Seacoast cannon - Fort Sumter NM, Charleston, SC - Static Artillery Displays on Waymarking.com

Fort Sumter, famous for being the site of the first shots fired in the American Civil War, was not quite finished when that war began and was reduced to rubble by the end of it. As originally conceived, Fort Sumter was one of a string of fortifications to be built along the American coastline from Maine to Louisiana for defensive purposes. Its armaments consisted of several different-sized cannons, the largest of which was the 42-pounder.

After the Civil War, Fort Sumter lay in ruins until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898. It was largely converted into an earthen fortification with the lower level almost completely filled in. Major excavation work was done in the 1950s in an attempt to return the fort to its Civil War-era appearance in preparation for the Civil War centennial in 1961. This cannon was dug up during the excavation work and is believed to be part of the fort’s original armament, pre-dating the Civil War. If not original to the fort, it certainly would be similar to the model 1845 42-pounders that were present then.

After the Union forces surrendered Fort Sumter in April of 1861, the Confederates banded and rifled most of the cannons to improve accuracy and handle larger charges. This one managed to escape conversion. It’s currently placed in one of the fort’s casemates where it might have been located in 1861 (the wooden carriage is, of course, a reconstruction). A U.S. postage stamp, issued in 1961 and commemorating the centennial of Fort Sumter’s role in the Civil War, includes an unbanded 42-pounder as it’s central vignette.

What type of artillery is this?: Seacoast cannon Where is this artillery located?: Monument grounds What military of the world used this device?: United States (pre-Civil War) Cost?: 10.00 (listed in local currency) Artillery is no longer operational: yes Still may work: no Date artillery was in use: Not listed Date artillery was placed on display: Not listed Parking location to view this Waymark: Not Listed Are there any geocaches at this location?: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Two pictures are required for this Waymark. Please take a close up picture of the artillery. Take a second with the artillery in the distance and capture as much of the surroundings as possible. Name the Waymark with first the name of the area and second what the artillery is. An example would be if it were a cannon in front of the Montgomery Armory you would name the Waymark: Montgomery Armory Cannon.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/17/2023 Don.Morfe visited it 01/12/2023 SpeedCity visited it

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