Palmetto Fort

Palmetto Fort. , In 1776 South Carolinians prepared for a British invasion by building a fort on this site. This key position on Sullivans Island, beside the main ship channel, protected the entrance to Charleston Harbor., The fort was designed as a 500-foot square with a bastion at each corner. To build it, thousands of palmetto logs were cut and rafted to Sullivans Island. With double log walls standing 10 feet high, 16 feet apart, and filled with sand, the structure resembled an “immense pen.”, On June 28, Colonel William Moultrie and the garrison of the palmetto log fort successfully defended Charleston against a British fleet. Later, Moultrie was promoted to general, and the fort was renamed to honor him., ( Sidebar : ) , Above a map of the fort: This map shows the location and unfinished condition of the palmetto log fort in 1776 when the British fleet arrived. One corner of the fort is illustrated in the drawing above. , The fort stood near the site of the present-day Fort Moultrie III, but the exact location of the palmetto fort remains unknown., Above a picture of William Moultrie: Charleston-born Colonel William Moultrie supervised the fort’s hurried construction. The fort did not look formidable, but Moultrie felt it would protect his men. When the British fleet arrived in June 1776, only half of the fort was complete, and the 400-man garrison had little ammunition and only 31 cannon (the British had nearly 300 guns)., Above an image of the South Carolina Flag and a Revolutionary War soldier: The South Carolina state flag; its blue field, white crescent, and palmetto tree represents the Revolutionary War battle fought here in 1776. The tree represents the fort’s palmetto logs; and the crescent and blue color symbolize elements of the soldiers’ uniforms. South Carolina adopted the flag in 1861.