I was born in Louisville, Kentucky on June 14,1805. I chose a military career and graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1825. I served in the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican American War. I was then promoted to the rank of Major, commanding the 1st Regiment of Artillery. When South Carolina broke away from the Union in 1820, I was put in command of the U.S. army garrison in Charleston, South Carolina. My command of 85 soldiers and I were positioned at Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, I moved my force to Fort Sumter fearing the safety of my men. After Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on March 1861, we only very limited worth of supplies in the fort. What was done previously to
