Fort Sumter Anvil of War
Reading edition
Fort Sumter National Monument South Carolina
Produced by the Division of Publications National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 1984
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About This book
Early on the morning of April 12, 1861, a mortar shell fired from Fort Johnson in Charleston Harbor burst almost directly over Fort Sumter, inaugurating the tragic American Civil War. Two years later, Fort Sumter, now in Confederate hands, became the focus of a gallant defense in which determined Confederate soldiers kept Federal land and naval forces at bay for 587 days. The “first shot” of 1861 and the Confederate defense of 1863-65 are the subjects of the following pages. The narrative is based on an earlier work by Frank Barnes, onetime historian at Fort Sumter National Monument.
National Park handbooks, compact introductions to the natural and historical places administered by the National Park Service, are designed to promote public understanding and enjoyment of the parks. Each handbook is intended to be informative reading and a useful guide to park features. More than 100 titles are in print. They are sold at parks and can be purchased by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data:
Fort Sumter: anvil of war
Bibliography: p.
Supt. of Docs. no.: I 29.9/5:127
1. Fort Sumter (Charleston, S.C.)—History.
2. Charleston, (S.C.)—History—Civil War, 1861-1865.
3. Charleston, (S.C.)—Fortifications, military installations, etc.
4. Fort Sumter National Monument Charleston, (S.C.)
I. United States. National Park Service. Division of Publications.
F279.C48F684 1984 975.7’915 84-600248
ISBN 0-912627-24-7
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Part 1 The Fort on the Shoal 4
Part 2 The Civil War Years 14
Fort Sumter and the Coming of War, 1861 17
The Struggle for Charleston, 1863-65 33
Part 3 The Fort Today 52
From Wartime Ruin to National Monument 54
What to See at Fort Sumter 55
Sally Port 55
Left-Flank Casemates 55
Left Face 58
Right Face 58
Right Gorge Angle 59
Officers’ Quarters 59
Enlisted Men’s Barracks 59
Garrison Monument 59
Mountain Howitzer 59
Other Points of Interest 60
Fort Moultrie 60
James Island 62
Castle Pinckney 62
The Battery 62
For Further Reading 63
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