Fort Sumter National Historical Park, Charleston, SC
Located off the coast of South Carolina, Fort Sumter is where the story began. Even though this fort was in the south, President Abraham Lincoln held on to it and some other forts in protest of the south seceding.
On April 12th, 1861, Confederate artillery attacked the Union garrison. Once it was cut off from supplies, the fort surrendered the next day. Then on September 8th, 1863, the Union unsuccessfully tried to retake the stronghold.
Nowadays, the fort is open to visitors through the National Park Service. But we highly suggest buying the tickets ahead of time because they tend to sell out quickly.
A 2.5-hour boat ride and tour of the fort will give you a deeper understanding of what exactly happened that day.
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Thank you so much for this informative article. We will be travelling through these areas in the next few months. Will bring this list with us for sure.
Surely, Appomattox is a must visit and would bump Palmito from your list of “to seven”. Anyone reading Lincoln’s words that guided General Grant’s terms of surrender will think long and hard on the struggle this nation faced during Reconstruction and the bitter cost of this war.
Mom was born in Keedysville, just a few miles from Antietam. We went there often when visiting uncles, cousins, and other family. Uncle lived in Boonsboro, just a mile or so from the gates of Antietam. One friend’s house is the backdoor to the battlefield and burial site. Across the street from the cemetery is where most of them are buried now.
You can feel and sometimes see the spirits at all the battlefield sites.