Hastily built in 1861 to protect the S.C. coast against Union attack, Fort Walker, commanded by Col. William C. Heyward, bore the brunt of the Union attack on November 7, 1861, when after 4½ hours, with only 3 guns left serviceable and ammunition almost gone, the troops under Gen. Thomas F. Drayton were forced to withdraw from the island. Rebuilt by Union forces, it was renamed Fort Welles.
In 1861, soon after South Carolina seceded from the Union, Fort Walker was established by the Confederate Army near the end of what is now Fort Walker Drive.
