The Underground Railroad in Charleston Harbor

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park is proud to have two of its sites listed on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/index.htm

 

Between 2023 and 2024, both Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter were added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. This designation recognizes the lives and actions of freedom seekers in Charleston during the American Civil War. As Confederate forces took over Charleston's forts and forced enslaved workers to perform hazardous tasks, US gunboats beckoned outside the harbor as potential beacons of freedom.

Below, you can learn the famous story of Robert Smalls, who comandeered a Confederate transport ship to escape from the harbor. However, you may also find lesser known tales, including of many people whose names are lost to the history books. Together, they helped to realize America's promises of freedom.

 

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  Escapes Past Fort Sumter

  Escapees during the Civil War often had to pass Fort Sumter to make it to freedom.

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  Escapes from Fort Moultrie

  Over 200 enslaved workers are recorded as escaping from Sullivan's Island during the Civil War.

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  Robert Smalls

  Robert Smalls' escape through Charleston Harbor was one of the most celebrated of the Civil War.

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  Jacob Stroyer

  In Jacob Stroyer's primary account of life at Charleston's forts, he writes of an escape from Sullivan's Island. Learn his story here.

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  Daniel Castlebury

  To avoid returning to the hazardous Fort Sumter, one enslaved man resorted to hiding belowdecks on the ship bringing him there.

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  Confederate Payroll Records

  The Confederacy forced enslaved workers to do hazardous work at Charleston's harbor forts. Some managed to escape.