The
Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–14, 1861) was the
bombardment and surrender of
Fort Sumter, near
Charleston, South Carolina, that started the
American Civil War. Following declarations of
secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the
US Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, 1860, Major
Robert Anderson of the U.S. Army surreptitiously moved his small command from the vulnerable
Fort Moultrie on
Sullivan's Island to Fort Sumter, a substantial fortress controlling the entrance of Charleston Harbor. An attempt by U.S. President
James Buchanan to reinforce and resupply Anderson, using the unarmed merchant ship
Star of the West, failed when it was fired upon by shore batteries on January 9, 1861. South Carolina authorities then seized all Federal property in the Charleston area, except for Fort Sumter.