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https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/battle-fort-sumter/

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/battle-fort-sumter/

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter

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The attack on Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of the American Civil War-a war that lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage.

How it ended

Confederate victory. With supplies nearly exhausted and his troops outnumbered, Union major Robert Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter to Brig. Gen. P.G.T Beauregard's Confederate forces. Major Anderson and his men were allowed to strike their colors, fire a 100-gun salute, and board a ship bound for New York, where they were greeted as heroes. Both the North and South immediately called for volunteers to mobilize for war.

In context

By 1861, the country had already experienced decades of short-lived but ultimately failed compromises concerning the expansion of slavery in the United States and its territories. The election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States in 1860-a man who declared "I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free"-threatened the culture and economy of southern slave states and served as a catalyst for secession. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the United States, and by February 2, 1861, six more states followed suit. Southern delegates met on February 4, 1861, in Montgomery, AL., and established the Confederate States of America, with Mississippi senator Jefferson Davis elected as its provisional president. Confederate militia forces began seizing United States forts and property throughout the south. With a lame-duck president in office, and a controversial president-elect poised to succeed him, the crisis approached a boiling point and exploded at Fort Sumter.

Before the Battle

In Charleston, the birthplace of secession, tempers are on edge. A delegation from the state goes to Washington, D.C., demanding the surrender of the Federal military installations in the new "independent republic of South Carolina." President James Buchanan refuses to comply. Charleston is the Confederacy's most important port on the Southeast coast. The harbor is defended by three federal forts: Sumter; Castle Pinckney, one mile off the city's Battery; and heavily armed Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's Island. Major Anderson's command is based at Fort Moultrie, but with its guns pointed out to sea, it cannot defend a land attack. On December 26, Charlestonians awake to discover that Anderson and his tiny garrison of 90 men have slipped away from Fort Moultrie to the more defensible Fort Sumter. For secessionists, Anderson's move is, as one Charlestonian wrote to a friend, "like casting a spark into a magazine,"

Adding to the major's concern is his dangerously dwindling store of supplies. On January 5, 1861, the Star of the West departs from New York with some 200 reinforcements and provisions for the Sumter garrison. As the ship approaches Charleston Harbor on January 9, cadets from the Citadel fire, forcing the crew to abandon its mission. On March 1, Jefferson Davis orders Brig. Gen P.G.T. Beauregard to take command of the growing southern forces in Charleston. On April 4, Lincoln informs southern delegates that he intends to attempt to resupply Fort Sumter, as its garrison is now critically in need. To South Carolinians, any attempt to reinforce Sumter means war. "Now the issue of battle is to be forced upon us," declared the Charleston Mercury. "We will meet the invader, and the God of Battles must decide the issue between the hostile hirelings of Abolition hate and Northern tyranny."

On April 9, Davis and the Confederate cabinet decide to "strike a blow!" Davis orders Beauregard to take Fort Sumter. The next day, three of Beauregard's aides sail to the fort and courteously demand the garrison's surrender. Anderson is equally courteous, but refuses: "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication demanding the evacuation of this fort, and to say, in reply thereto, that it is a demand with which I regret that my sense of honor, and of my obligations to my Government, prevent my compliance." He also informs the delegation that the garrison's supplies will only last until April 15.

During the Battle

April 12. At 4:30 a.m., a flaming mortar shot arcs into the air and explodes over Fort Sumter. On this signal, Confederate guns from fortifications and floating batteries around Charleston Harbor roar to life. Outmanned, outgunned, undersupplied, and nearly surrounded by enemy batteries, Anderson waits until around 7:00 a.m. to respond. Captain Abner Doubleday volunteers to fire the first cannon at the Confederates, a 32-pound shot that bounces off the roof of the Iron Battery on Cummings Point.

For nearly 36 hours the two sides keep up this unequal contest. A shell strikes the flagpole of Fort Sumter, and the American colors fall to the earth, only to be hoisted back up the hastily repaired pole. Confederates fire hotshot from Fort Moultrie into Fort Sumter. Buildings begin to burn within the fort. With no more resources, Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces.

April 13. At 2:30 p.m., Maj. Anderson and his men strike their colors and prepare to leave the fort. Sadly, the only casualties at Fort Sumter come during the 100-gun salute, when a round explodes prematurely, killing Pvt. Daniel Hough and mortally wounding another soldier. The attack is over, but the war had just begun.

Aftermath

Following the evacuation of Major Robert Anderson and his Federal garrison on the afternoon of April 14, 1861, Fort Sumter is occupied initially by Confederate troops of Company B of the First South Carolina Artillery Battalion and a volunteer company of the Palmetto Guard, a local militia unit. The fort remains in Confederate hands for the next four years until all Confederate forces evacuate Charleston on the evening of February 17, 1865.

Despite having surrendered, Anderson and his men are greeted as heroes when they disembark in New York. Capt. Abner Doubleday notes later that "all the passing steamers saluted us with their steam-whistles and bells, and cheer after cheer went up from the ferry boats and vessels in the harbor." Anderson's valor during the attack and commitment to duty are praised by the Union. Beauregard is also hailed for this first Confederate victory. He is later ordered to direct the troops at Bull Run.

Fort Sumter: Featured Resources

Related Battles

Charleston Harbor, SC | April 12, 1861

Result: Confederate Victory

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Early in the morning of April 12, 1861, Confederate guns around Charleston Harbor opened fire on Fort Sumter. The American Civil War was officially upon both the North and the South. A war that lasted four years and cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans.

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When President Lincoln announced that the Fort was going to resupply Confederate General bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861; that was when the Battle was decided to start. South Carolina could not take anymore of their most important Sea Port being blocked. The Union's were upset because their Fort was bombarded/ blocked off. Fort Sumter was the Union's territory. The Confederate's invaded it and hung up their flag. The Confederates purpose of the Battle was used to Marshal a defense of the Charleston Harbor. The Confederates attacked the U.S for themselves because they were given supplies and they knew the Union was failing and becoming very low in supplies to where they knew the Union would lose any fight. The Union did lose and ended up surrendering. The purpose from the Union's side was that they were going to recapture the Fort's and help make them stronger. The Forts they had were their strongest point and they wanted to preserve the Union. The purpose was that this was the reason/ cause of the Civil War. On both the Confederate and the Union side there was a lot of support from the North and the South. Many people participated to help defend their sides; Many people volunteered to help defend their side. The value from the Confederates was that they invaded the Fort and put up their own flag. That started a lot of conflict. The Confederates knew that they were going to win because their supplies and their people were outnumbered. They knew that the Union was going to surrendered. The main Value of this battle was that it started the Civil War. The battle was the bloodiest battle known. Fort Sumter was a symbol for the Unions. The Confederates just wanted more defense and more power and being at the top since the Union surrendered. At first, the Union was outnumbering the Confederates but since the Union did care about slavery and did not want to end it, more people left to join the Confederates because they were ending slavery but they would not allow the slaves to join in war. Since the Union were giving away their supplies they started to get weaker. This caused them to have limited supplies/ people in the war. Their supplies were given away and since they had so little the Confederates ended up outnumbering them with supplies. When the battle happened this caused the Union to get exhausted quicker and they were unable to get supplies back in time before the battle was over. This is why they had to surrender. The Confederates also had many "hot shots" and that was an easy start for them to attack and basically get a headstart in the war.

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https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter#:~:text=Charleston%20Harbor%2C%20SC%20%7C%20Apr%2012,million%20enslaved%20people%20from%20bondage.

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter

https://www.ushistory.org/us/33a.asp#:~:text=Lincoln%20had%20a%20dilemma.,become%20sympathetic%20to%20the%20South.

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/index.htm

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The attack on Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of the American Civil War-a war that lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage.

How it ended

Confederate victory. With supplies nearly exhausted and his troops outnumbered, Union major Robert Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter to Brig. Gen. P.G.T Beauregard's Confederate forces. Major Anderson and his men were allowed to strike their colors, fire a 100-gun salute, and board a ship bound for New York, where they were greeted as heroes. Both the North and South immediately called for volunteers to mobilize for war.

In context

By 1861, the country had already experienced decades of short-lived but ultimately failed compromises concerning the expansion of slavery in the United States and its territories. The election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States in 1860-a man who declared "I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free"-threatened the culture and economy of southern slave states and served as a catalyst for secession. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the United States, and by February 2, 1861, six more states followed suit. Southern delegates met on February 4, 1861, in Montgomery, AL., and established the Confederate States of America, with Mississippi senator Jefferson Davis elected as its provisional president. Confederate militia forces began seizing United States forts and property throughout the south. With a lame-duck president in office, and a controversial president-elect poised to succeed him, the crisis approached a boiling point and exploded at Fort Sumter.

Before the Battle

In Charleston, the birthplace of secession, tempers are on edge. A delegation from the state goes to Washington, D.C., demanding the surrender of the Federal military installations in the new "independent republic of South Carolina." President James Buchanan refuses to comply. Charleston is the Confederacy's most important port on the Southeast coast. The harbor is defended by three federal forts: Sumter; Castle Pinckney, one mile off the city's Battery; and heavily armed Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's Island. Major Anderson's command is based at Fort Moultrie, but with its guns pointed out to sea, it cannot defend a land attack. On December 26, Charlestonians awake to discover that Anderson and his tiny garrison of 90 men have slipped away from Fort Moultrie to the more defensible Fort Sumter. For secessionists, Anderson's move is, as one Charlestonian wrote to a friend, "like casting a spark into a magazine,"

Adding to the major's concern is his dangerously dwindling store of supplies. On January 5, 1861, the Star of the West departs from New York with some 200 reinforcements and provisions for the Sumter garrison. As the ship approaches Charleston Harbor on January 9, cadets from the Citadel fire, forcing the crew to abandon its mission. On March 1, Jefferson Davis orders Brig. Gen P.G.T. Beauregard to take command of the growing southern forces in Charleston. On April 4, Lincoln informs southern delegates that he intends to attempt to resupply Fort Sumter, as its garrison is now critically in need. To South Carolinians, any attempt to reinforce Sumter means war. "Now the issue of battle is to be forced upon us," declared the Charleston Mercury. "We will meet the invader, and the God of Battles must decide the issue between the hostile hirelings of Abolition hate and Northern tyranny."

On April 9, Davis and the Confederate cabinet decide to "strike a blow!" Davis orders Beauregard to take Fort Sumter. The next day, three of Beauregard's aides sail to the fort and courteously demand the garrison's surrender. Anderson is equally courteous, but refuses: "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication demanding the evacuation of this fort, and to say, in reply thereto, that it is a demand with which I regret that my sense of honor, and of my obligations to my Government, prevent my compliance." He also informs the delegation that the garrison's supplies will only last until April 15.

During the Battle

April 12. At 4:30 a.m., a flaming mortar shot arcs into the air and explodes over Fort Sumter. On this signal, Confederate guns from fortifications and floating batteries around Charleston Harbor roar to life. Outmanned, outgunned, undersupplied, and nearly surrounded by enemy batteries, Anderson waits until around 7:00 a.m. to respond. Captain Abner Doubleday volunteers to fire the first cannon at the Confederates, a 32-pound shot that bounces off the roof of the Iron Battery on Cummings Point.

For nearly 36 hours the two sides keep up this unequal contest. A shell strikes the flagpole of Fort Sumter, and the American colors fall to the earth, only to be hoisted back up the hastily repaired pole. Confederates fire hotshot from Fort Moultrie into Fort Sumter. Buildings begin to burn within the fort. With no more resources, Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces.

April 13. At 2:30 p.m., Maj. Anderson and his men strike their colors and prepare to leave the fort. Sadly, the only casualties at Fort Sumter come during the 100-gun salute, when a round explodes prematurely, killing Pvt. Daniel Hough and mortally wounding another soldier. The attack is over, but the war had just begun.

Aftermath

Following the evacuation of Major Robert Anderson and his Federal garrison on the afternoon of April 14, 1861, Fort Sumter is occupied initially by Confederate troops of Company B of the First South Carolina Artillery Battalion and a volunteer company of the Palmetto Guard, a local militia unit. The fort remains in Confederate hands for the next four years until all Confederate forces evacuate Charleston on the evening of February 17, 1865.

Despite having surrendered, Anderson and his men are greeted as heroes when they disembark in New York. Capt. Abner Doubleday notes later that "all the passing steamers saluted us with their steam-whistles and bells, and cheer after cheer went up from the ferry boats and vessels in the harbor." Anderson's valor during the attack and commitment to duty are praised by the Union. Beauregard is also hailed for this first Confederate victory. He is later ordered to direct the troops at Bull Run.

Fort Sumter: Featured Resources

Related Battles

Charleston Harbor, SC | April 12, 1861

Result: Confederate Victory

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Early in the morning of April 12, 1861, Confederate guns around Charleston Harbor opened fire on Fort Sumter. The American Civil War was officially upon both the North and the South. A war that lasted four years and cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans.

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The political significance of the Battle of Fort Sumter was that there was enormous support for military from both the North and the South. President Lincoln called for over 75,000 volunteers to try to help stop the rebellion. Meanwhile four more states were joining the Confederacy side. Since so many people were in the Confederacy/ joining it. The Union ended up surrendering, so that did help the war not continue to go on. But that is when the Civil war started to unravel. Lincoln was considering abandoning the Southerners because they did not save the supplies, but he knew that would be a mistake and he knew it would have caused the North to get mad and attack; Lincoln was correct. Social significance that started because of this battle was that there was a lot more sectionalism now between the Union and the Confederacy.  It allowed the Confederates to create a hole in the Union. It did help a lot of slaves become free. The Union were using slaves to help fight in the battle. But since they lost a lot of American Soldiers, they did start using the Slaves. After the battle, the slaves were ended up becoming free and they moved to the North because of the treatments the Slaves were getting there. The South did surrender during this time though. After the battle it did start a lot of people to talk about it and the North and the South were bickering back and forth about it, and that is when the Civil War started. Which it did end up to be the bloodiest war of all time. The cultural significance was that when a man had threatened: "I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free" Which that did indeed threaten the Culture and economy of the Southern states. Specifically the slave states. After the battle the Fort ended up becoming a whole brand new Fort. The Fort still lives on the rule of having no diseases and no foreign invaders. The invading part did not go with before the war because the Confederates did invade and they did win.

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this image depicts the second day when a confederate soldier lit fort sumter on fire. the fire nearly set their ammunition on fire but they managed to save abou

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This image depicts the second day when a Confederate soldier lit Fort Sumter on fire. The fire nearly set their ammunition on fire but they managed to save about 50/300of it from burning. The soldiers in Fort Sumter continued to battle.

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Around 6,000 Confederate Troops surrounded the Charleston Harbor, so in the photo several dozen cannons guarded Fort Sumter, they also had more than 4,000 guns to use but only a few men could use them at a time.

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This image shows the confederate flag flying in Fort Sumter. This was taken after Major Anderson's U.S. army evacuated due to an agreement made with general beauregard. This photo was the commencement of the Civil War.

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This image shows the inside of Fort Sumter as it was getting bombarded.

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The Battle of fort Sumter started on April 12, 1861. The states of America attacked the United States military at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Two days later Fort Sumter had surrendered. It was the beginning of the Civil War; the bloodiest war. U.S. troops were sent to invade and attack Fort Sumter, but they failed. Nobody died on the first day of this war. There were no casualties whatsoever, but one person from the Union was killed and 3 were injured. That was when the confederates opened fire on the Union; The confederates were starting to win during this time. Fort Sumter was the reason as to why the Civil war started. During the time as the Confederates opened fire, the Union was a very small U.S military force. They could not do as much damage as the confederates were. This was the first thing to happen between the U.S and the southerners. The battle started on Charleston's Harbor. It was important because that is where all of the ships are and guns from the battle could hurt innocent people in the ships that were entering and leaving the harbor. The harbor was not very strong either because they were not the richest so the materials could not withhold a few gun shots. The Fort was occupied by the Union like previously mentioned and it was right in the middle of the Confederacy's harbor. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected, a Ordinance of Secession was passed, so slaves were no longer being counted as slaves. They were free people. Some states believed in letting slaves be free and others hated that idea.
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-was-fort-sumter-important-677426

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Listed above are the men of the U.S. navy that Abraham Lincoln sent to Fort Sumter to supply provisions.