Two forts stand at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. Patriots inside a palmetto log fort, later named Fort Moultrie, defeated the Royal Navy in 1776. As Charleston blazed a path towards secession to preserve slavery, construction on a new fort, Fort Sumter, proceeded. The Confederacy fired on the US garrison of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 opening the Civil War, which redefined American freedom.
What you’ll hear
12 places to explore in this park.
- 1809 Powder Magazine in Fort Moultrie
- Battery Bingham & Battery McCorkle
- Battery Huger
- Battery Jasper
- Cannon Row at Fort Moultrie
- Fort Moultrie Fishing Dock
- Fort Moultrie Torpedo Storehouse
- Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
- General Moultrie's Grave
- Harbor Entrance Control Post at Fort Moultrie
- The Bench By the Road
- USS Patapsco Monument
Hear it on Trailtold
Download the app and let Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park narrate itself as you walk — GPS-triggered audio, hands-free.
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