Morris Island

Confederate batteries hidden in the dunes of Morris Island commanded the approach to Charleston Harbor. Union forces needed the island as a key location from which to attack Fort Sumter, less than one mile away. On July 18, 1863, a direct assault failed against Fort Wagner, a Confederate stronghold near the island's north end. The Union then changed tactics and subjected Fort Wagner to a two-month siege. The Confederates finally evacuated, abandoning Morris Island on September 6, 1863. Union gunners then aimed powerful rifled cannon at Fort Sumter, and in the next two years massive bombardments reduced most of Sumter to rubble.

James Island, South Carolina · United States