1	Fort Sumter, SC April 12-14, 1861 “…you will at once demand its evacuation, and if this is refused proceed, in such manner as you may determine, to reduce it.” An overview of major engagements in the American Civil War with battlefield pictures taken in November 2006.
2	The Third System of Fortifications [1] In order to prevent a repetition of the burning of Washington, President James Monroe wanted better coastal defenses. In 1816, the army had created a board to study the subject and recommend what fortifications were required. Membership included Brigadier General Joseph G. Swift, chief of engineers, and two other American engineers, Lieutenant Colonels William McRee and Joseph G. Totten. Monroe asked France for a distinguished engineer to head the board. The French sent Simon Bernard, a graduate of the École Polytechnique. Swift and McRee both considered Bernard's appointment to be an insult to American engineers and resigned from the board shortly in protest. Totten stayed to assist Bernard in planning what became known as the Third System of fortifications. The 1821 report recommended an extensive program to build almost 200 modern masonry forts on the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific coasts, but by the beginning of the Civil War only 30 of these forts were completed. When Bernard returned to France in 1831, Totten became America's expert on fortifications.
3	The Third System of Fortifications [2] The first fort constructed was Fort Adams on Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island. In August 1825, Totten arrived at Fort Adams to take charge of the work. The fort features many sophisticated engineering features that makes it a showcase for the art of fortification and a tribute to Totten’s inventiveness. Totten conducted scientific experiments to determine the resistance of various materials used in fortifications to enemy fire, designed a greatly improved embrasure for seacoast forts, and made numerous contributions to civil engineering Totten remained in Newport until December 1838, when he left to become chief of engineers of the United States Army. When Totten died in 1864, he was recognized as one of the country's greatest engineers.
4	The Third System of Fortifications [3] Fort Adams is a massive work with structural walls constructed of local shale and Maine granite. Within the Third System, only Fort Monroe at Newport News, Virginia, and Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas off Key West, Florida, are larger. Neither displays the sophisticated engineering features that make Fort Adams a showcase for the art of fortification.
5	The Third System of Fortifications [3] Some of the most well-known forts are: Fort Adams Fort Clinch Fort Delaware Fort Jefferson Fort Macon Fort Macomb Fort Massachusetts Fort Morgan Fort Moultrie Fort Pickens Fort Pike Fort Point Fort Pulaski Fort Sumter Fort Taylor Fort Trumbull
6	The Third System of Fortifications [4] Artillery had also been improving during the time period of construction of the Third System of Fortifications. Captain Thomas Jefferson Rodman of the United States Army and Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren of the United States Navy conducted experiments that led to the scientific design of artillery pieces. The result of this work was ordnance with more power and greater range. The development of rifled artillery also had a major impact on the Coastal fortifications.
7	The Third System of Fortifications [5] Unlike smoothbore guns, rifled ones had spiral grooves in the bore that gave a spin to the projectile. The spin stabilized the projectile in flight giving greater accuracy and range. Rifling also permitted the use of elongated, pointed projectiles in place of spherical cannon balls. Experts disagreed at the time about the impact these improvements would have on fortifications. Some said the new weapons presented no greater threat than the ones they replaced, however, experience during the Civil War proved that point of view wrong
8	The Third System of Fortifications [6] Third System forts were destined to play an important role at the start of the Civil War. The Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor on April 12, 1861, marked the outbreak of fighting. Robert E. Lee believed that the fort could not taken by conventional smoothbore artillery. In April 1862, Union forces under General Quincy A. Gillmore captured Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Georgia. In less than two days, Gilmore's rifled artillery had dismounted eleven of the Confederate guns and battered a large breach in the fort's brick wall. Fort Pulaski surrendered on April 11, 1862, a date that also signaled the obsolescence of the masonry forts of the Third System.
9	Situation [1] The election of Abraham Lincoln in conjunction with other issues caused seven Southern states, led by South Carolina, to secede and form the Confederate States of America in early 1861. Confederate forces seized control of Federal forts and customs houses within their boundaries. However, a few Union strongholds remained, including Fort Monroe (near Norfolk, Virginia), Fort Sumter (near Charleston, South Carolina), and Fort Pickens, Florida.
10	Situation [2] Major Robert Anderson, commander of the Charleston garrison, was located at Fort Moultrie. During the Fall of 1860, South Carolina authorities considered both secession and the expropriation of Federal property in the harbor to be inevitable. As tensions mounted, the area around the fort began to resemble a siege when South Carolina authorities placed picket ships to observe the movements of the troops. South Carolina officials threatened violence when forty rifles were transferred to one of the harbor forts from the U.S. arsenal in the city. Fort Moultrie was the oldest fort constructed in the harbor and was headquarters of the garrison.
11	Early History of Fort Moultrie, SC [1] Fort Moultrie is the name given to a succession of forts built on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and motto (Palmetto State) of South Carolina.
12	Early History of Fort Moultrie, SC [2] The fort was unnamed and not yet complete when Admiral Sir Peter Parker and nine British warships attacked it on June 28, 1776, near the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. The soft palmetto logs did not crack under bombardment but rather absorbed the shot and there were some reports of cannon balls actually bouncing off of the walls of the structure. Charleston was saved and the fort was named for the commander in the battle, William Moultrie. A new Fort Moultrie was built over the decayed original fort in 1798. When this fort was destroyed by a hurricane in 1804, it was replaced by a brick fort by 1809.
13	Early History of Fort Moultrie, SC [3] Between 1809 and 1860 Fort Moultrie changed little; the parapet was altered and the armament modernized, but newly created Fort Sumter became the main component of Charleston's defense.
14	Early History of Fort Moultrie, SC [4]
15	Union Abandons Fort Moultrie, SC [1] Fort Moultrie was designed as a gun platform for defending the harbor, and lacked strong defenses against land-based attacks. During the crisis, the Charleston newspapers commented that sand dunes had grown up against the walls in such a way that the wall could easily be scaled. When the garrison began clearing away the dunes, the papers objected
16	Union Abandons Fort Moultrie, SC [2] Under the cover of darkness on December 26, 1860, Anderson spiked the cannons at Fort Moultrie and removed his command to Fort Sumter. Confederate authorities considered this a breach of faith and demanded that the fort be evacuated. President James Buchanan, who was still in office, pending Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, refused their demand and mounted a relief expedition.
17	Union Abandons Fort Moultrie, SC [3] In January 1861, shore batteries fired on and repulsed the unarmed merchant ship, Star of the West. The battery that fired was occupied by cadets from The Citadel, who were the only trained artillerists in the service of South Carolina at the time.
18	Beauregard Takes Charge of Siege In March 1861, Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard took command of South Carolina forces in Charleston On February 27, Davis had appointed him the first general officer in the armed forces of the new Confederacy to take command of the siege. Beauregard made repeated demands that the Union force either surrender or withdraw and made sure that no supplies from the city were available to the defenders, whose food was running out. He increased drills and trained South Carolina Militia to operate the artillery guns they manned.
19	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [1]
20	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [2]
21	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [3]
22	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [4]
23	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [5]
24	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [6]
25	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [7]
26	Confederate Control of Fort Moultrie [8]
27	Fort Moultrie, SC [1]
28	Cannon Walk [1]
29	Cannon Walk [2]
30	Cannon Walk [3]
31	Cannon Walk [4]
32	The Confederacy Decides to Attack On April 4^th, President Lincoln ordered a relief expedition of merchant vessels under a Navy escort to bring supplies to Fort Sumter. On April 6^th, Lincoln notified South Carolina Governor Pickens that "an attempt will be made to supply Fort Sumter with provisions only, and that if such attempt be not resisted, no effort to throw in men, arms, or ammunition will be made without further notice, [except] in case of an attack on the fort." The Confederate cabinet decided to attack the Fort and force its surrender before the relief fleet arrived. The Secretary of War telegraphed Beauregard that if he were certain that the fort was to be supplied by force, "You will at once demand its evacuation, and if this is refused proceed, in such a manner as you may determine, to reduce it." Beauregard issued the ultimatum on April 11^th, but Anderson refused to surrender the Fort.
33	Fort Sumter, SC - April 12-14, 1861
34	Map of Charleston Harbor
35	Confederate Bombardment [1] Fort Sumter dominated the entrance to Charleston Harbor and was believed to be one of the strongest fortresses in the world. In the fall of 1860 work was nearly done, but it was only manned by a single soldier who served as a lighthouse keeper. At 3:20 a.m., April 12^th, the Confederates informed Anderson that they would open fire in one hour.
36	Confederate Bombardment [2]
37	Confederate Bombardment [3] At 4:30 a.m., a single mortar round fired from Fort Johnson exploded over Fort Sumter, signaling the start of the bombardment. The 43 guns and mortars at Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson, and Cummings Point began the artillery barrage. (see slide 34) Edmund Ruffin, a notable secessionist, had traveled to Charleston to be present for the beginning of the war and was present to fire the first shot at Sumter after the signal round.
38	Confederate Bombardment [4] Anderson did not return fire until 7:00 a.m., when Captain Abner Doubleday fired a shot at the Ironclad Battery at Cummings Point. Unfortunately, Anderson could not do much with his 60 guns because he avoided using guns at locations where casualties were likely. The fort's best cannons were mounted on the uppermost of its three tiers, where his troops were most exposed to enemy fire. Because the fort was designed to prevent a naval assault, its fire power and defenses were susceptible to the Confederate’s land-based cannon. The garrison could only safely fire the guns on the lower levels which were not effective against Confederate artillery at Fort Moultrie. The fort had insufficient ammunition and was nearly out by the end of the 34-hour bombardment.
39	Confederate Bombardment [5] The bombardment continued through the night until the next morning, when a shell hit the officers' quarters, starting a serious fire that threatened the main powder magazine. The fort's central flagpole also fell. During the time that the flag was down and before the garrison could improvise a replacement, several Confederate envoys arrived to inquire whether the flag had been lowered in surrender. Anderson agreed to a truce at 2:00 p.m., April 13, 1861.
40	Anderson Surrenders [1] Terms for the garrison's withdrawal were settled that evening, and the Union garrison surrendered the fort to Confederate personnel at 2:30 p.m., April 14^th. The soldiers were transported to Union territory by the same U.S. Navy squadron whose arrival had prompted the barrage. No one was killed during the bombardment and only five Union and four Confederate soldiers severely injured.
41	Anderson Surrenders [2]
42	Visitor Center
43	Touring Fort Sumter [1]
44	Schematic of Fort Sumter
45	Touring Fort Sumter [2]
46	Touring Fort Sumter [3]
47	Left-Flank Casements [1]
48	Left-Flank Casements [2]
49	Enlisted Men’s Barracks Ruins
50	Gorge Wall
51	Officers’ Quarters Ruins
52	Parade Ground
53	Left-Face Casement Ruins
54	Right Face [1]
55	Right Face [2]
56	Arming the Fort [1]
57	Arming the Fort [2]
58	Arming the Fort [3]
59
60	Confederate Control of Fort Sumter [1] The Confederate control of Fort Sumter meant that Charleston was gap in the Federal naval blockade of the Atlantic coast. To close the port to Confederate shipping, Fort Sumter would need to be retaken. Rear Admiral Samuel F. Du Pont organized a naval assault on the fort. On the afternoon of April 7, 1863, nine ironclads exchanged fire with Confederate batteries in the fort and around the harbor. The fort was barely damaged, and five of the ships were disabled with one sinking the next morning. Federal strategy changed after this failure, and Du Pont was replaced by Rear Adm. John A. Dahlgren. Dahlgren’s combined land and sea operation seized nearby Morris Island and used the island as a base to demolish the fort.
61	Confederate Control of Fort Sumter [2] Union troops under Brig. Gen. Quincy Adams Gillmore placed rifled cannon on Morris Island. Fort Sumter’s garrison consisted of five companies of the 1^st South Carolina Artillery under Col. Alfred Rhett. The garrison fortified the walls of Fort Sumter with dirt mounds and hay bales. Massive Federal bombardment began on August 17^th, with almost 1,000 shells fired the first day. Within a week, the fort's brick walls were in ruins, but the garrison refused to surrender and continued to repair and strengthen the defenses. Confederate guns at Fort Moultrie and other harbor batteries returned fire. On September 9^th,400 sailors and Marines attacked the fort in row boats, but were repulsed losing five ships and 124 men. The bombardment continued intermittently until the end of December.
62	Confederate Control of Fort Sumter [3] In the summer of 1864, Maj. Gen. John G. Foster replaced Gillmore as commander of land operations and again attempted to take the fort. Foster, a member of Anderson's 1861 garrison, believed that "with proper arrangements" the fort could be taken "at any time." However after two months of bombardment Foster had failed to take the fort and he abandoned the effort. Intermittent fire was maintained until Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's troops advancing north from Savannah, Georgia, forced the evacuation of Fort Sumter on February 17, 1865. In spite of an estimated that seven million pounds of artillery that were fired at Fort Sumter, Confederate losses were only 52 killed and 267 wounded. On April 14, 1865, four years to the day after lowering it in surrender, Major General Anderson raised the Fort Sumter Flag again over the battered remains of the fort.
63	The Flags of Fort Sumter
64	Casualties April 12-14, 1861 - Confederate Victory Union 1 killed and 5-10 wounded Confederate 4 April 7, 1863 - February 17, 1865 – Union Attempts to Recapture Fort and Confederate Withdrawal Union 124 Confederate 52 killed and 267 wounded
65	Resources Source: Fort Construction and the Civil War National Park Service battle description Detzer, David, Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War, Harcourt, 2001. Klein, Maury, Days of Defiance: Sumter, Secession and the Coming of the Civil War, Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Hendrickson, Robert, Sumter: The First Day of the Civil War, Promontory Press, 1996. The Battle of Fort Sumter – Wikipedia Fort Sumter National Monument – National Park Service The Attack on Fort Sumter – Official Records Fort Sumter and Civil War Resources The Battle of Fort Sumter – Son of the South Fort Sumter – Confederate Military History – Volume 5, Chapter I