Fort Johnson James Island South Carolina on April 12, 1861
Posted By : manager
Posted : September 11, 2020
Fort Johnson James Island, South Carolina
Fort Johnson is a state-owned historic site of military and political significance located on the northeast point of James Island in Charleston County, South Carolina.
Fort Johnson was strategically important during the colonial era, as it was located on the banks of the Ashley River. The fort was named after Sir Nathaniel Johnson, who served as the Governor of Carolina from 1703 to 1709.
It was the site of the first raising of the South Carolina state flag in 1775.
Moultrie Flag
In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie was asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety to design a flag for the South Carolina troops to use during the American Revolutionary War. Moultrie’s design had the blue of the militia’s uniforms and a crescent taken from their cap insignia. It was first flown at Fort Johnson.
The signal shot that commenced the bombardment of Fort Sumter and the beginning of the War was fired from a Fort Johnson mortar battery on April 12, 1861.
During the War between the States, an amphibious attack conducted on July 3, 1864, by the Yankee troops stationed on Morris Island was repulsed by
the brave Confederate garrison.
Fort Johnson powder magazine The magazine was built in 1765 and is a brick structure that measures 27 feet long and 20 feet wide.
The National Historic Monument maintained by the federal government placed in 1961 to explain that the historic mortar shot was fired nearby April 12, 1861, The beginning of America’s deadliest war.
