Fort Sumter Summary

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Fort Sumter is an island fort located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Originally constructed in 1829 as a coastal garrison, Fort Sumter is most famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War. The battle of Fort Sumter began 155 years ago on April 12th -14th 1861 and it all started when South Carolina seceded from the union in December of 1860, Union forces in the area took refuge in Fort Sumter. The Union troops started running out supplies. When President Abraham Lincoln announced that he was going to send the Union supplies, Confederate general P.G.T Beauregard and his forces fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. The shots touched off a battle that would last for days and a war that would last for years, threatening …show more content…
The Government is aroused, the dead North is alive, and its divided people united…The cry now is for war, vigorous war, war to the bitter end, and war till the traitors are effectually and permanently put down.”3 Stephen D. Lee wrote the book The experience after the war and in that book he wrote “This demand was delivered to Major Anderson at 3:45 P.M., by two aides of General Beauregard, James Chesnut, Jr., and myself. At 4:30 P.M. he handed us his reply, refusing to accede to the demand; but added, 'Gentlemen, if you do not batter the fort to pieces about us, we shall be starved out in a few days.' The reply of Major Anderson was put in General Beauregard's hands at 5:15 P.M., and he was also told of this informal remark. Anderson's reply and remark were communicated to the Confederate authorities at Montgomery. The Secretary of War, L.P. Walker, replied to Beauregard as follows:" 'Do not desire needlessly to bombard Fort Sumter. If Major Anderson will state the time at which, as indicated by him, he will evacuate, and agree that in the meantime he will not use his guns against us, unless ours should be employed against Fort Sumter, you are authorized thus to avoid the effusion of blood. If this, or its equivalent, be refused, reduce the fort as your judgment decides to be most

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