Carolina Day 2004

Date: June 22, 2004
Contact: Bill Martin, 843-883-3123 x 41

At 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 28, 2004, the National Park Service will commemorate the 228th anniversary of the battle of Sullivan’s Island at Fort Moultrie. This program is part of the Carolina Day activities being held in Charleston to honor this significant event in the history of South Carolina and the nation. To help mark this anniversary, the normal fee to tour the fort is waived for the day.

Fought on June 28, 1776, the battle of Sullivan’s Island was America’s first major decisive victory in the Revolutionary War. In the 9½-hour engagement, South Carolina Patriots, manning an incomplete palmetto log and sand fort, defeated a British naval force of nine warships. Charleston was saved from British occupation for four more years, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel William Moultrie.

Monday, June 28, 2004

7:00-7:30 p.m. – Members of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment provide living history programs including musket firing.

7:30-8:00 p.m. – Formal program featuring a brief address on the battle by Professor John W. Gordon, followed by a wreath-laying.

8:30 p.m. – Fort Moultrie closes to the public.

Dr. Gordon is a professor at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia. Before his current position, Gordon was a history professor and dean at the Citadel, and has served as a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The author of numerous articles, essays, and two books, his latest work is South Carolina and the American Revolution: A Battlefield History published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2003. Professor Gordon will be available to sign copies of his book both before and after his presentation.

Fort Moultrie is a unit of Fort Sumter National Monument, administered by the National Park Service. The site is located at 1214 Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island. This program and entrance to the park are free for the day. Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs and items suitable for an outdoor summer evening such as sunscreen and insect repellent. In case of rain the program will be held indoors. For additional information on this program and Fort Moultrie’s history call Fort Sumter National Monument at 843 883-3123. For information on other area Carolina Day activities call the South Carolina Historical Society at 843 723-3225 or visit www.schistory.org.