Bombardment of Fort Sumter, immediate cause and first battle of the American Civil War
The bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12–13, 1861, triggered the American Civil War and forced neutral states to choose sides.
Key Facts
- Dates of battle
- April 12–13, 1861
- Duration of bombardment
- 34 hours
- Direct combat deaths
- 0
- Surrender ceremony deaths
- 2 U.S. Army soldiers (gun explosion, Apr 14)
- Union volunteers called by Lincoln
- 75,000
- Confederate commander
- Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After South Carolina declared secession on December 20, 1860, its authorities demanded the U.S. Army vacate Charleston Harbor. Major Robert Anderson relocated his garrison to Fort Sumter, and a resupply attempt via the Star of the West was repelled in January 1861. President Lincoln's notification that supply ships were en route prompted a Confederate ultimatum for immediate evacuation, which Anderson refused.
Beginning at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces under Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter with artillery batteries surrounding Charleston Harbor. The Union garrison returned fire but was significantly outgunned. After 34 hours of bombardment, Major Anderson agreed to evacuate and surrender the fort, ending the engagement with no direct combat fatalities on either side.
The fall of Fort Sumter galvanized both North and South for military action. Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion, and four additional Southern states seceded and joined the Confederacy in response. The battle is widely recognized as the opening engagement of the American Civil War, dramatically escalating the secession crisis into full-scale armed conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Major Robert Anderson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard.