Fort Walker (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)

Hilton Head Island · South Carolina · American Civil War

Quick BriefFort Walker was a Confederate fort built with slave labor in 1861 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, at the mouth of Port Royal Sound to defend against Union blockade efforts. In November 1861, it was the site of the Battle of Port Royal, and after its capture, Union forces renamed it Fort Welles.

Civil WarCoastal defense

History & Significance

Fort Walker was begun in July 1861 by Confederate Major Francis D. Lee of the South Carolina Army Engineers, named in honor of Confederate Secretary of War Leroy P. Walker, and garrisoned by 1,450 men of the 11th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers under Colonel William C. Heyward. The fort was intended to defend against a Union blockade of one of the South's most important ports at Port Royal.

On November 7, 1861, in one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, a United States Navy fleet and Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound. After approximately four and a half hours of bombardment, with only three guns remaining serviceable and ammunition nearly exhausted, troops under General Thomas F. Drayton were forced to withdraw from the island.

The Union occupation force renamed the fort Fort Welles in honor of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. The victory enabled General Sherman's troops to occupy Port Royal and protect it as a base of operations for the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. During 1897–1902, the fort was rearmed with an experimental 15-inch dynamite gun battery.