The troops of the U.S. Army at Fort Sumter surrendered to the Confederacy on April 14, but within the year a larger force had established a permanent military footing along the South Carolina coast. The bombardment of Port Royal in early November 1861 paved the way for the occupation of the best harbor in the South, and the surrounding countryside. Thirteen thousand troops poured into Hilton Head, Beaufort, and Port Royal, and for the next four years, occupied that section of the state. The Union navy used that base and patrolled all the coast from Georgetown to Florida. Engraving by S.V. Hunt.
Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
Standards
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the continuities and changes experienced by Americans of various genders, positions, races, and social status during the Civil War.
- 8.3 Demonstrate an understanding of conflict and compromise in South Carolina, the Southern region, and the United States as a result of sectionalism between the period 1816–1865.
- This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the Civil War focusing on the impacts of military strategies and major turning points on South Carolina and the U.S.
