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Fort Sumter National Monument. Photo by JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD.

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about the Fort Sumter National Monument

Fort Sumter is a fort erected on an artificial island in Charleston Harbor. It is accessible by boat. It was built to protect Charleston in South Carolina from naval invasion. The building was severely damaged during the war. It remained in ruins and even after reconstruction, the fort is never conceived as never completed.

The fort was constructed as part of the Third System of Seacoast Defense. The construction began in 1829. The island on which it was constructed is 2.4 acres. the artificial island was built from thousands of tons of granite. The fort was built to accommodate a garrison of 650 soldiers and 135 artillery pieces.

It is famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War (1861-1865). The fort enjoys a large audience of people looking to enjoy the history of the Civil War. Let us now look at the Top 10 Outstanding Facts about the Fort Sumter National Monument.

1. It was named after Thomas Sumter

Fort Sumter National Monument marker. Photo by Pi3.124.

Fort Sumter was named after General Thomas Sumter a Revolutionary War hero. He was born on 14^th August 1734 and died on 1^st June 1832. Thomas Sumter was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia, a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. Four states are also named in his honor. He was indeed a force to reckon with.

2. The fort was never completely built

Many challenges were faced during the construction of Fort Sumter. First of all, there were legal issues concerning the title of the land on which the fort sat. The second was the problem of funding the project.

This was because building the fort was a huge project that required a lot of funds. Further, the weather was unpleasant and diseases cropped up. The exterior of the fort was finished. However, the interior and the armaments were never completed.

3. The island on which the fort is built was originally a sand bar

In 1827, engineers did an assessment and concluded that the spot was suitable for the construction of a fort. Construction began in 1829. Seventy thousand tons of granite were transported from New England to build the artificial island.

By 1834, a timber foundation had been laid several feet beneath the water. However, there was a change of heart. It was decided that a brick would be a stronger foundation. This did not happen. The base of the island was made

4. It is the site where the first shots of the civil war took place

Fort Sumter National Monument. Photo by National Park Service Digital Image Archives.

The attack on Fort Sumter is considered the beginning of the American civil war. The very first shots of the civil war occurred at the fort. The first battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861. The South Carolina Militia artillery fired from the shore on the Union garrison.

The firing from both sides continued to take place for the rest of the day. Both the antagonists and protagonists in the war agreed that these were the first shots of the war. However, Fort Sumter had no supplies and had to surrender the next day.

5. There is a flag named after the fort

Storm Flag, Fort Sumter National Monument. Photo by Unknown.

The Fort Sumter Flag is a historic United States Flag. It has a diamond-shaped pattern of 33 stars. The flagpole fell during the civil war at the fort. Second Lieutenant Norman J. Hall retrieved the flag and mounted it on a makeshift pole.

The flag was lowered by Major Robert Anderson on April 13^th, 1861 after the fort surrendered. He returned to New York City with this flag. The flag remains a popular patriotic symbol to date. It is on display at the fort’s museum.

6. After the war, Fort Sumter remained in ruins

Photomechanical print (postcard) : halftone, colored. Photo by F. J. Martschink Co.

Fort Sumter remained in ruins after the civil war ended. The United States Army worked to restore the fort into a useful military installation. The damaged walls were re-leveled to a lower height and partially rebuilt. Eleven of the original gun rooms were restored with 100-pounder Parrot rifles.

The third tier of gun emplacements was removed. In summary, Fort Sumter was partially rebuilt to serve the military and in honor of the place where the first gunshots of the American Civil War took place.

7. At one point, the fort was a lighthouse station

Besides housing guns to prevent hostile vessels from entering the harbor, Fort Sumter also served as a lighthouse. It was designed to help friendly vessels safely reach the harbor. William Holmes was the first keeper of Fort Sumter Light at an annual salary of 400 dollars. from 1876 to 1897, Fort Sumter was only used as an unmanned lighthouse station.

8. Many were wounded in the fort after the first war

The confederate opened fire on the fort for 34 straight hours. There was no attempt from the fort to return fire for the first two hours. The fort did not have any suitable ammunition. They had no fuses for their explosive shells hence those could not explode.

They used solid iron balls to counter the gunshots.  A confederate soldier bled to death after he was wounded by a misfired cannon. A union soldier died while another was mortally wounded.

9. The start of the Spanish-American war sparked interest in the fort

The commencing of the Spanish-American War prompted renewed interest in the military use of the fort. Reconstruction began on the fort that had deteriorated further over time. Inside the original wall, a concrete blockhouse-style installation was built in 1898.

This was armed with two 12-inch M1888 guns. One of the guns was named ‘Battery Huger’ in honor of Revolutionary War General Isaac Huger. This gun never saw combat, however.

10. It became a National Monument in 1948

Fort Sumter National Monument. Photo by Billy Hathorn.

In 1948, the fort became Fort Sumter National Monument under the control of the National Park Service. In 1966, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic land related to the battles at Fort Sumter has been acquired and preserved by the Civil War Trust and its partners. The Fort Sumter Education Center was also set up to preserve the rich history. Among other things the center has a museum where one can get to explore and learn.