Civil War Begins — Fort Sumter
Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, beginning the Civil War — the bloodiest conflict in American history, fought over slavery and the future of the Union.
What Happened
After Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860, seven Southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter, a Union garrison in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort surrendered the next day. Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers; four more states seceded. Over the next four years, approximately 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers died — more American deaths than in any other war in the nation's history.
Why It Mattered Then
Fort Sumter transformed a political crisis into a military one. Lincoln's call for volunteers forced border states to choose sides and unified Northern opinion behind the Union. The South's decision to fire the first shot handed Lincoln a political advantage he used skillfully throughout the war.
Why It Matters Now
The Civil War is the defining catastrophe of American history — the ultimate test of whether the nation could survive its founding contradiction. Its outcomes (abolition of slavery, national supremacy over states' rights) shaped American law and politics for the next 160 years.
Key Themes
This event is part of the 1848–1865: Slavery, Sectional Crisis, and Civil War era (1848–1865).
Explore This Era →