flew over the fort. Thirty-one cannons were ready to fire at any ships trying to enter the harbor.
On June 28, 1776, a fleet of nine British warships, led by Admiral Sir Peter Parker, attacked the fort. This was early in the American Revolutionary War. The soft palmetto logs were amazing! Instead of breaking, they absorbed the cannonballs. Some reports even say the cannonballs bounced right off the walls!
Colonel Moultrie and his 400 men fought bravely all day. In the end, Parker's ships were badly damaged and had to leave. The fort was then renamed Fort Moultrie to honor Colonel Moultrie. People in Charleston still celebrate "Carolina Day" to remember this brave defense.
During this battle, Moultrie used a special flag he designed. It was called the Moultrie flag or Liberty flag. It became a symbol of the Revolution in the South.
The British did eventually capture Fort Moultrie in 1780 during the Siege of Charleston. They renamed it Fort Arbuthnot. But the Americans won the war. British troops left in 1782, and the American flag was raised again.
Early Years: Rebuilding and a Famous Prisoner
After the American Revolution, new wars started in Europe. The United States decided to build strong forts to protect its important harbors. In 1798, a new Fort Moultrie was built on top of the old one. But in 1804, a big hurricane destroyed it.
Fort Moultrie was rebuilt again in 1808–09. This time it was made of brick and had 40 guns. It could house 500 soldiers. For the next 50 years, the fort's main design stayed mostly the same. However, a new fort, Fort Sumter, became even more important for Charleston's defense. By the time of the American Civil War, Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter, Fort Johnson, and Castle Pinckney all worked together to protect Charleston.
For 50 years, Fort Moultrie also held Native American prisoners. One famous prisoner was Osceola, a leader of the Seminole people. He was captured in late 1837 and brought to the fort. Osceola sadly died of malaria in January 1838. His grave is still at the front gate of Fort Moultrie.
Civil War: A Fort Under Fire
In the months before the Civil War, Colonel John L. Gardner was in charge of Fort Moultrie. He asked for more soldiers to protect the fort, but his requests were ignored.
South Carolina decided to leave the Union on December 20, 1860, after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. A group of U.S. soldiers was sent to Fort Moultrie. Unlike other forts, these soldiers chose not to surrender to South Carolina forces.
On December 26, 1860, Union Major Robert Anderson moved his soldiers from Fort Moultrie to the stronger Fort Sumter. On February 8, 1861, South Carolina joined other Southern states to form the Confederate States of America. In April 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter. This battle started the American Civil War.
In April 1863, Union ships and shore batteries began attacking Fort Moultrie and other forts around Charleston harbor. For the next 20 months, the Union bombardment turned Fort Sumter into a pile of rubble. Fort Moultrie was pounded so hard that it became buried under a sand hill, which actually protected it from more attacks. The new rifled cannons showed how powerful they were against brick forts. But the Confederate soldiers at Fort Moultrie kept fighting.
In February 1865, as General Sherman's army marched through South Carolina, the Confederate soldiers finally left Fort Moultrie and Charleston.
After the Wars: Modernizing and Closing
After the Civil War, the U.S. Army updated Fort Moultrie in the 1870s. They added new weapons and strong concrete bunkers.
Starting in 1897, Fort Moultrie was modernized even more as part of a big defense plan. Eight new concrete batteries were finished by 1906. Some parts of the old fort were removed to make space for these new batteries. The fort also had a special building to control a naval minefield in the harbor.
During World War I, some of Fort Moultrie's guns were sent to fight on the Western Front in France. After the war, some guns were removed as part of a plan to reduce the number of coastal defenses.
When World War II began in 1939, the U.S. started upgrading its coastal forts again. New batteries were built at and near Fort Moultrie. One important new battery, BCN 520, had powerful 12-inch guns. These new guns made most of the older defenses around Charleston useless. Most of Fort Moultrie's old weapons were removed in 1942.
On August 15, 1947, the Army lowered Fort Moultrie's flag for the last time. After 171 years of service, the fort was closed. Because of new military technology like submarines and nuclear weapons, defending the coast with forts was no longer a good strategy.
Fort Moultrie Today
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Fort Moultrie Quartermaster and Support Facilities Historic District
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The former torpedo (naval mine) storage building at Fort Moultrie; today it serves as office space for the park.
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| Location | Middle St. and Thompson Ave., bet. Stations 14 and 16.5, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina |
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| Area | 5.3 acres (2.1 ha) |
| MPS | Sullivan's Island, South Island MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000925 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 2007 |
In 1960, the U.S. government gave Fort Moultrie to the National Park Service. Today, the National Park Service manages the fort as part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.
Visitors can explore the fort and see how it changed over time. It's like taking a tour backward in history! You can see defenses from World War II all the way back to the original palmetto log fort from the American Revolution.
The National Register of Historic Places added the Fort Moultrie Quartermaster and Support Facilities Historic District in 2007. In 2016, Fort Moultrie was featured on the America the Beautiful quarter for South Carolina.
In 1999, a tall private home was built next to the fort. It blocked the view of Fort Sumter. Many groups worked together to buy the land and remove the building. This helped protect the historic view.
General Moultrie is also honored with a statue in The Battery area of downtown Charleston.
Images for kids
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Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
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Entrance to Fort Moultrie
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Cannon displayed at Fort Moultrie
