March

THIS LANDFORT SUMTERNATIONAL MONUMENTby Len CousineauEvery American school kidlearns the basic facts about theCivil War, but people who wantan in-depth understanding of the intricaciesof American history and cultureshould revisit the Civil War as adults.Doing so by traveling to any of the 70national park sites that detail aspects ofthe war may turn casual learners intoCivil War buffs.The year 2011 marked the 150th anniversaryof the United States’ mostdefining and devastating war. MoreAmericans were killed during the battlesthat raged between 1861 and 1865than in every other American militaryconflict combined. Travelers can learnabout the causes of the war, the numerousbattles, the 620,000 casualties andthe costs and consequences of the CivilWar at these 70 sites.If possible, however, RVers shouldvisit South Carolina’s Fort Sumter,where the war began.South Carolina stated in its Declarationof the Immediate Causes of Successionthat the election of 1860 had resultedin the presidency of Abraham Lincoln,a man “whose opinions and purposesare hostile to slavery,” and thestate officially seceded from the Unionon December 20, 1860.Hostilities came to a head on April12, 1861, when a 10-inch mortar shellwas fired from Fort Johnson at FortSumter, the federal fort in Charlestonharbor. That first shot exploded abovethe fort, beginning a 34-hour siege thatturned into a devastating four-year war– one that has resonated throughout thecountry for 15 decades.Before going offshore to visit theactual fort, visitors should begin theireducation on Concord Street inCharleston at the Fort Sumter Visitor EducationCenter. Exhibits detail the sectionalismand rancor that eventually ledto the Civil War’s first shot.Upon arriving at Fort Sumter viaferry from downtown Charleston orMount Pleasant, visitors can listen to a10-minute history talk given by a ranger,or they can spend their allotted time exploringthe park on their own. Visitors tothe area who find military history fascinatingmay also want to visit Sullivan’sIsland to explore Fort Moultrie, the onlyunit of the national park system that detailsthe entire 171-year history (1776-1947) of American seacoast defense. qFort Sumter National Monument,(843) 883-3123, www.nps.gov/fosu14 March 2012 TRAILER LIFE www.trailerlife.comGo To:.comUser GuideContents