The Christian C. Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
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PRESIDENT SALLY DENK BRINGS THE SANDERSON TO FT. SUMTER
At right: July 25, 2006 - Sally Jane Denk in Charleston, South Carolina, presenting the Fort Sumter historian (Richard W. Hatcher, III) with copies of archival material from the Sanderson Museum (Chadds Ford) and copy of the (1904) letter from Quarter Master Sergeant William H. Hamner to Christian C. Sanderson. Sergeant Hamner lowered the flag on Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861, during the evacuation of the fort prior to Confederate control.
What a difference a day makes! That day was April 19, when I had the pleasure to have Sunday dinner with founding curator and Sanderson biographer, Tom Thompson in his elegant residence in Willow Lakes, PA. During the meal Tom happened to mention a 1904 letter to Chris in the Sanderson archives from the Quartermaster Sgt. William Hamner, of the US Army artillery who was assigned to lowering the flag on Ft Sumter during the evacuation of the Federal fort on April 14, 1861, during the opening volleys of the Civil War.
As fate would have it, my summer plans were to take me to Charleston, South Carolina in late July, so my next step was to contact National Parks historian Richard Hatcher, III assigned to Ft Sumter, Ft Moultrie and Pickney Plantation. He replied he would be pleased to have a copy of the letter for their files. In addition to a copy of the letter, I would take copies of other archival material on Hamner in our files.
Tuesday, July 25 was a typically bright, sunny, steamy Charleston day of 97 degrees! After a very hot round-trip boat ride out to see the ruins of Ft Sumter, I came back to our hotel and met one of my traveling companions who drove us over the new Cooper River Bridge to Sullivan’s Island to meet Hatcher at Ft Moultrie where the presentation was made. Hatcher graciously showed me copies of their files on Hamner which included his death certificate and other papers.
The letter to Chris from Hamner says in part, “Yes it fell to my lot to have to lower the flag. A salute of 100 guns was determined upon, but somewhere after the 25th gun was fired, a premature explosion occurred, which killed one man outright…”
History does record that the only lives lost at Ft Sumter were indeed not during the 2 day bombardment, but during the friendly fire of the 100 gun salute.