- Joined
- Mar 3, 2017
- Location
- Chicagoland
Beautiful photos, Bill. Thanks for sharing.
When work was done to improve navigation into Charleston Harbor, it changed the ocean currents and caused the tremendous erosion of Morris Island. You can tell how much that it has eroded as Morris Island Lighthouse (which is about 1/2 mile offshore) used to be on Morris Island.
Fort Fisher was the centerpiece of a series of fortifications protecting the port. One of my wife's ancestors spent much of the war stationed near Fort Caswell at the Old Inlet. LOC has this nice map:
Very little remains of the Civil War era Fort Caswell which was an unusual polygonal fort with two wet ditches and caponiers for fire controlling the inner ditch. Much of the fort was covered over by concrete Endicott fortifications, as happened at many Third System forts including Sumter, Gaines, Morgan and Pickens. The ditches were filled in and the glacis and caponiers removed. The barracks was a fortified citadel, like at Forts Morgan and Pike, and is long gone too.
View attachment 215775View attachment 215776
The footprint of the original fort and citadel.N
Nice. What are the red lines supposed to represent?
The footprint of the original fort and citadel.
Only about 1/2 of the original wall and none of the interior structures, the rest was torn down in the early 1900's so the army could build coastal fortifications called Endicott fortifications which were concrete emplacements for large coastal guns. Fort Caswell is now owned by the Baptist Church since 1949 and used as a coastal retreat/conference center.Oh. Have you visited? How much of the Civil War-era fort remains?
Only about 1/2 of the original wall and none of the interior structures, the rest was torn down in the early 1900's so the army could build coastal fortifications called Endicott fortifications which were concrete emplacements for large coastal guns. Fort Caswell is now owned by the Baptist Church since 1949 and used as a coastal retreat/conference center.
Susan and I have been vacationing there for years now. Kure Beach is where I hope to retire when the time comes. If you head that way again, talk to me first, as I can suggest some great places to eat in the area.
hmm...seems similar to Fort Delaware, which I visited about 15 years ago. The Army had demolished a section of the fort and replaced it with large concrete gun emplacements which were wedded to the old stone/brick structures. There is a small group up there that is interested in a restoration, but very costly and historically difficult...
Do you have any contact info with local CW historians around there?
Yes, with the dean of them, Chris Fonvielle.