The March 30, 1863, Charleston Mercury reported a Union fleet of 17 ships and 4 ironclads off the harbor on blockade. Later there was another report of a gunboat and three transports approached Cole's Island at the mouth of the Stono River and landed 200 troops.
Union Admiral Samuel F. DuPont was worried about Confederate mines at the entrance to the harbor, but couldn't confirm their existence. He felt the ironclad monitors Patapsco, Passaic and Nahant were too slow and prone to breakdown and didn't think they were any match for the Confederate forts.
But, he was under huge pressure from Lincoln's government to press forward with an attack.
On Tuesday, April 7th, the Mercury reported 30 wooden ships, 8 monitors and the USS New Ironsides had appeared off the bar the day before and a battle was imminent.
There was a big battle. The ironclad Keokuk, under Capt. A.C. Rhind, was extremely battered and started sinking after the battle. It was abandoned off Morris Island. Over the next week, equipment and furniture from it washed up on the beach. Confederates took off an 11-inch gun and mounted it at Fort Sumter.
It Was Ironclads Vs. Forts. --Old B-Runner
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