Fort Sumter:
summary and events of the battle
Fort Sumter is a small island located in Charleston South Carolina. On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began when the Confederate Army opened fired on the Union at one of its Federal Forts on the island. After the first shot the Union didn't fire back for the first two hours into the war. The Union war holding back because the fort's supply of ammunition was not suited for an equal fight. The firing continued throughout the day but less rapidly because the Union wanted to conserve ammunition. On the second day of the battle the Union surrendered the fort to the Confederates. Fortunately no soldiers were killed during this opening battle. Before the Union evacuation on April 14, they prepared a 100-gun salute to signal their last goodbyes. however, only fifty shots rang out because of an explosion that killed one and severely injured another. After the salute Union soldiers boarded boats in the harbor and were welcomed as heroes.
Primary source Quote:
"The crashing of the shot, the bursting of the shells, the falling of the
walls, and the roar of the flames, made a pandemonium of the fort," wrote Union Caption Abner Doubleday.
"The crashing of the shot, the bursting of the shells, the falling of the
walls, and the roar of the flames, made a pandemonium of the fort," wrote Union Caption Abner Doubleday.