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Fort Sumter Elevators Out Of Service
The elevators at Fort Sumter are out of service until further notice. Disabled visitors departing from Liberty Square will have access to restrooms on board the ferry boat while at Fort Sumter. For more information, please call (843) 883-3123.
Where the American Civil War Began
Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.
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Visit Fort Sumter
Learn more about visiting Fort Sumter by ferry or with your own boat.
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Visit Fort Moultrie
Experience 171 years of American seacoast defense. Take a tour of Fort Moultrie's history from the American Revolution through World War II.
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Visit Charles Pinckney NHS
Visit nearby Charles Pinckney National Historic Site.
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Did You Know?
The first shot of the American Civil War didn't hit anything. It was a 10-inch mortar shell, fired from Fort Johnson, that exploded above Fort Sumter as a signal for Confederate artillery to open fire on the Union-held fort. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC