Near Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Mountain Howitzer
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010
1. Mountain Howitzer Marker
Erected 1928 by Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 18, 1863.
Location. 32° 45.113′ N, 79° 52.464′ W. Marker is near Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It can be reached from the Fort Sumter Ferry Terminal. Located at Fort Sumter National Monument and only reached by boat. See links below for more information about access to the site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charleston SC 29412, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston and in the Lowcountry. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Night Attack (here, next to this marker); Star of the West (a few steps from this marker); Swamp Angel (within shouting distance of this marker); Ironclads Attack (within shouting distance of this marker); Major Robert Anderson (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Sumter Bombarded (within shouting distance of this marker); Morris Island (within shouting distance of this marker); Blockade Runners (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Morris Island (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. On the left side of the marker is a wartime photograph of a 12-pdr mountain howitzer standing on the wall of Fort Sumter, captioned simply, 1865.
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010
2. Marker and Platform for Howitzer
The howitzer is currently removed to the Fort's museum, awaiting a new carriage.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 4, 2013
3. Mountain Howitzer Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010
4. Mountain Howitzer in the Museum
This specimen was cast by Cyrus Alger of Boston, Massachusetts in 1863. It has registry number 254, and foundry number 1302. It weighed 221 pounds when inspected by T. J. Rodman for acceptance. While it is very unlikely this particular howitzer was at Fort Sumter during the war, photographic evidence indicates the Confederates used weapons of this type.
5. Mountain Howitzer at Fort Sumter
Taken in April 1865 after the fort had been abandoned by the Confederates, this photo shows a 12-pdr Mountain Howitzer guarding the walls of the fort. Note the gabions - wicker baskets filled with dirt used to supplement the walls - on the fort facing.
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, May 29, 2011
6. Mountain Howitzer Display
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 15, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,733 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on May 16, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 15, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3. submitted on August 18, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4, 5. submitted on May 15, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6. submitted on August 8, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.
