On the morning of April 12, 1861, Company C of the South Carolina Battalion of Artillery was stationed at the Beach Battery at Fort Johnson on James Island. Captain George James, company commander, gave the order to fire a shot on Fort Sumter. Lieutenant Henry Farley pulled the lanyard on the 10-inch seacoast mortar, firing a signal shot over Fort Sumter. This is regarded as the “first shot” of the Civil War.
The town of James Island, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, will host a commemorative ceremony at Fort Johnson to mark this event. The one-hour ceremony will start promptly with the firing of an authentic 1840 10-inch seacoast mortar, a match to the gun that fired the first shot. The keynote address will be offered by state Sen. Glenn F. McConnell.
After the close of the ceremony, the Fort Johnson site will be open for visitation. A guided tour of Fort Johnson will be offered during the day and information on points of interest will be available.
Admission: FREE; however tickets are required for attendance. Tickets may be requested by emailing firstshot@knology.net. Requests are limited to two tickets each. Given a limited number of tickets and the large demand, a lottery will be conducted at 2 p.m. March 15 at the James Island Town Hall to determine the issuance of tickets.
After the close of the ceremony, the Fort Johnson site will be open for visitation. A guided tour of Fort Johnson will be offered during the day and information on points of interest will be available.
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