The First Shot

With all these tours of Civil War battlefields and monuments, we certainly couldn't pass up visiting Ft. Sumter. Charleston, SC is certainly worth visiting as well with it's own charm and beauty. There are hundreds of majestic old homes bundled close together for block after block from the harbor. The streets were dandy for horses and carriages (..and we saw quite a few), but they were a challenge for the 1 ton truck to slalom along between the parked cars.

The only way to visit Fort Sumter is to book a boat trip for access. We took the concessionaire affiliated with the national park service, but apparently there are other water taxis or you could take your own boat.

The small visitor's center was definitely a good stop before and we easily spent an hour with the various exhibits that framed the beginning of the war and the story of events transpiring in Charleston during the Civil War.

The boat ride took about a 1/2 hour each way and we enjoyed viewing Charleston from the water - it's really a beautiful port city!

It's hard to imagine how the fort appeared prior to it's being reduced to rubble for the last 20 months of the Civil War. With 50 foot high walls 4 foot thick on the exterior, there were at least two floors of solid brick structures all around - this photo shows the remains of the officer's quarters and gun powder magazine.

Several massive cannons are on display, as well as much more recently constructed battery that was built during WWI and in use throughout WWII as part of the early 20th century shore defense system.

Cory and Will pose next to a huge gun that the northern troops brought into Charleston to use to re-take the fort. These were some of the first "rifled" barrel cannon and fired a 100 pound projectile.

Taking a last look from inside the fort, we could see the tour boat as it prepared to take us back across the bay to the city. We all enjoyed the rich history of this monument and better understand this internal struggle that has shaped our national character.