apr 12, 1861 - Attack on Fort Sumter
Description:
Constructed in 1829, Fort Sumter is located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. When South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860, the fort was under Union control. The other forts nearby were quickly abandoned by the Union and/or taken by the Confederates. When a Union supply ship came to restock Fort Sumter on January 9, 1861, South Carolinian forces fired on it, preventing it from reaching land. Months later, in March, when President Lincoln was sworn in, he announced his intent to send three unarmed ships to Fort Sumter to relieve the soldiers. Confederate forces took this as an act of aggression and responded by opening fire early on April 12th. While no Union soldiers died during the bombardment, the attack on Fort Sumter was the symbolic start of the Civil War. Later in the war, it would be used as one of few Confederate ports that could break the Union blockade.
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