Key Facts
- Date
- April 12–13, 1861
- Duration of bombardment
- 34 hours
- Direct combat deaths
- 0
- Deaths during surrender ceremony
- 2 U.S. Army soldiers (gun explosion, April 14)
- Union volunteers called up by Lincoln
- 75,000
- Additional states seceding after battle
- 4
Strategic Narrative Overview
Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard took Confederate command in Charleston in March 1861 and systematically reinforced surrounding artillery batteries. When President Lincoln notified South Carolina's governor of incoming supply ships, the Confederate government issued an ultimatum demanding evacuation. Anderson refused. At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, Confederate guns opened a sustained bombardment from multiple positions around the harbor, overwhelming the outgunned Union garrison over 34 hours.
01 / The Origins
South Carolina declared secession on December 20, 1860, and demanded that U.S. forces abandon Charleston Harbor. Major Robert Anderson covertly relocated his garrison to the more defensible Fort Sumter on December 26. A January 1861 resupply attempt via the merchant ship Star of the West was turned back by Confederate shore batteries, leaving the fort under effective siege amid dwindling food, men, and supplies.
03 / The Outcome
Major Anderson surrendered and evacuated Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861. Two Union soldiers died in a cannon accident during the surrender ceremony, but no direct combat fatalities occurred. Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion prompted four more Southern states to secede and join the Confederacy, rapidly escalating the crisis into full-scale civil war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
P. G. T. Beauregard.
Side B
1 belligerent
Robert Anderson.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.