Fort Sumter, located in Charleston,
South Carolina harbor, is perhaps best known as the site where, according
to tradition, the first shots of the United States Civil War were fired.
On April 10, 1861, the Union garrison in the fort was told to surrender
by Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard in Charleston. This demand was refused
and on April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort. The
Union return fire was ineffective. On April 13, the fort was evacuated
after surrendering. The only casualties took place after the surrender,
when two Union soldiers were killed, and two others wounded during an explosion
of a cannon during a salute that occurred during the evacuation. Accounts
often describe Charleston residents along what is now known as "The Battery",
sitting on balconies and drinking salutes to the start of the hostilities.
