The Confederate army attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861, firing the first shots of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was a federal fort located in Confederate territory that the South wanted to take control of in order to cut off the North's supplies. President Lincoln had planned for the Confederates to fire first so that the Northern states would join the Union in response. The Confederate capture of Fort Sumter proved the South's power over its own territory and marked the beginning of the Civil War.

1. By: Mallory J.

2. Some people think the north attacked Fort Sumter
because it is located in South Carolina, but the
north managed that fort and the Confederate
army attacked it. President Lincoln developed a
plan that would cause the Confederates to fire the
first shot. He hoped if this worked, that it would
inspire the other states to join the Union.

3. The Confederate army attacked Fort Sumter on
April 12, 1861 at 4:30 am. Forty-three Confederate
guns fired at Fort Sumter that started the
bloodiest war in American history.

4. Fort Sumter is located in the harbor of Charleston,
South Carolina. It was one of three federal forts
that defended the harbor.

5. The south could no longer tolerate the north
having a fort in their territory so they wanted to
take it over and they did. Fort Sumter was the
most important port on the Southeast coast. By
taking over Fort Sumter, the Confederates were
able to cut off supplies and food for the North.

6. The South had to prove it was a country and that
it had power over its territory. In the end the
north finally surrendered the fort to the south and
that was the first battle of the Civil War.