Originally Fort Sullivan, it was constructed by Colonel William Moultrie and renamed for him after he successfully defended it from the British in June, 1776. There were three forts, Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney, that guarded the entrance to the harbor of Charleston. The Union garrison under command of Major Robert Anderson stationed at Fort Moultrie moved to Fort Sumter, considered the most defensible. On April 11, 1861, 3:45 p.m., Confederate General PGT Beauregard demanded Major Anderson surrender to his forces. The Major refused. At 4:30 a.m. on the morning of April 12 the confederates fired the first shot that precipitated the War Between the States. The peaceful secession the southerners hoped for was shattered.

Abner Doubleday, the father of modern baseball, was a Major General in the Union Army and second in command at Ft Sumter in 1861.

Sullivan's Island, Charleston, South Carolina

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This watercolor painting is part of a larger historical painting series by Kay Smith, Artist Laureate of Illinois.
Visit Kay Smith's website to see additional paintings.