Tag: Fort Johnson SC

Fortwiki says: Fort Johnson (1704-1865) – First established in 1704 on James Island, Charleston County, South Carolina. Named after General Sir Nathaniel Johnson. Abandoned in 1865.

Built 1704-1708 at Windmill Point on James Island as a three-sided palisade with three bastions surrounded by a moat.

In 1794 Fort Johnson was ordered repaired as a part of the First System of fortifications.

Confederate troops occupied Fort Johnson in Dec 1860 refurbishing and rearming the fort. The first shell fired over Fort Sumter came from Fort Johnson at 4:30 AM on 12 Apr 1861, starting the U.S. Civil War. On 3 Jul 1864, the Confederate defenders repulsed two Union regiments totaling about 1,000 men with only 130 men. The fort was evacuated on 17 Feb 1865 as Union General William T. Sherman approached Charleston in his famous march to the sea.

Wikipedia says: 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. The magazine was built in 1765 and is a brick structure that measures 27 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was buried during the American Civil War by Confederate soldiers, and uncovered in 1931.