Fort Sumter is bombarded and the American Civil War begins
- When
- 1861
- Where
- Fort Sumter; Washington, D.C.
- Episodes
- 2
The American Civil War began with the April 12–13, 1861, bombardment of Fort Sumter by South Carolina militia. Following the surrender, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in April 1861. The conflict arose from secession movements, including South Carolina's in December 1860, and the formation of the Confederacy.
Episodes
- Suspension of Habeas Corpus
President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in April 1861.
- Bombardment of Fort Sumter
South Carolina militia bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12–13, 1861, leading to its surrender and the start of the Civil War.
Background and detail
Background. South Carolina seceded in December 1860, followed by six other states by February 1861. Governor Pickens demanded the surrender of Fort Sumter in January 1861. By April, Major Robert Anderson reported severe food shortages at the fort, setting the stage for the Confederate bombardment that initiated the war.
Outbreak of Hostilities. Confederate forces opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. The bombardment lasted until April 13, resulting in the fort's surrender to Southern forces. This event marked the official beginning of the American Civil War between the Union and the Confederacy.
People involved
- Abraham Lincoln · President of the United States
- Robert Anderson · Union Commander at Fort Sumter
- Robert E. Lee · Confederate General
Sources
- Battle of Fort Sumter Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-27
- American Civil War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24
- Abraham Lincoln Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
- Robert E. Lee Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-02
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.