Fort Johnson (South Carolina)

Marshlands Plantation House, in Charleston, South Carolina, is an historic plantation house that was built in 1810 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1973. It is a 2+1⁄2-story Federal-style plantation home. The house was relocated in the 1960s from its original location on the site of the United States Navy Shipyard. The Navy had announced it would have to demolish the empty house if it could not be relocated with the $15,000 the Navy had set aside for the purpose. The City of Charleston took temporary possession of the house, transferring it to the College of Charleston which relocated it for preservation to James Island.

The Cooper River is a mainly tidal river in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The cities of Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, North Charleston, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, and Hanahan are located along the river. Short and wide, the river is joined first by the blackwater East Branch and then farther downstream at the tidal Wando River. Almost immediately thereafter, the Cooper River widens into its estuary and unites with the Ashley River to form the Charleston Harbor.Long used as an important commercial waterway, the West Branch of the Cooper River was initially connected to the Santee River near its navigation head by the Santee Canal, built in the late 18th century. Though the West Branch still rises as a blackwater swamp in central Berkeley County, its main headwaters have been seamlessly shifted to Lake Moultrie by the 1940s vintage Tail Race Canal. Lake Moultrie is, in turn, fed from Lake Marion by a diversion canal built around the same time period. This artificial rerouting of the Cooper River basin has essentially unified the Santee and Cooper River systems into a single hydrological drainage entity. The river was named for Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury and chief Lord Proprietor of the Carolina Colony. Charleston was founded on the western bank of the Ashley River in 1670 (at Charles Towne Landing), before moving across to its current peninsular location ten years later. Rice and indigo were the primary commodity crops cultivated on the plantations surrounding the brackish marshland of the Cooper River from the early Colonial through the end of the Civil War periods. Former plantations along the river include Lewisfield, Mulberry, Middleburg, Quinby and Mepkin, which is now operated as Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery. Many of these and other structures contribute to the Cooper River Historic District, a national historic district that encompasses areas along both branches of the river. In addition to the Mepkin Abbey Botanical Garden, nearby attractions include the Cypress Gardens and the Old Santee Canal Park. Daniel Island and Drum Island (uninhabited) are adjacent to the river. Cargo terminals, a paper mill, and the former Charleston Naval Base line its shore. The Patriot's Point naval and maritime museum is located at the mouth of the river. Berthed at Patriot's Point are four museum ships, most notably USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier. Goose Creek, a tributary of the Cooper River, was the site of a U.S. Navy submarine base through the late 1990s. It operated as a nuclear weapons handling facility servicing fleet ballistic submarines until the advent of the larger Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile. Since the Ohio-class submarines required a deeper draft, the nuclear weapons handling had to move to another facility.

The Fort Ripley Shoal Light or Middle Ground Light was a lighthouse in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor approaches.

USS Patapsco was a Passaic-class ironclad monitor in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the Patapsco River in Maryland.

Battery Cheves is a historic artillery battery located at James Island, Charleston, South Carolina. It was built in 1863, and designed to protect the area between Fort Johnson and Battery Haskell. At the end of the war this battery mounted two pieces of heavy artillery. The earthen redoubt measures approximately 280 feet long and 240 feet deep. It has a 12-foot, 6 inch, high parapet wall and a powder magazine about 15 feet in height.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Melton Peter Demetre Park is a municipal park in Charleston, South Carolina. Some locals still refer to it by the nickname "Sunrise Park", the park was officially dedicated and named Melton Peter Demetre Park in 2007 after its owner, who donated the land to the City Of Charleston for use as a park. Melton Demetre owned a parcel of land which provided views across Charleston Harbor to The Battery and surrounding landmarks. During the 1960s, Demetre obtained permits and filled his waterfront lot with dirt, a practice which was later prohibited. In 1970, the United States Army Corps of Engineers ordered Demetre to stop filling the waterfront property, and litigation resulted. Eventually in 1975, a federal judge ruled that the fill dirt could stay but limited the use of the land to Demetre's stated intent of a marina. In 1990, Demetre donated the land to the City of Charleston, transferring the deed to the land on the condition that it be converted into a park with certain agreed upon amenities within ten years, and that the park be dedicated to Demetre when opened. When the ten-year deadline approached in 2000, the city installed a makeshift floating dock without a permit, and did not fulfill other agreed to obligations. Demetre claimed that the work did not satisfy the conditions of the deed, and he sued to have the land returned to him based on the reverter clause in the deed. The lawsuit settled in 2007 in Demetre's favor, with the city agreeing to a timetable for certain improvements including the construction of a 190-foot pier. The park has a fishing pier, two large sandy waterfront beaches, marshes, a covered picnic area, a large nature preserve pond, fields of green grass and the beginnings of a hiking trail. The 190-foot fishing pier extending into the harbor opened in February 2009. The pier leads to a 20-by-20-foot pier head and 40-foot floating dock. Other projects include steps leading to the beach areas and an automatic gate that opens the parking area from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. The park improvements were built with $450,000 approved by Charleston City Council for the only city administered waterfront park on James Island. In June 2019, it was announced that the park would be closed for the summer months while work began on a project to fix past hurricane damage and make further improvements to the park. The project was projected to cost over $800,000. The views from the park take in the Battery, the Downtown Charleston Peninsula, the Ravenel Bridge, Patriots Point, Sullivan's Island, and Fort Sumter among other areas.

The Second Battle of Charleston Harbor, also known as the siege of Charleston Harbor, siege of Fort Wagner, or Battle of Morris Island, took place during the American Civil War in the late summer of 1863 between a combined U.S. Army/Navy force and the Confederate defenses of Charleston, South Carolina.

The Second Battle of Fort Sumter was fought on September 8, 1863, in Charleston Harbor. Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard, who had commanded the defenses of Charleston and captured Fort Sumter in the first battle of the war, was in overall command of the defenders. In the battle, Union forces under Major General Quincy Gillmore attempted to retake the fort at the mouth of the harbor. Union gunners pummeled the fort from their batteries on Morris Island. After a severe bombing of the fort, Beauregard, suspecting an attack, replaced the artillerymen and all but one of the fort's guns with 320 infantrymen, who repulsed the naval landing party. Gillmore had reduced Fort Sumter to a pile of rubble, but the Confederate flag still waved over the ruins.

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Charleston County, in coastal South Carolina. It mainly protects Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the Charleston Light and Liberty Square. It was known as Fort Sumter National Monument until it was renamed in the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed March 12, 2019.The Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center is located 340 Concord Street, Liberty Square, Charleston, South Carolina, on the banks of the Cooper River. The center features museum exhibits about the disagreements between the North and South that led to the incidents at Fort Sumter, particularly in South Carolina and Charleston. Displays include slavery and the plantation culture, major figures, politics, and how the Confederate Army was formed. This site is also the main departure point for tour boats heading to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Park rangers and volunteers offer topical programs throughout the week for every boat. The museum at Fort Sumter itself focuses on the activities at the fort, including its construction and role during the American Civil War. The fort is open to the public only via concession tour boat; access from private watercraft or via the low-tide sandbar is not permitted.The Fort Moultrie Visitor Center is located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island across from the fort itself. There is a self-guiding brochure available and interpretive wayside exhibits posted throughout the fort. Guided tours are offered daily at 11:00 am and 2:30 pm, based on staff availability. The center offers an orientation film and museum exhibits about American seacoast defenses from 1809 to 1947, and the history of the first two forts. There is an information desk staffed by NPS Rangers, a book/souvenir store and bathrooms. Charleston Light is not open to the public but can be viewed from its surrounding grounds, which also allow beach access.

Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island near Charleston, South Carolina to defend the region from a naval invasion. It was built after British forces captured and occupied Washington during the War of 1812 via a naval attack. The fort was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle of Fort Sumter occurred, sparking the American Civil War. It was severely damaged during the battle and left in ruins. Although there were some efforts at reconstruction after the war, the fort as conceived was never completed. Since the middle of the 20th century, Fort Sumter has been open to the public as part of the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, operated by the National Park Service.

The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with its surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Following the declaration of secession by South Carolina on December 20, 1860, its authorities demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, Major Robert Anderson of the U.S. Army, in violation of the unofficial truce deal made between the US and CS governments, surreptitiously moved his small command from the vulnerable Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island to Fort Sumter, a substantial fortress built on an island controlling the entrance of Charleston Harbor. An attempt by U.S. President James Buchanan to reinforce and resupply Anderson using the unarmed merchant ship Star of the West failed when it was fired upon by shore batteries on January 9, 1861. The ship was hit three times, which caused no major damage but nonetheless kept the supplies from reaching Anderson. Seeing its deal with the Federal Government having been violated, South Carolina authorities then seized all Federal property in the Charleston area except for Fort Sumter. During the early months of 1861, the situation around Fort Sumter increasingly began to resemble a siege. In March, Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard, the first general officer of the newly formed Confederate States Army, was placed in command of Confederate forces in Charleston. Beauregard energetically directed the strengthening of batteries around Charleston harbor aimed at Fort Sumter. Conditions in the fort deteriorated due to shortages of men, food, and supplies as the Union soldiers rushed to complete the installation of additional guns. The resupply of Fort Sumter became the first crisis of the administration of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, inaugurated March 4, 1861, following his victory in the election of November 6, 1860. He notified the governor of South Carolina, Francis Wilkinson Pickens, that he was sending supply ships, which resulted in an ultimatum from the Confederate government for the immediate evacuation of Fort Sumter, which Major Anderson refused. Beginning at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, the Confederates bombarded the fort from artillery batteries surrounding the harbor. Although the Union garrison returned fire, they were significantly outgunned and, after 34 hours, Major Anderson agreed to evacuate. There were no deaths on either side as a direct result of this engagement, although a gun explosion during the surrender ceremonies on April 14 caused the death of two U.S. Army soldiers. The event often regarded as the "First Bloodshed of the Civil War" was the Baltimore riot of 1861, one week later. Following the battle, there was widespread support from both North and South for further military action. Lincoln's immediate call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion resulted in an additional four Southern states also declaring their secession and joining the Confederacy. The battle is usually recognized as the first of the American Civil War.

The First Battle of Charleston Harbor was an engagement near Charleston, South Carolina that took place April 7, 1863, during the American Civil War. The striking force was a fleet of nine ironclad warships of the Union Navy, including seven monitors that were improved versions of the original USS Monitor. A Union Army contingent associated with the attack took no active part in the battle. The ships, under command of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, attacked the Confederate defenses near the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Navy Department officials in Washington hoped for a stunning success that would validate a new form of warfare, with armored warships mounting heavy guns reducing traditional forts. Du Pont had been given seven of the Passaic class monitors, the powerful New Ironsides, and the experimental ironclad Keokuk. Other naval operations were sidetracked as their resources were diverted to the attack on Charleston. After a long period of preparation, conditions of tide and visibility allowed the attack to proceed. The slow monitors got into position rather late in the afternoon, and when the tide turned, Du Pont had to suspend the operation. Firing had occupied less than two hours, and the ships had been unable to penetrate even the first line of harbor defense. The fleet retired with one in a sinking condition and most of the others damaged. One sailor in the fleet was killed and twenty-one were wounded, while five Confederate soldiers were killed and eight wounded. After consulting with his captains, Du Pont concluded that his fleet had little chance to succeed. He therefore declined to renew the battle the next morning.