The Firing on Fort Sumter

What happened

Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. After a 34-hour bombardment, the garrison commander, Major Robert Anderson, surrendered the fort.

Why it matters

The attack on Fort Sumter began the American Civil War and prompted Lincoln's call for troops, which drove four more states into the Confederacy.

Sources

• National Park Service. Battle of Fort Sumter, April 1861 · Reputable source