Empty Batteries

Sullivan’s Island is the closest barrier island to Charleston and has historically been the city’s first line of defense since Capt. Florence O’Sullivan mounted a gun overlooking the harbor entrance in the late 17th century. In 1776, “Sullivan’s Fort” was built from palmetto logs to defend Charleston during the Revolution, and in the same location Fort Moultrie was built in 1809, and was the fort that Federal troops evacuated to enter Fort Sumter in the fateful days after Secession in 1860.
Fort Moultrie was Charleston’s most prolific Confederate defense during the Civil War, and nothing got past it other than friendly blockade runners. After the war, Fort Moultrie again became a Federal fortification, and served as an active military base until 1948.
During the Spanish-American War, thick concrete batteries were added to Fort Moulrie, stretching down the seaward side of the island. Among these was the famous “disappearing gun”. This powerful coastal gun included a hydraulic mechanism that could retract the entire weapon down behind the concrete barrier for loading to keep it and its gun crew safe from incoming fire. As you might expect, the disappearing gun has literally disappeared, and the old batteries are mostly overgrown with weeds and trees as they stand a silent, empty sentinel on Sullivan’s island today