In January 1776 Charlestonians began
to defend their town by starting construction of a fort on Sullivan's
Island. Six months later the palmetto log-and-sand fortification
showed only two walls facing the harbor and two incomplete walls
exposed to Long Island to the rear. Meanwhile British amphibious
forces were massing offshore.
Rather than sail by the meager American defenses into Charleston
Sir Henry Clinton chose to destroy the unnamed fort. Nine powerful
warships opened fire on the morning of June 28. The crude fort
proved to be an ideal bastion, as the spongy palmetto wood received
the cannon balls without splintering. The sand mortar absorbed
what the palmetto could not. After nine hours the British fleet
and its more than 200 guns was forced to retire. Charleston would
remain unmolested for three more years.
The little fort was subsequentlynamed for its commander, William
Moultrie. After the Revolution Fort Moultrie was neglected, and
by 1791 little remained. Under a nationwide system of seacoast
fortifications, Fort Moultrie was rebuilt in 1798 and remained
active until World War II. The fort stands today under the administration
of the National Park Service as a unit of the Fort Sumter National
Monument.
The maze of sand-and-grass paths that wander around Fort Moultrie
and Battery Jasper make for an easy open-air exploration for
your dog. The real hiking comes when you split a small dune and
arrive on the beach at Sullivan's Island. Here your dog can go
off-leash much of the year and a couple of miles of sandy beach
await. Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War rang
out, is clearly seen in Charleston Harbor from the beach.
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