Fort Sumter, S. Carolina The First Small Stones
Which Would Become An Ever Increasing Avalanche Began Here On April 12, 1861
April 1861 -- Attack on Fort Sumter.
When President Lincoln made plans to send supplies to Fort Sumter, he sent
advanced word of his intentions to the state, in an attempt to avoid
hostilities. South Carolina, however, feared a trick from Lincoln. The commander
of the fort, Robert Anderson, was asked to surrender immediately. Anderson
offered to surrender, but only after he had exhausted his supplies, which were
dwindling fast away. His offer was rejected, and on April 12, the Civil War
began with shots fired on the fort.
All night long the Confederate South pounded the installation, but with its
immensely strong ramparts, embrasures and casemate no lives were lost and most
of the damage was limited to the fires burning in the Forts barracks. The fact
that nobody was killed in the Fort during the bombardment was seen as truly
amazing because the Confederates had fired more than three thousand rounds of
shot, shell and mortar rounds during the 34 hour long assault. Left with no alternatives
Fort Sumter was in fact
surrendered to South Carolina shortly thereafter.
The people of South Carolina were actually
overjoyed at the news of an
attack on the Federal Fort, and was regarded by them as the greatest day in the
history of their state.
When the time came for the
Federal soldiers to leave their fort and
surrender it to the Confederates, the commanding officer, Major Anderson ordered
an 100 gun salute to the flag. But, as fate would have it, it was limited to 50
because of an accident. Second in command of the fort, Abner Doubleday
explains:
"Owing to the recent conflagration,
there were fire and sparks all around
the cannon. It happened that some flakes of fire had entered the muzzle of
one of the guns after it was sponged. Of course, when the gunner attempted to
ram the cartridge down it exploded prematuely, killing Private Daniel Hough
instantly and setting fire to a pile of cartridges underneath, which also
exploded....wounding five men."
Thus it was that the wars first deaths were
accidental.
