"And the 8 inch Columbiad gun placed as an indiscriminately aimed "mortar" in 1861 was a terror weapon, and intended as nothing else. It also makes a lie out of the assumption that the guns of Fort Sumter could not reach the city itself."

Elevating the 8 inch Columbiad to an extreme angle wouldn't have really gained the gun any range over it's maximum carriage elevation. And the guns on Sumter could not hit the city of Charleston. They weren't pointed in that direction. The purpose of the fort was to defend Charleston from approaching vessels not those departing it's docks. An 8 inch Columbiad had a range of 3870 yards. That wouldn't have made it to the mainland. 3870 yards is 2.2 miles. It's 3 miles from Sumter to East Battery. Would have made an impressive splash though. LOL. Even a 10 inch wouldn't have the range and I think that was the largest mounted gun at Sumter.

Keith