Following an early morning ferry ride to four miles off the tip of Charleston’s peninsula, I stepped onto Fort Sumter and put my hand to heart as our flag was raised. Minutes later, in my sense of solemn euphoria, I realized other ferry passengers had dispersed throughout the fort. It was then I picked my jaw off the ground to discover all I could in the hour we had at this monumental fort.
Still a work-in-progress when the first shot of the Civil War was fired upon Fort Sumter, this man-made island was defended by the Union, April 12-14, 1861, until the Confederate Army took hold. Charleston was extremely valuable to the south as General Robert E. Lee said in 1862, “The loss of Charleston would cut us off from…the rest of the world, and close the only channel through which we can expect to get supplies from abroad, now almost our only independence”. By 1863, the Union forces dominated Charleston and its surroundings islands and in February 1865 the last Confederate soldier left Charleston.
My visit to Fort Sumter and the Civil War’s beginning dovetailed perfectly with our 2019 Natchez Trace to Virginia Airstream journey where I spent time at Appomattox Court House, a small town in Virginia. It was here at the McLean House, on April 9, 1865, where the four-year battle officially ended when Union General U.S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee signed the document of surrender.
As we begin our way west, I can highly endorse South Carolina as a destination. Besides, who could pass up local musician, Darius Rucker, and his invitation to Discover South Carolina!
Note: Thank a teacher! Much credit for my love of 19th century American history goes to my all-time favorite college professor, Joan Waugh, who would instruct her courses in such an engaging way that today I still seek out historical locations and probably put a few of you to sleep here on Facebook.
Camp Dawg 