what happened at the battle of fort sumter

The Battle of Fort Sumter, fought from April 12 to 13, 1861, was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. It began when Confederate forces in South Carolina, under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, bombarded the Union-held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Major Robert Anderson commanded the Union garrison inside the fort. After South Carolina's secession in December 1860, Anderson moved his troops to Fort Sumter, which was more defensible. The Confederates demanded the fort's surrender, but Anderson refused. On April 12, after a warning demand to surrender was ignored, Confederate artillery opened fire on the fort, initiating a nearly 34-hour bombardment. The fort was surrounded by Confederate batteries on nearby islands and shore, allowing continuous shelling. During the bombardment, fires broke out inside the fort, and the defenders faced shortages of food, ammunition, and supplies. Despite enduring over 3,000 Confederate rounds without losing a man during the fighting, the situation became untenable. On April 13, with the fort's flagpole shot down and fires threatening the magazine, Anderson agreed to surrender under honorable terms. The Union troops were allowed to salute their flag with a 100-gun salute before evacuating. Tragically, two Union soldiers died due to an accidental explosion during the salute. The Confederate victory at Fort Sumter marked the official start of the Civil War. It galvanized the North to rally behind President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion, while prompting additional Southern states to secede and join the Confederacy. The battle itself had no combat deaths during the bombardment, but its political and symbolic impact was immense, setting the stage for four years of bloody conflict