Review: A History of Fort Sumter: Building a Civil War Landmarks

This is one of the books I finished while on vacation!  A weekend non-fiction fun read as a break from heavy theological reading: Because Pastors need a break also!  Haven’t done one of these in a while!

Patrick Hendrix. A History of Fort Sumter: Building a Civil War Landmark. Charleston, SC: The History Press, March 4, 2014. 161 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Most people have probably have heard of Fort Sumter from their history book as the place where the Confederates fired the first shot that launched the Civil War but did you know there were battles and military operations concerning Fort Sumter and around Fort Sumter between the Confederates and the Union after the first attack?  This book examines Fort Sumter not just with the historically memorable artillery barrage by South Carolians against Union troops in the Fort but it also goes over the history of the founding of the Fort, the tension between South Carolina and the fort for decades leading up to the attack and also the history of the fort militarily after the fateful attack of April 12-13, 1861.  And it was an interesting book written by the author even for a general reading audience.

The book consists of eight chapters.  Chapter one titled “Conception” is about the background of why Fort Sumter was thought of necessary to be created.  Chapter two is on the nullification and threat of succession during the era of John Calhoun and how it impacted the history of the fort leading up to the South succeeding.  Chapter three concern the attack on April 12-13^th 1861 while chapter four is about events after with the Civil War and the military operations near the fort’s surrounding area.  This was probably the chapter that I learned the most new information about that made me appreciate and shaped my tour of Charleston on neighboring island: Folly Island, James Island, Sullivan Island, etc.  Chapter five through seven is about the North’s attack on the fort while the fort was under Confederate hands during the Civil War leading up to the Confederates’ abandonment of Fort Sumter.  Chapter eight is on the War’s aftermath.

In the beginning Author M. Patrick Hendrix takes us back to the War of 1812 and the American capital being destroyed by the invading British and how that shaped President Madison in late 1816 seeing the need to form a permanent and comprehensive plan of Costal defense by commissioning a board that enlisted the help of a French military engineer name Simon Bernard to come up with idea of sea coast fortification.  At that time Charleston was a very prosperous port with import and export and while the book doesn’t mention it during this era it became of of the richest city in the United States and later during the Cotton boom it was the richest city in the world.  So to protect this vital costal town the military thought the neighboring Fort Moultrie on Sullivan Island wasn’t enough and in 1828 Congress made appropriation for a pentagonal three tiered masonry fort to include casemate emplacements for gun emplacement.

The biggest thing I got out of this book is how much more military engagements happened after the initial attack and during the war years.  I never knew that US Marines and sailors actually did an unsuccessful military infantry assault on the Fort that was high on casualties and capture of personnel.  I was shocked to read of how many munitions were fired at the Fort and the types of munitions used.  There were some artillery operations that involved thousands of rounds in one day.  I was also blown away to learn that the famous 54^th Massachusetts Regiment made famous in the movie Glory! was fought nearby to Fort Sumter in Fort Wagner.

Overall a wonderful book.  The author put effort into his research from the footnotes he has throughout the book.  He allowed voices from all sides to speak, from diaries of everyday citizens in Charleston to military leaders and government leaders and soldiers on the ground and in the fort.