Fort Moultrie

Fort Moultrie (ml`trē), on Sullivans Island at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, S.C.; originally called Fort Sullivan. Constructed by Col. William Moultrie, the fort was renamed for him after he repulsed a British naval attack in June, 1776, in one of the most decisive battles of the American Revolution. During the Seminole War, Osceola, a chief, and 200 Seminoles were imprisoned in the fort; Osceola's tomb is there. During the Civil War, Confederates held the fort until the evacuation of Charleston in 1865. It was Charleston's chief harbor defense until 1947, when it was abandoned. Fort Moultrie is part of Fort Sumter National Monument (see National Parks and Monuments, table).