Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Military fortifications at Charleston Harbor, United States.
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park protects Fort Sumter, a brick fort on a harbor island, Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, the Charleston Light and Liberty Square in Charleston. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, and was renamed from Fort Sumter National Monument in 2019.
The first shots of the American Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Union soldiers stationed there. Fort Moultrie had previously played a role in the Revolutionary War and then served as a military stronghold for more than a century.
Local residents and visitors come to these sites to understand how military service shaped the harbor's story across generations. Walking through the gun emplacements and barracks shows how soldiers lived within these defensive structures.
Fort Sumter is reached only by ferry service departing from downtown Charleston, while Fort Moultrie can be accessed by car on Sullivan's Island. Bad weather can cause ferry service to be cancelled, so bring weather-appropriate clothing and allow extra time for possible delays.
Fort Moultrie withstood a nine-hour British naval assault in 1776 thanks to walls built from palmetto logs that absorbed enemy cannonballs rather than shattering. The soft nature of the palmetto material gave the fort an unexpected advantage during that attack.
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