Fort Sumter

HistoryCentral · Primary Source & History

Fort Sumter refused to surrender to the Confederates. Sixty-eight soldiers under the command of Major Anderson had been in the fort from December 26th, without supplies. When Lincoln made the decision to resupply the fort, the Confederacy decided to assault it. In the middle of the night of the 12th, Confederate emissaries brought Major Anderson an ultimatum: surrender by 4:00 AM or be fired upon.

At 4:30 AM on the 12th, General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard gave the order to open fire. The next afternoon Major Anderson surrendered. The war was on.