The fort consisted of two parallel rows of palmetto logs about 16 feet apart. Inside, brick pillars supported a cannon platform. Thousands of cubic yards of sand were shoveled in and packed between the logs.
The fort was not complete by the time the battle began on June 28, 1776, and there was wavering faith in the fortitude among high-ranking military officials.
The palmetto log fort was rebuilt at Fort Moultrie in 1976 for the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Maj. Gen. Charles Lee arrived in Charleston on June 8, 1776, to command the Continental Army’s Southern Department. He dubbed the fort a “slaughter pen,” and warned Moultrie the defense would quickly succumb to the Royal Navy’s expansive weaponry.
But the palmetto logs embedded in sand were sturdy, yet pliable. Cannon fire bounced off the fort, the logs absorbing the blows like a sponge.
It held up through the night. By morning, over 200 British causalities were recorded, and the Loyalists surrendered.
The fort did not stand the physical test of time. It disappeared in the months after the battle, eaten away by the tides and salty air.
Yet the symbol of the fort and the palmetto persists, added to the South Carolina flag in 1861. It’s unknown who came up with the idea to use the logs for the fort, Walsh said, but it proved to be indispensable in the battle.
Palmetto logs are piled Wednesday, June 25, 2025, on Sullivan’s Island.
Had Moultrie listened to Lee and abandoned the idea, “I might be speaking with a British accent and sipping tea,” Walsh said.
“That’s how important the Battle of Sullivan’s Island was, and to us who care about that, that means that the Palmetto log fort was important.”
Recreating history
Walsh and the cultural center, a nonprofit preservation society dedicated to Sullivan’s Island, are working with SC250 Charleston, the local branch of SC250 that’s planning events to recognize the 250-year anniversary of the American Revolution. The organizations are teaming up to, hopefully, rebuild a section of the fort.
There are still several hurdles to jump through before the dream is realized, SC250 Charleston President Brett Bennett said June 26. Funding for the project has to be finalized, and Sullivan’s Island’s town council has yet to sign off on where the fort will stand for the duration of the exhibit.
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