Colonel John L. Gardner

[Stryker65]

Colonel Gardner arrived at the fort in 1858, along with Captain Doubleday's Company E, to constitute Fort Moultrie's official garrison. He remained in command until November 1860, when he was relieved by treasonous Secy of War John B. Floyd in order to make the fort less defensible and easier to capture by the secessionists.

A veteran of the Mexican War, Gardner had been serving in the army continuously since 1821. One wonders how the Civil War might have went differently had he remained in command. At the time of his removal, he was working on fortifying Moultrie, so it is highly unlikely that he would evacuate to Sumter. A bloody storming of Moultrie would most definitely have galvanized both Union and Confederate alike, and caused a less honorable and peaceful start to the war than it had happened.

 

[Seduzal]

Wow! Never seen or heard of this before. Learning something new today. Thanks for sharing.

 

[scooter748driver]

Anderson believed (rightly so IMHO) that Fort Moultrie could not be held with the garrison at hand. I understand Gardner had also requested additional troops in the months leading up to the war but was refused.

Could Moultrie have been held? Possibly. But like Sumter, rather than assault the fort the Confederates could just have easily starved the garrison out.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Wow! Never seen or heard of this before. Learning something new today. Thanks for sharing.

Same for me - good to learn.