Description: |
In April, Maj. Gen. David Hunter prepared his land forces on Folly, Cole's, and North Edisto Islands
to cooperate with a naval bombardment of Fort Sumter. On April 7, the South Atlantic Squadron under Rear
Admiral S.F. Du Pont bombarded Fort Sumter, having little impact on the Confederate defenses of Charleston
Harbor. Although several of Hunter’s units had embarked on transports, the infantry were not landed, and the joint
operation was abandoned. The ironclad warships Keokuk, Weehawken, Passaic, Montauk, Patapsco, New
Ironsides, Catskill, Nantucket, and Nahant participated in the bombardment. Keokuk, struck more than 90 times
by the accurate Confederate fire, sunk the next day. |