South of Broad in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Confederate Defenders of Charleston
Fort Sumter 1861-1865
Confederate
Defenders Of
Charleston
—
Fort Sumter
1861-1865
(Around bottom of base:)
Count Them Happy Who For Their Faith And Their Courage Endured A Great Fight
Erected 1932 by Fort Sumter Memorial Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil.
Location. 32° 46.165′ N, 79° 55.743′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in South of Broad. Marker is at the intersection of Murray Boulevard and East Battery, on the right when traveling west on Murray Boulevard. White Point Garden. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charleston SC 29401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Charleston Waterfront (within shouting distance of this marker); Seven - Inch Banded Brooks Rifle (within shouting distance of this marker); Ten - Inch Smooth Bore Columbaid Cannon (within shouting distance of this marker); Moultrie (within shouting distance of this marker); Thirteen - Inch Mortar (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Thirteen - Inch Mortar (within shouting distance of this marker); William Gilmore Simms (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ten - Inch Smooth Bore Columbaid Cannon (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
Regarding Confederate Defenders of Charleston. Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. H. 12 ft. x W. 5 ft. x Diam. 5 ft.; Base: approx. H. 13 ft. x Diam. 50 ft.
This monument to the Confederate defenders of Charleston, South Carolina, was erected with the major portion of a $100,000 bequest of Andrew Buist Murray. The artist was Hermon A. MacNeil, 1866-1947, sculptor. Dawson Engineering Company set the base.
Description in the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog: An allegorical depiction of the Confederate defense of Charleston during the Civil War, the monument consists of two figures atop an octagonal granite base set on a circular platform. The male figure is the defending warrior, with a sword in his proper right hand and a shield bearing the South Carolina state seal in his proper left hand. The female figure represents the City of Charleston. She holds in her proper right hand a garland of laurel, symbolizing immortality, and with her proper left hand points towards the sea to the enemy. On the base are scenes in relief of figures repairing the shattered walls of Fort Sumter with sand bags. Eleven stars on the lower base represent the eleven Confederate states.
Also see . . . Siege of Charleston Harbor, Wikipedia entry. The Second Battle of Charleston Harbor (or the Siege of Charleston Harbor, Siege of Fort Wagner, or Battle of Morris Island) (Submitted on May 18, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. Confederate Defenders of Charleston Monument
[O]n October 20, 1932, the people of Charleston (eight thousand in attendance) dedicated a monument at White Point Gardens, the Battery, to the Confederate defenders of Fort Sumter...Many present had fathers, uncles, and grandfathers who had fought in what many still called "the Confederate War." The sculptor Herman A. MacNeil said of the monument:
"Its motif in brief, is that the stalwart youth, standing in front with sword and shield symbolizes by his attitude the defense not only of the fort, but also of the fair city behind the fort in which are his most prized possessions, wife and family. And she, the wife, glorified into an Athena-like woman, unafraid, stands behind him with arms outstretched toward the fort, this creating an inseparable union of the city and Fort Sumter."
[T]he last Confederate veteran of Fort Sumter living in Charleston in 1932, Colonel William Robert Greer, attended the ceremony. He described the heroic defense of the fort and praised Andrew B. Murray, the philanthropist who bequeathed $100,000 to the city to help fund the monument. There was never "at any time and lack of courage," Colonel Greer said, "but a determination unalterable that this great Gibraltar of Charleston should never be captured or surrendered...There were many flags shot down in the fort during the siege, but before the force embarked for the city the commander, the gallant and intrepid [Thomas A.] Huguenin, removed the standard and consigned it as a sacred relic to the care of the Sumter Guards, where it is held in prepetue with love and veneration."
The monument was unveiled by four young ladies, all descendants of members of the Confederate garrison of the fort:
Two ushers placed on the monument the last Confederate flag which flew over Fort Sumter. "The young ladies," the News & Courier reported, "then placed on the base of the monument two wreaths of red and white carnations. (Source: Confederate Charleston: An Illustrated History of the City and the People by Robert N. Rosen, pg 158.)
— Submitted September 23, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 23,552 times since then and 332 times this year. Last updated on July 24, 2018, by Confederate Museum of Charleston, South Carolina. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 18, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on September 23, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 11. submitted on February 24, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.