One of my favorite places to go & decompress is, Sullivan's Island. We moved to Charleston a little over four years ago. Excited and ready to explore my new surroundings I packed up my son & camera. I was determined to find ocean front... so i just started driving, east. I found my self perfectly lost on the quiet, surreal, tranquil, Sullivan's Island. My son and I had such a fun & memorable time exploring & learning about, Ft. Moultrie. Here is some of what we explored and learned.
Ft. Moultrie, was named after William Moultrie who's bravery and dedication - shaped and molded the South into what it is today. Colonel Moultrie also had a personal flag. It was blue with a white crescent moon in the corner & a palmetto tree, of which, South Carolina adopted as their state flag.
Of course, Ft. Moultrie, has a much wider and broader history than that... In 1798 the fort was reconstructed but lost in a hurricain and 1804. The current structure was built in 1809. For the next 50 years the fort was run by the, U.S. Army. Ft. Moultrie was also used as a prison & held people like, Seminole chief Osceola, who died there and was buried right out side the gates. General T. Sherman (oddly enough who was born & raised in my home town, Lancaster, Ohio) and Edgar Allan Poe, both were stationed at Ft. Moultrie, as soldiers. Edgar Allan Poe, has been said to have written quiet a few of his pieces on Sullivan's Island. Sullivan's Island is also home of the famous, Poe's Tavern. It is a must if you ever venture to the island...
In 1860 the fort was abandoned and quickly made a refuge and post for the Southern forces. By April 1861 Confederate soldiers fired on Union soldiers. Ft. Moultrie, and Ft. Sumter. Both forts took on massive blows for 20 straight months. A team of Confederate engineers applied hardened sand to the outer layer of brick walls & covered the tops of the buildings as to camouflage their base. Ft. Sumter, was nearly destroyed in the battle where as Ft. Moultrie still stands strong & just as it did all those years ago.
