Fort Moultrie, << MOOL tree or MOHL tree, >> is an American fort on Sullivan’s Island at the main entrance to Charleston Harbor, S.C. Settlers first called it Fort Sullivan. In 1776, during the Revolutionary War in America, the fort withstood a British attack designed to capture Charleston and make it a base of British operations in the South. The American forces at Charleston were commanded by Colonel William Moultrie, for whom the fort was renamed. This defense saved the South temporarily from invasion. Later in the war, British troops under General Sir Henry Clinton attacked again, and Fort Moultrie fell on May 7, 1780.
Just before the Civil War began in 1861, a United States garrison occupied Fort Moultrie. It was abandoned by its commander, Major Robert Anderson, who moved his troops to Fort Sumter on Dec. 26, 1860. During the bombardment of Sumter the following April, Fort Moultrie served as Confederate headquarters.
American author Edgar Allan Poe was once a sergeant major at Fort Moultrie. The Seminole Indian leader Osceola, who was imprisoned in the fort during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), is buried there. In 1960, Fort Moultrie was added to the Fort Sumter National Monument. In 2019, the national monument was upgraded to become the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park .
