Bombardment of Fort Sumter

E58936

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter was the April 1861 Confederate artillery attack on a U.S. fort in Charleston Harbor that triggered the start of the American Civil War.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf artillery bombardment
event in the American Civil War
military engagement
alsoKnownAs Battle of Fort Sumter
artilleryUsedByConfederates cannon
mortars
attackingForce Confederate artillery batteries around Charleston Harbor
belligerent Confederate States of America
United States of America
casualties no combat deaths reported during the bombardment
cause Confederate demand for surrender of Fort Sumter
dispute over control of federal property in seceded states
commanderConfederate P. G. T. Beauregard
commanderUnion Robert Anderson
conflict American Civil War
country United States
dateOfSurrender 1861-04-13
defendingForce U.S. Army garrison at Fort Sumter
defensiveAction Union return fire from Fort Sumter’s guns
endDate 1861-04-13
followedBy Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers
secession of Arkansas
secession of North Carolina
secession of Tennessee
secession of Virginia
garrisonCommander Robert Anderson
harbor Charleston Harbor
hasPart Confederate artillery attack on Fort Sumter
historicalPeriod 19th century
location Charleston Harbor
Charleston, South Carolina
Fort Sumter
militaryObjective to force evacuation of U.S. troops from Fort Sumter
notableFeature Union forces evacuated Fort Sumter after surrender
Union garrison surrendered after prolonged bombardment
first shots of the American Civil War
orderedByConfederateSide Jefferson Davis
partOf campaigns of 1861 in the American Civil War
politicalImpact encouraged additional Southern states to secede
galvanized Northern public opinion in favor of war
precededBy formation of the Confederate States of America
secession of South Carolina
result Confederate victory
startDate 1861-04-12
state South Carolina
symbolism symbolic beginning of open warfare between North and South
timeOfFirstShot 1861-04-12T04:30
triggered outbreak of the American Civil War

Referenced by (9)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter ("First Battle of Fort Sumter")
Fort Sumter ("Second Battle of Fort Sumter")
P. G. T. Beauregard ("Battle of Fort Sumter")
notableEvent
Bombardment of Fort Sumter ("Battle of Fort Sumter")
alsoKnownAs
Robert Anderson
event
Charleston Harbor ("Battle of Fort Sumter")
eventLocation
Charleston County, South Carolina ("Firing on Fort Sumter")
hasHistoricEvent
Bombardment of Fort Sumter ("Confederate artillery attack on Fort Sumter")
hasPart

Please wait…