USS Patapsco Monument

A small gray obelisk dedicated to the USS Patapsco is surrounded by metal fencing.

NPS/ W. Young

Quick Facts

Location:

Sullivan's Island, Fort Moultrie

Significance:

US Civil War, Ironclads

Outside and to the right of the Fort Moultrie sally port stands a small gray obelisk. This monument is the oldest known Civil War monument at the fort. It commemorates the loss of life when the USS Patapsco sank in the Charleston Harbor in January of 1865. The Patapsco was sunk by an underwater mine after two years of naval operations in Charleston. in a tragic twist of fate, it was only a month before the Confederates would abandon the city itself that the Patapsco was lost.  

Listed on the monument are the names of the 62 sailors who were killed when this US ironclad went down. Five bodies were recovered and were buried beneath the monument. The monument was erected sometime between 1892 and 1918 and today is one of the last memories of the Patapsco dead. Take a moment to stop and reflect on the experiences of the Civil War sailor and the tragic loss of the USS Patapsco.