In September of 1775, the Council of Safety ordered William Moultrie, commander of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, to seize Fort Johnson on the northeast point of James Island in Charleston County, South Carolina. Moultrie assigned Colonel Isaac Motte to command three 50-man companies led by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Barnard Elliott, and Francis Marion to attack the fort. Motte took possession of the fort with little resistance, and this capture was the first-time soldiers raised the new South Carolina over a property previously controlled by the Crown. Decades later, on April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m., a flaming mortar shot from Fort Johnson arced into the air and exploded over Fort Sumter, marking the official beginning of the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers buried the structure during the war, but the fort was uncovered in 1931. In 1972, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What's Nearby
Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.
Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston, SC 29403
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Charleston, SC 29414
Charlestown, SC 29414
Stories from Fort Johnson
On June 28, 1776, the British attacked Sullivan’s Island. Against impossible odds and outnumbered 2,200 British troops to 435 soldiers within the fort, Moultrie successfully prevented land and sea invasions of Charleston. The British retreated to New York and would not return to South Carolina until 1780.
Francis Marion was a skilled military leader during the American Revolutionary War, known for his guerilla tactics and strategic maneuvers in the Southern Campaign. His contributions to the war effort and his enduring legacy as a symbol of American resilience and military ingenuity remain today.