Happy New Year from Morris Island, SC, site of the famous battle portrayed in the movie Glory. Two videos are shown below- the first is where the battle actually took place which is now offshore under the ocean due to erosion of the island. The second is walking up the shoreline at low tide in the same direction as Union troops would have been traveling.
The site of the actual charge on Fort Wagner is now under the Atlantic Ocean. You can see two lighthouses in the video. The first is the Morris Island Lighthouse. Originally on the island, it is now 1500 yards into the ocean due to severe erosion of the southern tip of the island. The second is on Sullivan’s Island.
Walking up the shoreline north in the direction of Fort Wagner. The fort would have been just south of the modern-day jetty visible in the distance. The charge was portrayed in the movie Glory. The movie was not filmed on Morris Island but rather on Jekyll Island in Georgia. In the movie Union troops are traveling south with respect to the ocean. This is historically inaccurate. During the actual battle they were moving from the south to the north.
There are no remnants of the fortifications on the island today but there may be a remnant of the Union presence there in 1863, it’s just not accessible by land. Looking into a charter for that trip, we’ll have to see exactly how marshy the area actually is. If I can arrange it, it will be some time in February.
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