April 12 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, in Charleston, S.C. in 1861.
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, in December 1860. Fearing a possible assault from land, Union Major Robert Anderson moved his command from Fort Moultrie to the newly constructed Fort Sumter. This move violated the unofficial truce deal between the U.S. and Confederate governments. Over the next few months relations between the two governments further deteriorated. Union efforts to resupply the men inside Fort Sumter failed. Maj. Anderson continuously refused Confederate demands to evacuate the fort. Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered artillery to open fire on Fort Sumter, and artillery batteries surrounding the fort began their bombardment at 4:30 AM on April 12. When the shelling finally ended 34 hours later, Maj. Anderson surrendered the fort to the Confederates. Despite all the damage done to Fort Sumter, neither side suffered any direct casualties. This battle caused both north and south to rally for more military action.
To date, the American Civil War remains the deadliest conflict in American history.
