Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to episode 76 of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Welcome to the podcast.

On Tuesday, October 29, 1861, the largest fleet in American history to that time set sail

from Hampton Roads, Virginia.

It was an impressive collection of 17 warships with 157 guns, 25 callers and supply ships,

and 33 troop transports carrying 12,000 soldiers and 600 Marines.

Their destination was Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, located about 60 miles south of

Charleston and 35 miles north of Savannah.

After the Federals seized Hatteris inlet on the outer banks of North Carolina in August

1861, they then took control of Ship Island off the Mississippi coast halfway between

Mobile and Norlands a month later.

These two operations were the first steps taken in implementing the blockade boards strategic

vision for strengthening and improving the Union's blockade of the Confederacy.

But after those two successes, the Federals were ready to try something a bit more ambitious,

and so they set their sights on another location that was high on the blockade board's list

of potential targets.

Port Royal Sound.

Strategically located on the Atlantic coast between the ports of Charleston, South Carolina

and Savannah, Georgia, Port Royal Sound was arguably the finest natural harbor on the

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