My only reference I have is from my handy 1952 National Park Service Handbook Series No.12 "Fort Sumter"

There were two claims according to this publication.

1. The ownership of the site was in question in the autumn of 1834. The preceding May Mr. William Laval, resident of Charleston, had secured from the state a grant to 870 acres of land in Charleston Harbor. In November Laval notified the representative of the U.S. Engineers of his claim to the site of Fort Sumter. On December 20, 1837 Laval's claim was invalidated by the State Attorney General under act of the S.C. Legislature.

The second one is not as clear to the outcome.

2. Around December 1834 The Committee of Federal Relations had discovered they had not "been able to ascertain by what authority the Government have assumed to erect the works alluded to..." not thinking they needed a deed of cession to land ordinarily covered with water the Federal Government had commenced operations at the mouth of Charleston Harbor without consulting the State of South Carolina. Charleston was concerned about the possibility of permenant injurious effects to navigation and commerce of Charleston Harbor. A lawyer by the name of James C. Holmes of Charleston somehow got involved and is mentioned in the book but what he did is not clear, something about a memorial? Anyway somehow the Federal Government got title to 125 acres of harbor land recorded in the office of the Secretary of State of South Carolina.

I has seen more on this but I will have to locate my references.

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David Upton