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About

Civil War

Fort Sumter

Confederate Batteries Bomb Sumter

After Abraham Lincoln was elected president the southern states wanted to secede. This means that they wanted to leave the United States. They wanted to stop being a part of our country. When a state secedes it leaves its country. On December 20, 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union. Other southern states quickly did the same thing.

Confederate Flag

South Carolina’s actions made the federal soldiers in Charleston nervous. There were 77 of them. [2] They were the federal troops that were stationed in Charleston. Five days later they moved out to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is a little island out in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter Centential Stamp The troops went there for their safety. They did not feel welcome. The troops were surrounded by 6,000 South Carolina militia. Washington tried to send more men and supplies, but South Carolina stopped them.

When the southern states seceded, they made their own government. They became the Confederate States of America. The troops at Fort Sumter were trapped and needed help.

Then, the South Carolina troops opened fire on the fort. They shot 3,000 shells at Fort Sumter. The federal troops held out for one day. They knew their chances were not very good. The following day they surrendered the fort. The Civil War had begun.

R-SSS

Reading resources

© Reading-SocialStudiesSolutions


Text Credits:

http://www.ushistory.org/us/33a.asp
[2] https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fort-sumter-surrenders


Image Credits:

Fort Sumter Confederate Batteries 2- Wikimedia Commons;
Confederate Rebel Flag by J4p4n-300px- Openclipart.org;
Fort Sumter Centennial stamp in 1961 designed by Charles R Chickering for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing- Wikimedia Commons


Notes:

[2] President Lincoln had sent word to Charleston that he planned to send food to the troops in the garrison, early in April. The Confederates acted upon this news with the attack on the fort.
There were 68 enlisted men, nine officers, eight muscicians, and 43 construction workers.
There was only one casualty of this battle, and it was a Confederate horse. There was a second casualty during a planned 100-gun salute as the Union troops were leaving. A soldier was killed by accident during the salute.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/battle-of-fort-sumter-april-1861.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Fort-Sumter