Touch the Elbow - Blogging the Civil War

One of my favorite memories as a dad is running on the grass, chasing my two sons, aged 5 and 3 (at the time), tackling them and rolling about the ground. The three of us would laugh, get up and do it again. This happened at Fort Moultrie, the older sister fort of Fort Sumter.

Unfortunately, in the tourist part of Charleston, Fort Sumter gets most of the press. Why unfortunate? Well, because quite frankly, Fort Sumter is quite the boring destination. While it is a beautiful boat ride, once there, you really do not need the full hour on the island that they give you until the boat takes you back. I can’t count the times I have been to Fort Moultrie and enjoyed the heck out of it, never bored and always willing to go back again.



While Fort Sumter gets most of the glory, Fort Moultrie, in its many incarnations of defending Charleston, has had a significant impact on the History of the United States. The first fort was made out of Palmetto logs and was used in the Revolutionary War. The British fired upon the fort, only to see the cannon balls bounce off the rubber like tree.

Throughout the years and has changed and was an active US Army Installation up through 1947. In the late 50’s, most of the fort was taken over by the National Parks Service. Walking through the fort is like taking your own “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, as you can pass through different military eras by walking through one doorway.

Do yourself a favor, the next time you are in Charleston, make sure you give yourself time to go to Fort Moultrie, you won’t be disappointed.

Today, the fort celebrates its 200 anniversary, so I wish it a rather loud cheer of “Happy Birthday!”

You can read more on the birthday celebration here.