On April 1, 2014, my class and I had the wonderful opportunity of touring interesting Southern Revolutionary War sites, such as Fort Moultrie and Fort Ninety Six.
At Fort Moultrie, our group watched an informative video describing the role the fort had throughout its history, from the colonial period to World War II. Over the years, the fort was active in the defense of Charleston Harbor. Built as a defensive fort in 1776 under the leadership of William Moultrie, it protected Charleston from a British attack.
This was a decisive victory for the Patriot cause because it ensured that the British could not gain an easy victory in the Southern colonies. Because the fort was constructed of spongy palmetto logs, the fort easily endured the British bombardment.
During the defense of Charleston, in the heat of the battle, the South Carolinians flew the Liberty flag that would later become their state flag.
However, William Moultrie was not eulogized as I thought he would be. For a man who arguably helped save the colonies from an inevitable British encroachment, seeing his grave in an obscure place in the parking lot was shocking.
After we finished walking around Fort Moultrie, we traveled over to Fort Ninety Six, a British star-shaped fort.
The Patriots began digging trenches to attack the fort, but even though the Loyalists repelled the attempted siege of the fort, the Patriots weakened the defense of the backcountry. Eventually, the British and Loyalists abandoned the backcountry at Ninety Six to move and defend the low country. I really enjoyed visiting Fort Ninety Six and was surprised at how well preserved the fort was. It was a wonderful experience touring both Fort Moultrie, a Patriot defense, and Fort Ninety Six, a British defense because the Southern Theater was such a strategic location in the American Revolution.
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