I looked up this man who was at Fort Sumter on one side, then fought on the other side and found out some more information.
After Major Anderson moved to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, Lt. Meade was put in command of Castle Pinckney on December 7, 1860. His command consisted of Sgt. Skollen, Skollen's wife and 16-year-old daughter and about 30 workers.
Confederates were livid with Anderson's move to Sumter. Future Confederate General James Johnston Pettigrew and three militia units boarded a steamer and went to Castle Pinckney. Pettigrew ordered his men to fix bayonets and shoot anyone manning cannons and preparing to fire at them.
Meade saw the approaching vessel and ordered the workers to close the fort's gate. Pettigrew ordered a surrender, but Meade did not respond whereupon, the Confederates scaled the walls and captured the fort.
Down came the US flag and the ship's flag, a white star on a red field went up in its place. The date was December 27, 1860, and Csastle Pinckney became the first Federal military installation forcibly captured by Confederates.
Meade was sent to Fort Sumter and Sgt. Skollen and his family sent north.
The Fall of a Fort. --Old B-Runner
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