First Battle of Charleston Harbor

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Advance of Ironclads to the Attack, April 7th, 1863

Date	April 7, 1863
Location	Charleston County, South Carolina
Result	Confederate victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

CSA (Confederacy)

Commanders

Samuel Francis Du Pont

P.G.T. Beauregard

Casualties and losses

v • d • e

Lower Seaboard Theater

Fort Sumter – Santa Rosa Island – Fort Pulaski – Forts Jackson and St. Philip – New Orleans – Secessionville – Simmon's Bluff – Tampa – Baton Rouge – 1st Donaldsonville – St. John's Bluff – Georgia Landing – 1st Fort McAllister – Fort Bisland – Irish Bend – Vermillion Bayou – 1st Charleston Harbor – 1st Fort Wagner – Grimball's Landing – 2nd Fort Wagner – 2nd Charleston Harbor – 2nd Fort Sumter – Plains Store – Port Hudson – LaFourche Crossing – 2nd Donaldsonville – Kock's Plantation – Stirling's Plantation – Fort Brooke – Gainesville – Olustee – Natural Bridge

The First Battle of Charleston Harbor was a naval engagement in the American Civil War involving 9 warships that took place April 7, 1863 in Charleston, South Carolina

1 Background
2 Battle
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Background

In April, Maj. Gen. David Hunter prepared his land forces on Folly Island, Cole's Island, and North Edisto Islands to cooperate with a naval bombardment of Fort Sumter.

[edit] Battle

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, sank the next day.