• Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the bombardment of Fort Sumter

    Fort Sumter

    National Monument South Carolina

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  • Fort Sumter Elevators Out Of Service

    The elevators at Fort Sumter are out of service until further notice. Disabled visitors departing from Liberty Square will have access to restrooms on board the ferry boat while at Fort Sumter. For more information, please call (843) 883-3123.

Impending War Lecture Series March 2011

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Date: March 10, 2011
Contact: Nate Johnson, (843) 883-3123

 As the National Park Service prepares for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the staff and volunteers of Fort Sumter National Monument are presenting monthly talks at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center on Sullivan’s Island. Entitled Impending War, this program series takes a deeper look at the antebellum history of the United States. Each talk gives visitors the opportunity to learn more about significant historical figures, their views of the issues, and the dramatic events that led to the first shots of the Civil War.

On Saturday, March 19, Mary Hatcher and Jean Hutchinson will present the eleventh lecture in this series, From Secession to Sumter: A Southern Woman’s Perspective. Mary Boykin Chesnut was one of many women from South Carolina who voiced their opinions about states’ rights, the election of Abraham Lincoln, and the issue of secession. This presentation will examine the political views of these most ardent secessionists on the eve of civil war. Program begins at 2:00 p.m.

Fort Moultrie is a unit of Fort Sumter National Monument and is located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. The fort and visitor center are open daily from 9:00-5:00 except for New Year's, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. For more information, call (843) 883-3123.

Did You Know?

The 33-star United States flag flown atop Fort Sumter during the opening bombardment of the Civil War in 1861, on exhibit at Fort Sumter

The first human death of the Civil War occurred on April 14, 1861, the day after the battle of Fort Sumter ended. Private Daniel Hough died when the cannon he was loading (for the Union's 100-gun salute to the U.S. flag) discharged prematurely. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC