Major Robert Anderson had come to hostile South Carolina to command the harbor defenses on the 21st. These mainly consisted of four installations:
- Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island at the harbor entrance, manned by two companies
- Fort Sumter, south of Moultrie on an island between Sullivan’s and James’s islands, undefended
- Fort Johnson on James Island, manned by a token force
- Castle Pinckney on Folly Island, closer to Charleston within the harbor, manned by a token force
Anderson spent the next two days inspecting these installations to determine whether they were strong enough to fend off possible attacks by secessionists. He then reported his findings to Washington. Anderson stated that, “should nothing unforeseen occur to prevent” it, Moultrie “will be capable of making a very handsome defense” once the defensive works were completed, which would take about two weeks. But he added, “The garrison now in it is so weak as to invite an attack, which is openly and publicly threatened.”
Most valuable to Anderson’s defense was Sumter, which he called “the key to the entrance of this harbor… It should be garrisoned at once.” Of Pinckney, Anderson wrote that it was “a small casemated work, perfectly commanding the city of Charleston, is in excellent condition, with the exception of a few repairs… It is, in my opinion, essentially important that this castle should be immediately occupied by a garrison… The Charlestonians would not venture to attack this place when they knew that their city was at the mercy of the commander of Castle Pinckney.”
Anderson declared: “Fort Sumter and Castle Pinckney must be garrisoned immediately if the Government determines to keep command of this harbor.” Anderson’s message then turned ominous:…