The Civil War Begins: The Attack on Fort Sumter

In March of 1861, President Lincoln announced his intention to resupply Fort Sumter, the lonely federal outpost located in the seceded South Carolina. He knew that Major Robert Anderson was quickly running out of supplies. However, South Carolina had already warned Lincoln that they would respond to “any attempt to resupply the fort,” as an act of aggression (Source).

In response to Lincoln’s attempt to resupply, militia commander P.G.T. Beauregard demanded the surrender of the fort. Major Anderson refused. On April 12, Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter.

Background:

Fort Sumter was located in Charleston Harbor and, at the time, was unfinished. Major Anderson had chosen it as a base over the much-harder-to-defend Fort Moultrie on Sullivan Island. Despite its location, and some 6,000 militia surrounding the harbor, Lincoln tried his hardest to keep it fully supplied. Prior to this, President James Buchanan had sent the Star of the West merchant steamer full of supplies and soldiers. But, Governor Francis Pickens’s harbor defenses fired at it. Anderson could only watch as his supply ship was turned around and sent home.

Two days later, on January 11, Pickens demanded Anderson’s surrender. Of course, Anderson refused. By the 20^th, Pickens had come under great criticism for his allowing the people to starve. So, he sent some food to the fort himself. Anderson refused this, as well. So, Pickens had no choice but to allow the evacuation of 45 women and children.

As Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States and Lincoln inaugurated as President of the United States, pressure began to mount to reunite the country. Davis sent “a group of commissioners to Washington to negotiate for the transfer of Fort Sumter to South Carolina; they were promptly rebuffed” (Source). Meanwhile, the situation at Fort Sumter was becoming more and more desperate. Lincoln needed to get supplies and replacements to the Fort, but, unfortunately, that would be seen as an act of Northern aggression. It would very likely incite more southern states to secede the Union. Furthermore, it would make other countries sympathetic to the South.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard arrived to take command “of the military situation in Charleston” (Source). He had previously been an artillery student of Major Anderson’s at West Point, but was now in charge of strengthening gun emplacements facing the Fort. Now, while President Lincoln concocted a way to get supplies to Major Anderson, Brigadier General Beauregard was ordered to “demand the fort’s surrender and fire on it if surrender was refused” (Source).

[Below:  Fort Sumter Attacked]

On April 6, Lincoln informed Governor Pickens that he was sending another supply ship to Fort Sumter, but promised that there would be no “arms, troops, or ammunition – unless, of course, South Carolina attacked” (Source). This great plan meant that the South would have to fire first, making it a Southern aggression, not a Northern one.

But Davis could not face letting Anderson receive the supplies he needed. There was no choice but to force Anderson’s hand into surrendering. Of course, Anderson refused.

So, at 4:30 am, on April 12, 1861, Confederate artillery, under the command of General Beauregard, opened fire on Fort Sumter. “Confederate batteries showered the fort with over 3,000 shells in a three-and-a-half day period” (Source).

At 7:00 am, Anderson began to return fire, using only the guns from his lower casemates, where his men would succumb to less danger. But, then later that morning, the barracks caught fire, and many of his men had to be stationed as fire crew. Then, around noon, his men spotted three ships flying the U.S. flag. They hoped this would finally be the supplies they so desperately needed.

Unfortunately, it was actually ships headed for Fort Pickens in Pensacola, FL.

A small reprieve came around midnight, when the Confederates reduced fire. They picked up again the next morning, though, and Anderson’s barracks once again caught fire, threatening the ammunition store.

It was when Anderson’s flagstaff was shot away, that Louis Wigfall (aid to Beauregard) decided to row over to Fort Sumter, believing that Anderson had finally surrendered.

He hadn’t.

But, Wigfall was able to negotiate the surrender, and Anderson replaced his makeshift flag with a white sheet, prompting Beauregard to join them at the Fort. It was agreed that Anderson’s formal surrender would take place at noon on April 14.

Upon their evacuation, Charleston came out in droves to watch as Anderson lowered the American flag to a 100-gun salute.

Anderson had surrendered, and the war was on.

[Below: Fort Sumter after the attack]

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President Lincoln’s Special Session of Congress