Which fort in Charleston Harbor was bombarded to start the Civil War?

Fort Sumter was bombarded in Charleston Harbor to begin the American Civil War. Confederate artillery opened fire on the U.S. Army garrison at about 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, after South Carolina had seceded and tensions over the fort’s Union occupation reached a crisis.

The fort stood on an artificial island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Construction began in 1829 as part of the coastal defenses built after the War of 1812, but it remained incomplete when the crisis erupted. Union Maj. Robert Anderson had moved his small garrison there from the weaker Fort Moultrie in December 1860.

The bombardment lasted roughly 34 hours. Confederate batteries fired from positions including Fort Johnson, Fort Moultrie, and Cummings Point, while Anderson’s men returned fire. With supplies running low and the fort heavily damaged, Anderson surrendered on April 13. No one was killed directly during the bombardment, although two Union soldiers later died when a cannon exploded during surrender ceremonies. The attack prompted Lincoln to call for 75,000 volunteers and is generally recognized as the war’s opening battle.