Fort Sumter National Monument

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Fort Sumter National Monument.  The Visitors Center where you buy your tickets and get on the boat has many excellent story boards describing the events leading up the Civil War.  The boat ride to the fort was fun and the fort itself is really neat.

The worst part is you only get to stay out there for an hour.  The concessionaire that runs the boat service only lets people stay that long.  The Park Service Rangers I spoke with understood that people would like to stay longer, but said it's out of there hands.  

Fort Sumter was around 90 percent complete when Major Anderson moved his troops there under the cover of darkness from Fort Moultrie on December 26, 1861.  The people of Charleston were enraged at this action, many seeing it as an act of war.  It would be nearly four months before war broke out, however as the Southern states that had seceded from the Union got organized and prepared for battle.  During this time, Union troops did what they could to prepare the fort for battle.  With just over 80 men and dwindling supplies, the chances of holding the fort were slim.  An earlier attempt to send reinforcements and supplies had been rebuffed, but Lincoln decided to send supplies and men once again.

Knowing the supply ships were coming, the Confederate army decided it was time to take the fort.  On April 12, the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.  On April 13, with few rations left, Major Anderson agreed to surrender the fort in exchange for letting he and his men to go free.  

Union troops would bombard the fort for 22 months from 1863 to 1865, reducing it from 3 story high walls to 1.  The walls today are the same height they were when the war ended.  A battery was added in the late 1800s and sits in the middle of the fort.  The gift shop and museum are housed in that building.   

Thoughts and Recommendations

• Read the story boards at visitor's center.  They do a good job of concisely describing many of the complex issues leading up to the Civil War.  
• The Park Rangers have an excellent talk shortly after arriving at the Fort.  You don't have a lot of time out there though so just listen to the first part and look at stuff in the area so you can maybe hear some of it while you look at the fort.
• Skip the gift shop.  It is small and everything can be purchased at the gift shop in the visitor's center.
• Do a quick walk through the museum.  There are some neat artifacts in there.  Do not spend a lot of time reading there.  Buy a book instead.
• Spend as much time as you can walking around the fort.  It is really something to see.