A Spark that Ignited the Civil War
- Gettysburg Sentinels
- Apr 8
- 2 min read
The Battle of Fort Sumter
A local conflict that took place in April 1861 is widely considered the spark that ignited the Civil War. This month, we take a look back at the Battle of Fort Sumter and the actions the Union and the Confederacy took that ultimately pitted brother versus brother, dividing families and communities for years to come.
Secession and Tensions In the months leading up to the battle, several Southern states had seceded from the Union, including South Carolina, which was the first to leave. They formed the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as their president. The U.S. government, however, did not recognize the Confederacy and still considered the Southern states as part of the Union.
Fort Sumter's Situation By April 1861, the Union had only a few military posts remaining in the South; Fort Sumter was one of them. The fort was still held by Union forces, commanded by Maj. Robert Anderson. The Confederacy wanted control of the fort, as it was located in Charleston, a key port in the South.
The Conflict Erupts The standoff at Fort Sumter came to a head when President Abraham Lincoln decided to resupply the fort with provisions. The Confederate government, seeing this as a threat, demanded that Anderson surrender the fort. When he refused, Confederate forces, under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, opened fire on the fort on April 12, 1861.
Various views of the aftermath
The Battle The bombardment lasted for about 34 hours. The Union forces, unable to return fire effectively because of the fort's damage and lack of resources, eventually had to surrender the fort on April 13, 1861. Remarkably, although injuries occurred, no one was killed during the battle. The Union troops were allowed to leave and return to the North.
The Aftermath The fall of Fort Sumter led to a surge of support for both sides—and it marked the official beginning of the Civil War. The day after the Union surrender of Fort Sumter, Lincoln made a decisive move to address the growing rebellion in the South. He issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to suppress the rebellion, and this caused more Southern states to secede.
This moment marked a critical turning point, as Lincoln's call for troops escalated the conflict into a full-fledged war, with both sides now preparing for battle. The issuance of this call signaled that the federal government was committed to preserving the Union, even by military force if necessary, and it set the stage for the Civil War.
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