The Defenders of Fort Moultrie
The Defenders of Fort Moultrie, commonly known as the Jasper Monument, is a monument in White Point Garden in Charleston, South Carolina. It depicts Sergeant William Jasper and was dedicated in 1877 to the South Carolina militiamen involved in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island during the American Revolutionary War. The monument’s granite base was installed in 1876 for the battle’s centennial, and the bronze statue of Jasper was added the following year. The dedication ceremony was carried out by the Palmetto Guard on June 28, 1877. The monument’s name is historically anachronistic, since the fort was known at the time as Fort Sullivan.
1905 © Rotograph Company, New York City (publisher) · Public domain
© Paul C. Koeber Co. · Public domain
June 2019 © Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
© Hugh C. Leighton Co. · Public domain
July 2016 © NealVickers · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | The Defenders of Fort Moultrie |
| Original language title | Los defensores de Fort Moultrie |
| Common name | Jasper Monument |
| Type | Monument |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | White Point Garden, Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
Historical context | |
| Dedicated to | All South Carolina militiamen involved in the Battle of Sullivan's Island during the American Revolutionary War |
| Associated battle | Battle of Sullivan's Island |
| Battle date | 1776 |
| Battle location | Near Charleston, South Carolina |
| Historical period | American Revolutionary War |
| Historical note | The battle was later considered a "Bunker Hill of the South" |
| Original fort name | Fort Sullivan |
| Purpose | Created to honor the South Carolinians involved in the Battle of Sullivan's Island |
Creator | |
| Dedication organizers | The Palmetto Guard, a military company in Charleston |
| Dedication route | The Palmetto Guard traveled to nearby Middleton Place before returning to Charleston for the dedication ceremony |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Dedicated | June 28, 1877 |
| Statue added | The following year after the base was installed |
| Centennial context | Installed and dedicated around the centennial of the battle |
| Base installed | June 28, 1876 |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Depicts | Sergeant William Jasper, a Continental soldier |
| Depiction | Jasper stands with his right arm outstretched, pointing toward Fort Moultrie, and holds the Moultrie flag in his left hand after the flagstaff was destroyed by enemy fire |
| Jasper's action | He climbed the ramparts under enemy fire and raised the regimental colors again after the flagpole was destroyed |
| Associated regimental colors | The regimental colors |
| Recognition of Jasper | He was commended for his heroism by his superiors, including John Rutledge, President of South Carolina |
Physical characteristics | |
| Inscriptions | Additional inscriptions are on the granite base; the front plaque contains an inscription, but the text is not provided |
| Overall composition | Bronze sculpture on a granite pedestal |
| Statue height | Not stated in the fragment |
| Base height | Not stated in the fragment |
| Pose | Right arm outstretched, pointing toward Fort Moultrie |
| Left hand object | Moultrie flag |
| Attached plaques imagery | Seal of South Carolina, seal of Charleston, and a battle scene showing Jasper rescuing the flag |
Materials | |
| Sculpture material | Bronze |
| Attached plaques material | Bronze |
| Pedestal material | Granite |
History and restoration | |
| Dedication ceremony date | June 28, 1877 |