Guide Note

The battle of Fort Sumter began early in the morning of April 12, 1861, when the Confederate Army, led by Brigadier General Beauregard, opened fire on Fort Sumter.

Fast Facts

First battle of the U.S. Civil War
Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Date: April 12, 1861 - April 13, 1861
Union Commander: Major Robert Anderson
Confederate Commander: Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard
Winner: Confederate States

Civil War Begins

On April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m., Beauregard ordered his men to open fire on Fort Sumter. They bombarded the fort for 34 hours.¹ No one on either side was killed during the exchange. On April 13, at 2:30 pm, Major Anderson surrendered. The fort was evacuated the next day. Anderson's one condition for the surrender was to be allowed to fire a 100-gun salute to the U.S. Flag; ironically, it was during this ceremony that the only two people to die in the Battle of Fort Sumter were killed.²

Quotes

"Our Southern brethren have done grievously, they have rebelled and have attacked their father's house and their loyal brothers. They must be punished and brought back, but this necessity breaks my heart."— Major Robert Anderson³

"The firing on that fort will inaugurate a civil war greater than any the world has yet seen...you will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's nest which extends from mountains to ocean. Legions now quiet will swarm out and sting us to death. It is unnecessary. It puts us in the wrong. It is fatal."—Written to Jefferson Davis by Robert Toombs about Fort Sumter.⁴

"What a change now greets us! The Government is aroused, the dead North is alive, and its divided people united...The cry now is for war, vigorous war, war to the bitter end, and war till the traitors are effectually and permanently put down."—Frederick Douglass in May 1861.⁵

Categories

History | U.S. History | U.S. Civil War

View Note History

The Battle of Fort Sumter

The Mahalo Top 7

National Park Service: Fort Sumter
Wikipedia: Battle of Fort Sumter
Footnote: Major Anderson's Telegram Describing Surrender
Civil War Home: The Battle Of Fort Sumter | Engineer Journal...
United States Civil War: Fort Sumter, April 12-14 1861
Blue and Gray Trail: Fort Sumter
History Channel: April 12, 1861 The Civil War Begins (Time: 1:03)

The Battle of Fort Sumter Background and Causes

Prelude to the Battle of Fort Sumter

Wikipedia: South Carolina in the American Civil War | Origins of the American Civil War
National Park Service: Lincoln Orders a Relief Expedition to Fort Sumter
Furman University: Declaration of...the Secession of South Carolina From the Federal Union.
A Ranger's Tale: Causes Of The Battle Of Fort Sumter (November 8, 2006)

The Battle

National Park Service: History Of Fort Sumter | The War Begins
The Library Of Congress: Fort Sumter: Start Of The Civil War
Historical Preservation Services: Civil War Sites
Son of the South: Battle Of Fort Sumter

The Aftermath

Wikipedia: The War Ends
Tulane University: Aftermath
National Park Service: Charleston and the Federal Blockade | Major Anderson Returns

The Battle of Fort Sumter Central Figures

P. G. T. Beauregard

Wikipedia: P.G.T Beauregard
Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War: Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard Biography
Son of the South: P.G.T Beauregard

Major Anderson

Son of the South: Major Anderson, Commander Of Fort Sumter
Wikipedia: Major Robert Anderson
Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War: Robert Anderson Biography

President James Buchanan

Mahalo's Guide to James Buchanan
Blue And Gray Trail: James Buchanan Administration
Wikipedia: The Nation Disintegrates
Son of the South: Buchanan And The Battle Of Fort Sumter

President Abraham Lincoln

Mahalo's Guide to Abraham Lincoln
The History Place: Abraham Lincoln And Fort Sumter
Wikipedia: Presidency and the Civil War
Authorama: The Life of Abraham Lincoln Chapter XXIV Fort Sumter

Don Carlos Buell

Blue And Gray Trail: Don Carlos Buell
Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War: Don Carlos Buell Biography
Historycentral.com: Sumter Falls

John Floyd

Blue And Gray Trail: John Floyd
Wikipedia: John B. Floyd
The Virginia Civil War Page: Brigadier General John Buchanan Floyd

The Battle of Fort Sumter Images and Media

Google Images: Battle of Fort Sumter Images
Yahoo! Images: Battle of Fort Sumter Images
Son of the South: Civil War Pictures Of Fort Sumter

The Battle of Fort Sumter Books and Research

Amazon.com: Battle Of Fort Sumter Books
The Complete Traveler: The Battle Of Fort Sumter And First Victory For Southern Troops
Google Books: Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War
Google Books: Days of Defiance: Sumter, Secession, and the Coming of the Civil War

The Battle of Fort Sumter Timeline

1860: On December 26th Major Anderson relocates his forces to Fort Sumter.
1861: In January, Star of the West is fired upon, while trying to resupply the fort.
1861: Brig. Gen. Beauregard tries during March to get Union Army out of the fort peacefully.
1861: On April 10, Brig. Gen. Beauregard demands the surrender of Fort Sumter.
1861: On April 12th, at 4:30 am Confederate batteries open fire on the fort.
1861: Major Anderson surrenders the fort on April 13 at 2:30 p.m.
1861: Major Anderson evacuates Fort Sumter on April 14.
1861: An explosion during a ceremonial salute to the Union flag kills two.
1865: The Union Flag at Fort Sumter is raised again on April 14.

Related Searches

Confederate States of America | United States | Abraham Lincoln | P.G.T. Beauregard | Charleston SC | 1861 | April 12 | South Carolina

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