Fort Sumter and The Ghost Soldier

Posted: 10.22.2024 | Updated: 02.06.2025

South Carolina’s role in the Civil War is undisputedly important. The Palmetto State was the first state to secede from the Union on December 20th, 1860. This event marked the downhill slide into a bloody skirmish that took the lives of over 620,000 Americans, and it all began at Fort Sumter.

The Confederate attack on the Union-occupied Fort Sumter on April 12th, 1861, began a vicious tango between the nation’s polarized forces. On April 14th, Union troops retreated. No casualties were inflicted on either side until after the battle. Consequently, the fort would remain in Confederate hands for four more years, but some soldiers never left. 

Fort Sumter welcomes visitors today, but many get a more personal experience than expected in the two-hundred-year-old fort. The faulty design of one man’s gun made an honorable surrender into his final resting place. Many see his apparition around the fort. But there are other tell-tale signs of his presence. 

His eerie visage has been burned into the Storm Flag the Union troops took with them, and many have seen his smokey apparition. He has seen more of the nation than he ever imagined but paid the high price of his life for this journey. 

Join us as we examine Charleston’s most haunted military structure and the lone soldier who still defends it today. Fort Sumter is only one of many haunted locations across The Holy City. 

Take a ghost tour with Charleston Terrors to learn about all the others and the spirits who call them home. 

Who Haunts Fort Sumter?

The ghost of Union soldier Private Daniel Hough haunts Fort Sumter. Hough’s gun misfired on him during the Union retreat from Sort Sumter. The traditional 100-gun salute ended with the only casualty taken at the Battle of Fort Sumter.

His spirit is trapped within the walls of the old fort. He makes his presence known through phantom smoke and appearing as a full-bodied apparition. Strangely enough, the image of his face has somehow been burned into the fort’s Storm Flag, which is now displayed inside the building. 

Tension Rises Over Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter is a five-sided fort on a man-made island outside the Charleston Harbor entrance. Collectively known as the Third System of Seacoast Defense, the fort is one of two hundred fortifications built after the War of 1812. Construction on the stronghold began in 1829 but was not completed until tensions rose between the North and the South. 

South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20th, 1860, setting into motion a movement that would divide the nation for five more years. Soon after, the Confederate States of America was created on February 4th, 1861, two days after six more states joined South Carolina.

Tensions continued to rise as the months went on. Delegates from the newly formed rebel nation demanded the withdrawal of Federal troops from Charleston, the Confederacy’s most important harbor. Union troops occupied Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney, and the heavily armored but vulnerable Fort Moultrie— all of which lay in Confederate waters. 

On December 26th, 1860, Union Major Robert Anderson and 90 men moved from the sea-facing Fort Moultrie to the more defensible Fort Sumter. In the hearts of Charlestonians and Confederates around the Southern States, this was seen as an act of war. 

President Lincoln sent 200 reinforcements and supplies to the Sumter garrison on January 5th, 1861, but they were fired upon and retreated on January 9th. But, on April 4th, Lincoln sent a message to Charleston’s delegates that he would again be sending more reinforcements. This move triggers the first battle in America’s bloodiest conflict and is seen as a full-on declaration of war. 

On April 9th, Confederate President Jefferson Davis orders General P.G.T. Beauregard to attack. A surrender is offered but refused, and on April 12th, at 4:30 AM, the first shots of the Civil War are fired. 

The Battle of Fort Sumter

While the Battle of Fort Sumter was violently quick, it paved the way for four more years of bloodshed. 500 Confederate soldiers successfully managed to repeal the force of 80 Union men occupying the building. Cannon fire from Confederate fortifications and floating batteries, including Fort. Moultrie wore down the poorly supplied Union troops. Fort Sumter was bombarded for 34 hours straight.

Major Anderson makes the call to retreat at 2:30 AM. As buildings burn around him and the fort’s American flag hangs on for dear life from a makeshift flagpole, he surrenders to the Confederate forces. It marks the first victory for the Confederacy and the start of challenging years to come for Americans across the nation.

Despite the continued canon fire, the first casualty of the war was not inflicted until after the warfare was over. P.GT. Beauregard, ever the Southern Gentleman, allowed an honorable surrender for Major Anderson and his troops. 

The Death of Daniel Hough

In line with tradition, the Union men lined up for a 100-gun salute before returning to New York. The 47th man in the lineup was Private Daniel Hough, an Irish immigrant proudly serving his new home. But that day, 47 was his unlucky number. It is not known whether a hot ember exploded a nearby pile of cartridges or if his gun misfired. The result, however, was tragic. 

Hough was killed instantly in the explosion. Four men around him were severely injured. The 100-gun salute was shortened to 50, and his body was buried at the fort. His remains were later relocated to either Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston or back to New York. But many agree that his soul lives on forever at Fort Sumter. 

Hauntings of Fort Sumter

Hough has been seen around Fort Sumter in various forms and shapes. Visitors can visit the legendary fort from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM via a ferry from the mainland. Many who arrive get a deeper taste of Civil War history than they are prepared for.

Startled visitors to Fort Sumter have seen phantom gunsmoke rising from the air.

 This unexplainable phenomenon takes place right where the brave but unlucky soldier lost his life. Park Rangers give little explanation except ghost stories of the Fort’s wretched past. The accompanying smell of fresh gunpowder gives uneasy guests little comfort. 

Some have even seen Hough walking through Fort Sumter in his Union uniform. But he has appeared in another strange form. His face has been imprinted into the very flag he was saluting when he died. This Storm Flag, a small national flag used to communicate rough weather, is displayed at Fort Sumter. 

Shortly after the battle, the flag made a national tour to rally support for the Union. While on its way through Northern Union states, a face began to appear. As the flag faded, it became increasingly apparent that there was an eerie, bearded visage to the right of the centermost star. 

Many men who fought bravely at Fort Sumter immediately recognized it as their fallen brother, Daniel Hough. His bearded face, still wearing a U.S. Army cap, can easily be seen to this day by those brave enough to venture to Fort Sumter. 

Haunted Charleston 

Charleston is home to many more spirits still awaiting judgment from a bloody end. Some await lost lovers at sea, and some are the pirates who ravaged the coastline for centuries. Chucktown is full of surprises. 

Fort Sumter tells a tale of a nation torn in two and the dreadful consequences of war. Many more stories like this await you on a haunted ghost tour of Charleston. Book your tour with Charleston Terrors for an unflinching look into the Civil War and the ghosts that haunt the Holy City. 

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Sources: 

• https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm
• https://scaresandhauntsofcharleston.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/the-face-in-the-flag-the-bombardment-of-fort-sumter/
• https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/fort_sumter.htm
• https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter
• https://civilwartalk.com/threads/saluting-ghost-of-ft-sumter.105980