Castle Pinckney - Charleston Harbor's Forgotten Fort

This page provides information on Castle Pinckney, a secondary defensive Fort in Charleston Harbor used as a fort, prison and artillery position during the American Civil War. The fort will be reactivated as part of the War at Flood Tide Civil War History Weekend

Image- left, Rear flank of Castle Pinckney. Overgrowth here will be removed for construction of Signal Tower and Flagstaff. Vegetation growth damages masonry so this work will help preserve the Fort.

The Fort was constructed of Brick and mortar prior to the War of 1812 and was the last of several fortifications constructed on Shutes Folly, a large, marshy island in Charleston Harbor. It saw no action in the war of 1812 and was ungarrissoned for many years thereafter, falling into disrepair. The fort was regarrisoned during the Nullification Crisis of 1832 when conflict over the tariff resulted in President Jackson preparing to collect the tariff with military force if necessary. After that brief period of activity, the fort fell into disuse again and was primarily a storehouse for powder and other military supplies.

On December 27, 1860, one week after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the State of South Carolina forced the Sergeant manning Pinckney to surrender it and join Maj. Anderson, who had relocated the federal garrison to Ft. Sumter two days before. This makes Castle Pinckney the first Federal Fort taken over by a Southern Government. The change of command was orderly, but represented the first time a Southern Government received the surrender of a Federal Military Position

Image, right, engraving of Castle Pinckney early in the war, note the SC Flag which may date this image between Secession and the organization of the Confederacy

The South Carolina Historical Society has a slide show of period engravings of the Fort online.

Early in the war, the Fort was garrisoned by members of the Charleston Zoave Cadets, who wore gray uniforms with red trim, not the more exotic zoave outfits of other units. The young soldiers were photographed with the walls and parapets of the fort rising behind them.

After first Manassas members of the 79th. N.Y. and other units captured at the battle were held prisoner at Castle Pinckney. The lower casemates were enclosed and turned into cells. The hot shot furnace was converted into a cook oven. Some of the Canon in the fort were relocated to other positions in Charleston Harbor.

After these prisoners were removed, the fort was returned to defensive service when the range and power of the Federal bombardment were increased. Mortars and 4 columbiads were mounted on the barbette tier of the fort. Castle Pinckney's position allowed it to fire on ships moving towards Charleston in the main Harbor Channel and from her central location in the inner harbor, landing parties attempting to enter the city were within range of her fire. Her position guarded the wharves and industrial areas of Charleston and would have defended the city from an attack across the Harbor from Mt. Pleasant, had the Federals attempted to attack from there. To increase the fort's capacity to endure bombardment, earth embankments were constructed and sodded around the outside of the fort and on the parapet. Here is 1865 view of the Fort's Interior. This dirt was pushed into the Fort after the war, raising the parade and covering the rear arches of the casemates.

Image, left- Columbiad buried in Castle Pinckney parade ground fill

Remarkably, the columbiads mounted at the fort are still there, having apparently sunk into the fill. It is disputed whether Castle Pinckney ever fired a shot, but had the Federal Navy ever successfully entered the Harbor, Castle Pinckney would have been one of Bueregards secondary defensive positions. The guns are still in place today. Several attempts, authorized and unauthorized have been made to remove them, but at over 15 thousand pounds each, beyond the reach of anything but a marine crane, they have defeated the relic hunters who have extensively robbed the island of artifacts. Pinckney is so polluted with debris from the lighthouse period and the storehouse buildings there which burned that metal detecting there will likely be unsuccessful. Relic hunting on the island also violates S.C. State Law since the island is the Property of the State Ports authority, who keeps it under observation with the assistance of the City of Charleston Police Dpt. and other agencies.

Image- left, view of rear wall

After the Civil War, the fort was modernized for possible use during the Spanish American war but never saw action. It was a light station and storage area for the lighthouse service early in the 20th. Century. Remains of the lighthouse and buildings on the island still exist.

Pinckney was never much elevated over the water and has sunk some since construction. Of course the sea level now is higher than it was during the Civil War. The fort was also shortened by the elimination of the parapet wall during the lighthouse service occupation. The overall effect of this is the appearance of a fort that has sunk 4-5 feet since construction, but apparently at least two of this can be attributed to the rise in sea level. Problems with the tide entering the forts casemates can be documented in the 1830's, which indicates the settling may have taken place shortly after construction.

A local SCV unit took over management of the island in the late 1960's and attempted to preserve it and establish a museum there. Eventually, unable to raise the needed funds, the SCV allowed the fort to revert to state ownership.

Image, right- Beach to be used as Confederate Camp, shell and sand composition

After extensive negotiations between the State Ports Authority, owners of Castle Pinckney and War at Flood Tide reenactment organizers, Castle Pinckney will be reactivated on Saturday, May 10, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. A detailed limited use agreement has been worked out in consultation with historic preservation experts to assure there will be no damage to the fort. Portions of the vegetation on the fort will be carefully removed and a signal tower and flagstaff will be constructed there. When the flag is raised over Castle Pinckney and her garrison again and the message is sent by flag code across the harbor that the fort has been reactivated, it is hoped by all concerned that Charleston's historic Castle Pinckney will serve the harbor and city again as a place of historic interest.

During War at Flood Tide, Canon and camps will be positioned on Shutes Folly, the island on which Castle Pinckney sits. The entire island was used extensively during the war as a staging are and storage facility for harbor defense operations. Visits to the island are restricted to qualified reenactors who have signed a liability release for the weekend and been issued an event pass. Interested persons are welcome to cruise by the island in their boats for an inspection, however, provided they do not attempt to land

After the War at Flood Tide event, this web page will be updated with a report and images from the activities there. More historic information and information on site preservation will also be added.

Return and related Links:

• War at Flood Tide Main Page & Frames
• Harbor Battle, War at Flood Tide
• Civil War @ Charleston, Main Page & Frames