The U.S. Navy has sent me on a two-week training trip, and during my off time, I got to explore the island fort where the Civil War Began.

When tensions began mounting between the North and South, the South Carolina coast began to be fortified by locals. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Fort Sumter lies just off of the Charleston Coast, where it has a strategic location for protecting Charleston Harbor.

The First Battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, where the Union troops stationed there worked to defend it from Confederate attack. It took only a day of siege from Confederate artillery until the troops surrendered and it became a Confederate fort.

These were the first shots fired in the American Civil War.

The island fort was constructed on an artificial island made from granite that was shipped from New England. It took 31 years of construction by the Army Corps of Engineers to complete the fort, and the Civil War broke out right as it was finished.

There were various cannons and mortars present in Fort Sumter at the beginning of the war, the size of which can be grasped by this photo.

The fort was destroyed several times during its lifetime. Each time it was rebuilt, until it was decommissioned after WWII in 1948. It was then taken over by the National Parks Service and Restored to its current glory.

It was amazing to be here and imagine the war-torn scene that must have been present a little over 150 years ago.

This is one of the closed up cannon holes that crews fired 6.4-inch, 100-pound cannons through. The guns present here were rifled, some of the first large rifled guns in warfare, actually. The range on this gun is 6,800 yards.

All in all, Fort Sumter is a beautiful piece of Civil War and American history.

It is an impressive citadel, even to modern standards.

One misconception I had going in was that the fort would be rather sizeable. When I got inside I was surprised as to just how small the actual stronghold was.

Still though, the fort could accommodate 650 soldiers and 135 artillery.

Views looking upon Charleston Harbor from atop the fort were something else.

Imagine being on a cannon crew firing these large guns.

The noise, the constant blasts, and the panic from the oncoming attack.

Here is what a ship would have seen approaching the fort, if it was lucky enough to get that close.

And here is the view that the crews inside would have used to aim at the attacking forces.

If you ever get a chance to visit Fort Sumter, I would highly recommend experiencing this crucial piece of American History.

All original photography. You can see my other adventure from today here as well.

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If you enjoyed this EXPLORING post, you can check out some of my other photographs from my Explore series through the links below or FOLLOW me to stay updated on my new content.

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