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Fort Sumter, a military post in Charleston, South Carolina, was built in 1827 and is known for the Battle of Fort Sumter, the first shots of the American Civil War. The fort was occupied by Union troops and became a target for South Carolina militia in 1861. The South held the fort for two years until the Union launched the Second Battle of Fort Sumter in 1863. After the war, the ruins were rebuilt and used as a lighthouse before becoming a national monument in 1948.
Site of the first shots of the American Civil War, Fort Sumter is a coastal military post located in the Atlantic port of Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It was built during the wave of fortification known as the Third System that occurred after the conclusion of the War of 1812. Fort Sumter combined the best techniques of the time for military bases: the Montalembert system of heavy guns placed within thick walls overseeing numerous low-lying masonry used in the Vauban system. The fort is best known for the Battle of Fort Sumter, which took place over two days starting on April 12, 1861. As one of the most famous forts of the American Civil War, it is still a museum and historic site today.
Construction of the fort began in 1827 and continued for decades. Based on the sandbar near the harbor entrance, the designers chose to fabricate the fortification as a five-sided granite garrison. Due to the heavy aspects of the building, the process was very slow. When the conflict between North and South began, the fort was still unfinished.
Fort Sumter, occupied by Union troops, became a target for South Carolina militia shortly after secession in the late 1860s. The North attempted to deliver additional troops and supplies on January 9, 1861, but the delivery was rejected by South Carolina forces. Confederate Brigadier General PGT Beauregard then repeatedly ordered the surrender of the garrison over the next few months. On the morning of April 12, 1861, Confederate guns began to open fire, initiating the First Battle of Fort Sumter. The batteries continued the assault for 34 hours before US troops surrendered with no casualties on either side.
The South held the fort without challenge for the next two years. On April 7, 1863, however, the Union launched an attempt to reclaim the fort in a conflict that became known as the Second Battle of Fort Sumter. Union forces established a blockade of Charleston Harbor and proceeded to bombard the fort with cannon fire from Morris Island. Finally, the North launched a landing party which was repulsed by the garrison. The siege lasted for two years before the fort surrendered in the last days of the war.
After the American Civil War, the ruins of the fort were rebuilt for use by the US military. In 1876 it was put back into operation as a lighthouse. It was reused briefly as a military installation during the Spanish American War and both world wars. Fort Sumter was finally established as a national monument in 1948.
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