This day in Charleston

March 12

2 entries · 1861–1864

1861Fort Sumter

Anderson counts the sand hills

“The weather being unusually pleasant, their operations are actively carried on this morning.” Anderson reported to the Chief Engineer that the Morris Island entrenchments now ran down behind the Star of the West battery — redoubts on the sand hills joined by curtains, their rear raised high enough to be safe from Sumter’s reverse fire. He was describing, week by week, the works that would destroy his fort.

Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1

1864Fort Sumter

Beams and chairs against torpedoes

One monitor went south, leaving four. “Some of the wooden vessels are provided with projecting beams and chairs for defense against torpedoes.” A month after the Hunley sank the Housatonic, the Federal fleet off Charleston was rigging every ship it had against spar torpedoes.

Fort Sumter post returns, OR I, 35, Pt. 1

Entries are dated from the War of the Rebellion official records, the naval official records and contemporary Charleston sources. Browse the whole year.