Fort Sumter: Day 20

Image provided by www.history.com

Fort Sumter

Description: On the groups last full day in Charleston, South Carolina, Holden, Graves, Austin, and myself decided to go visit Fort Sumter National Monument. The four of us had to pay eighteen dollars to get on a ferry and ride over to the island where Fort Sumter is located. We got to walk around the entire fort and see inside the gunpowder room and magazine rooms. My favorite spot on the fort was the spot where the first shot from Fort Johnson hit Fort Sumter. My favorite story about Fort Sumter was the one about how after being bombarded by cannons, the fort got stronger even though the walls were falling. Fort Sumter is a neat fort and it has a lot of history as well. Fort Sumter is the place where the Civil War first began between the North and the South.

Reflection: When you see a place of history like Fort Sumter, you stand in awe by what the people of the time were able to accomplish. Fort Sumter is made entirely by hand with no machinery. The fort is by no means small in size either. When I saw Fort Sumter, I could not help but be amazed because in the mid 1800’s, Sumter was built. In today’s society, being able to work with your hands is almost a lost art but during the time Fort Sumter was being built, working with your hands was all that mattered. My dad is a carpenter and all he does is work with his hands but he works with wood and not masonry. However, the concept is still the same and I am grateful that my father taught me and still teaches me how to work with my hands to this very day.

Analysis: While the building process of Fort Sumter is neat, the part most people care about is the fort’s part in the Civil War. Fort Sumter is where the Civil War began as mentioned above. Fort Sumter was the first victory for the Confederacy as well as the Civil War. Fort Sumter, along with Fort Moultrie, was key to protecting the important port city of Charleston. Charleston was the main port on the east coast for the Confederacy. Without Fort Sumter, Charleston would have fallen to the Union much earlier than it did. Fort Sumter should always be remembered, not for being part of the Confederacy, but for being part of a war that gave many people their freedom. Slaves helped build Fort Sumter but after the Civil War, former slaves occupied the fort for the Union during Reconstruction. Fort Sumter was key to America and the Confederacy but ultimately, the fort sided with the Union metaphorically speaking. Overall, history is key to the future and Fort Sumter has a lot of history to display to the people of Charleston and the people of America.