Fort Sumter (April 12-14, 1861)
Once the south seceded from the Union, the Union still held claim to national property, or forts, in the South. One of these was Fort Sumter, a fort in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor.
On April 8, 1861, recently elected President Abraham Lincoln was sent a message that the fort was in need of supplies and was being threatened by the Confederacy. Upon this news, Lincoln sent a message to Francis Pickens, the governor of South Carolina, stating that he was sending an unarmed expedition to Fort Sumter to restock the fort's supplies, and that the expedition would only fire if fired upon. This brief message forced the rebels to decide to attack or not. After a debate, President Jefferson Davis and his advisors decided to attack the fort before the needed supplies could arrive.
April 12, 1861, the Confederates opened fire. The fort was surrounded, high seas prevented Union ships from aiding them, and Charleston was flooded with Confederates all attacking the fort. Even with low supplies and no backup the fort held out for 33 hours, surrendering on April 14, 1861. Although thousands of shots were fired there were no fatalities on either side. The small piece of land, however, did have a big impact. When Lincoln heard of the battle he was outraged and called for 75,000 troops to help fight for the Union. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas voted to leave the Union after this. The Civil War had begun.
