Fort Sumter National Monument
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Location	Charleston County, South Carolina, USA
Nearest city	Charleston, South Carolina
Coordinates	32°45′7″N 79°52′29″W / 32.75194, -79.87472
Area	199 acres (0. Charleston County is a County located in the US state of South Carolina. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. 80 km²)
Established	April 28, 1948
Visitors	319,147 (in 2000)
Governing body	National Park Service

Fort Sumter, a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, was named after General Thomas Sumter. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The National Park Service ( NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. Thomas Sumter ( August 14, 1734 &ndash June 1, 1832) was a hero of the American Revolution and went on to become a longtime member The fort is best known as the site where the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Background South Carolina declared its secession from the Union shortly after Lincoln's victory in the presidential election of 1860, and by February 1861 six

Construction

Fort Sumter was built after the War of 1812 as one of a series of fortifications on the southern U. S. coast. Construction began in 1827, and the structure was still unfinished in 1860, when the conflict began. Year 1827 ( MDCCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Seventy thousand tons of granite were imported from New England to build up a sand bar in the entrance to Charleston harbor, which the site dominates; The fort was a five-sided brick structure, 170 to 190 feet long, with walls five feet thick, standing 50 feet over the low tide mark. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the It was designed to house 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers of gun emplacements, although it was never filled near its full capacities.

On December 26, 1860, five days after South Carolina declared its secession, U.S. Army Major Robert Anderson abandoned the indefensible Fort Moultrie and secretly relocated his two companies (127 men, 13 of them musicians) of the 1st U. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting The Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union was a legal proclamation issued on December The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Fort Moultrie is the name of a series of forts on Sullivan's Island South Carolina, built S. Artillery to Fort Sumter without official authorization or obedience to orders from Washington^[1][2][3][4]. He thought that providing a stronger defense would delay a Rebel attack. The Fort was not yet complete at the time and fewer than half of the cannons that should have been there were unavailable due to military downsizing by James Buchanan. James Buchanan Jr (April 23 1791 – June 1 1868 was the fifteenth President of the United States (1857–1861 Over the next few months, repeated calls for the United States evacuation of Fort Sumter^[5] from the government of South Carolina and later Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard were ignored. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (ˈboʊrɪgɑrd ( May 28, 1818 &ndash February 20, 1893) was a Louisiana -born author civil servant United States attempts to resupply and reinforce the garrison were repulsed on January 9, 1861 when the first shots of the war prevented the steamer Star of the West, a ship hired by the United States to transport troops and supplies to Fort Sumter, from completing the task. After realizing that Anderson's command would run out of food by April 15, 1861, President Lincoln ordered a fleet of ships, under the command of Gustavus V. Fox, to attempt a forced entry into Charleston Harbor to reinforce Fort Sumter. The ships assigned were the steam sloop-of-war USS Pawnee, steam sloop-of-war USS Powhatan, transporting motorized launches and about 300 sailors (secretly removed from the Charleston fleet to join in the forced reenforcement of Fort Pickens, Pensacola, Fla. ), armed screw steamer USS Pochaontas, Revenue Cutter USS Harriet Lane, steamer Baltic transporting about 200 troops, composed of companies C and D of the 2nd U. S. Artillery, and three hired tug boats. ^[6][7] By April 6, 1861 the first ships began to set sail for their rendezvous off the Charleston Bar. The first to arrive, the Harriet Lane, arriving before midnight of April 11, 1861. ^[8]

1861, inside the fort flying the Confederate Flag

On April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a. The Confederate States of America used several Flags during its existence from 1861 to 1865 Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common m. , Confederate batteries opened fire, firing for 33 straight hours, on the fort. Edmund Ruffin, noted Virginian agronomist and secessionist, claimed that he fired the first shot on Fort Sumter. Edmund Ruffin ( January 5, 1794 &ndash June 18, 1865) was born in Prince George County, Virginia. His story has been widely believed, but Lieutenant Henry S. Farley, commanding a battery of two mortars on James Island fired the first shot at 4:30 A. Siege artillery is heavy Artillery primarily used in military attacks on fortified places James Island is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. M. (Detzer 2001, pp.  269–71). The garrison returned fire, but it was ineffective, in part because Major Anderson did not use the guns mounted on the highest tier, the barbette tier, where the gun detachments would be more exposed to Confederate fire. On April 13, the fort was surrendered and evacuated. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople During the attack, the Union colors fell. Lt. Norman J. Hall risked life and limb to put them back up, burning off his eyebrows permanently. No Union soldiers died in the actual battle though a Confederate soldier bled to death having been wounded by a misfiring cannon. One Union soldier died and another was mortally wounded during the 27th shot of a 100 shot salute, allowed by the Confederacy. Afterwards the salute was shortened to 50 shots. Accounts, such as in the famous diary of Mary Chesnut, describe Charleston residents along what is now known as The Battery, sitting on balconies and drinking salutes to the start of the hostilities. Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut ( March 31, 1823 &ndash November 22, 1886) better known as Mary Boykin Chesnut, was a South Carolina Battery Park (also known as The Battery) which includes a park known as White Point Gardens, is a landmark promenade in Charleston South Carolina famous For more information, go to www. fortsumter. com

A special military decoration, known as the Gillmore Medal, was later issued to all Union service members who had performed duty in Fort Sumter during the opening battle of the American Civil War. The Gillmore Medal is a military decoration of the United States Army which was first issued on October 28, 1863.

The Fort Sumter Flag became a popular patriotic symbol after Maj. The Fort Sumter Flag is a historic United States flag with a distinctive Diamond -shaped pattern of 33 stars Anderson returned North with it. The flag is still displayed in the fort's museum.

Before the attack

Model of Fort Sumter as it appeared in 1861 before the attack

Fort Sumter Flag flown after the larger garrison flag had ripped

Union Siege of Fort Sumter

Union efforts to retake Charleston Harbor began on April 7, 1863, when Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron led the ironclad frigate New Ironsides, the tower ironclad Keokuk, and the monitors Weehawken, Passaic. The Fort Sumter Flag is a historic United States flag with a distinctive Diamond -shaped pattern of 33 stars Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Samuel Francis Du Pont ( September 27, 1803 &ndash June 23, 1865) was an American naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear The Union Blockade refers to the naval actions between 1861 and 1865 during the American Civil War, in which the Union Navy maintained a massive effort on the An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates A monitor was a type of relatively small Warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns and was used by some navies Built in New York Passaic was built by Continental Iron Works, Greenport, New York, under subcontract from John Ericsson Montauk, Patapsco, Nantucket, Catskill, and Nahant in an attack against the harbor’s defenses. Built in Wilmington Delaware Patapsco was the fourth US Navy ship to bear that name See also See USS ''Nantucket'' for other ships of the same name Built in Greenpoint New York in 1862 USS Catskill, a single-turreted ''Passaic''-class monitor, was launched 16 Operational history Civil War Fort McAllister The new single-turreted monitor joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Port Royal Harbor The attack was unsuccessful, the New Ironsides never effectively engaged, and the ironclads fired only 154 rounds, while receiving 2,209 from the Confederate defenders (Wise 1994, p.  30). Due to damage received in the attack, the Keokuk sank the next day, 1,400 yards off the southern tip of Morris Island. Morris Island is an 840 acre (34 km² uninhabited Island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat Over the next month, working at night to avoid the attention of the Federal squadron, the Confederates salvaged the Keokuk’s two XI-inch Dahlgren guns (Ripley 1984, pp. Dahlgren guns were Muzzle loading naval Artillery designed by John A  93–6). One of the Dahlgren guns was placed in Fort Sumter.

Drawing of Fort Sumter. A funny fact, the blueprints of the fort actually inspired the creation of baseball.

The Confederates, in the mean time, were strengthening Fort Sumter. A workforce of just under 500 slaves, under the supervision of Confederate army engineers, were filling casemates with sand, protecting the gorge wall with sandbags, and building new traverse^[9], blindages, and bombproofs. Some of Fort Sumter’s artillery had been removed, but 40 pieces still were mounted. Fort Sumter’s guns that weighed the most were mounted on the barbette, the fort’s highest level, where they had wide angles of fire and could fire down on approaching ships. The barbette was also more exposed to enemy gunfire than the casemates in the two lower levels of the fort. A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired originally a vaulted chamber in a Fortress.

Armament Fort Sumter, August 17, 1863

After the devastating bombardment, both General Quincy A. Gillmore and Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, now commanding the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, determined to launch a boat assault on Fort Sumter for the night of September 8–9, 1863. The Columbiad was a large Caliber, Smoothbore, Muzzle loading Cannon able to fire heavy Projectiles at both high and low trajectories Quincy Adams Gillmore ( February 25, 1825 &ndash April 11, 1888) was an American Civil engineer, author and a general Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Rear Admiral John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren, USN ( November 13, 1809 &ndash July 12, 1870) son of Bernhard Ulrik Dahlgren merchant and The Union Blockade refers to the naval actions between 1861 and 1865 during the American Civil War, in which the Union Navy maintained a massive effort on the Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Cooperation between the Army and Navy were poor, Dahlgren refusing to place his sailors and marines under the command of an army officer. So two flotillas set out towards Fort Sumter that night. The army flotilla was detained off Morris Island by the low tide. Morris Island is an 840 acre (34 km² uninhabited Island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat By the time they could proceed, the navy assault had already been defeated and the army flotilla returned to shore.

The Navy’s assault involved 400 sailors and marines in 25 boats. The operation was a fiasco from beginning to end. Poor reconnaissance, planning and communication all characterized the operation. Commander Thomas H. Stevens, commanding the monitor Patapsco, was placed in charge of the assault. Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service Captain Thomas Holdup Stevens, USN ( 22 February 1795 - 21 January 1841) was an American naval commander in the War Built in Wilmington Delaware Patapsco was the fourth US Navy ship to bear that name When Commander Stevens protested that he “knew nothing of [the assault’s] organization “ and “made some remonstrances on this grounds and others. ” Dahlgren replied “There is nothing but a corporal’s guard [about 6–10 men] in the fort, and all we have to do is go and take possession. ” (Stevens 1902, p.  633). This underestimation of the Confederate forces on Dahlgren’s part may explain why he was hostile to a joint operation wishing to reserve the credit for the victory to the Navy. Less than half of the boats landed. Most of the boats that did land landed on the right flank or right gorge angle, rather than on the gorge where there was a passable breach. The Union sailors and marines who did land could not scale the wall. The Confederates fired upon the landing party and as well as throwing hand grenades and masonry. The men in the boats that had not landed fired muskets and revolvers blindly at the fort, endangering the landing party more than the garrison. The landing party took shelter in shell holes in the wall of the fort. In response to a signal rocket fired by the garrison, Fort Johnson and the Confederate gunboat Chicora opened fire upon the boats and landing party. The boats that could withdraw withdrew, and the landing party surrendered. The Union casualties were 8 killed, 19 wounded, and 105 captured (including 15 of the wounded). The Confederates did not suffer any casualties in the assault.

After the unsuccessful boat assault, the bombardment recommenced and proceeded with varying degree of intensity, doing more damage to Fort Sumter until the end of the war. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The garrison continued to suffer casualties. The Confederates continued to salvage guns and other material from the ruins and harassed the Union batteries on Morris Island with sharpshooters. Morris Island is an 840 acre (34 km² uninhabited Island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat A marksman is a person that is skilled in Precision shooting, using projectile weapons such as with a Rifle but most commonly with a Sniper rifle, The Confederates mounted four 10-inch columbiads, one 8-inch columbiad rifled, and two rifled 42-pounders, in the left face, bottom tier casemates. The Columbiad was a large Caliber, Smoothbore, Muzzle loading Cannon able to fire heavy Projectiles at both high and low trajectories These guns did not fire in anger. Fort Sumter did not fall until General William T. Sherman’s advance through South Carolina finally forced the Confederates to evacuate Charleston on February 17, 1865. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Federal government formally took possession of Fort Sumter on February 22, 1865 with a gala flag raising ceremony

View of Fort Sumter, 1865

Interior View of Fort Sumter, taken by a Confederate photographer, 1864. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Exterior view of Fort Sumter, 1865. Banded rifle in foreground, fraise at top.

View of Fort Sumter from the sandbar, 1865.

After the war

When the Civil War ended, Fort Sumter was in ruins. The U. S. Army worked to restore it as a useful military installation. The damaged walls were re-leveled to a lower height and partially rebuilt. The third tier of gun emplacements were removed. Eleven of the original first-tier gun rooms were restored with 100-pounder Parrott rifles. The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled Artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.

Fort Sumter view from webcam mounted to cupola of Calhoun Mansion, 5 Dec. 2007

From 1876 to 1897, Fort Sumter was used only as an unmanned lighthouse station. The start of the Spanish-American War prompted renewed interest in its military use and reconstruction commenced on the facilities that had further eroded over time. A new massive concrete blockhouse-style installation was built in 1898 inside the original walls. Named "Battery Huger" in honor of Revolutionary War General Isaac Huger, it never saw combat. Isaac Huger ( March 19 1742 &ndash October 17 1797) was a planter and Continental Army general during the American Revolutionary

During World War I, a small garrison manned the two twelve-inch rifles at Battery Huger. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Until World War II, the fort was unused except as a tourist destination; two 90-mm antiaircraft guns were then installed. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Fort Sumter became a U.S. National Monument in 1948. A National Monument in the United States is a Protected area that is similar to a National Park except that the President of the United States

Today, administered by the U. S. National Park Service, Fort Sumter is a popular tourist attraction, reached by a thirty-minute boat ride from Charleston. The National Park Service ( NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation Alternatively, Fort Sumter can also be seen live online. During hours of daylight, live views of Fort Sumter can be seen from the Charleston SC Real Estate website through a telescopic camera mounted to the roof of the historic Calhoun Mansion, in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. From here, website users can see several different views of Fort Sumter and the surrounding area.

References

Notes

Bibliography

Detzer, David R. (2001), Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston and the Beginning of the Civil War, New York: Harcourt .

Elliott, Stephen, Jr. (1902). "Detailed report, September 12, 1863". Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series I. 14: 637–9. Washington, D. C. : Government Printing Office.  

Ripley, Warren (1984), Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, Charleston, S. C. : The Battery Press .

Scott, Robert N. (1890). "Return of Casualties in the Confederate forces at Fort Sumter, August 12 – December 11 (1863)". The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I. XXVIII (Part I): 650. Washington, D. C. : Government Printing Office.  

Stevens, Thomas H. . (1902). "Delayed report, September 28, 1865". Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series I. 14: 633. Washington, D. C. : Government Printing Office.  

Turner, John W. (1890). "Reports". The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I. XXVIII (Part I): 212–25. Washington, D. C. : Government Printing Office.  

Wise, Stephen R. (1994), Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863, Columbia, S. C. : University of South Carolina Press .

External links

• National Park Service's Official Website for Fort Sumter
• Timeline and narrative of the battle of Fort Sumter
• Major Robert Anderson's telegram announcing the surrender of Fort Sumter — Image of original telegram
• Battle of Fort Sumter — Historical Preservation Site
• Crisis at Fort Sumter — Multimedia teaching tool from Tulane University including text from historical documents
• Charleston, SC Insider's Guide — Short article about Ft. Sumter for travelers
• Extensive collection of photos and drawings from The Library of Congress
• The Civil War Field Fortifications Website
• Fort Sumter, SC — Civil-War-Journeys. org
• Charleston SC Real Estate — Webcam provides live streaming video of Fort Sumter

• Fort Sumter is at coordinates 32°45′08″N 79°52′29″W / 32.7523, -79.8747 (Fort Sumter)Coordinates: 32°45′08″N 79°52′29″W / 32.7523, -79.8747 (Fort Sumter)