Editing Fort Sumter (section)

====Summary====
[[File:William H Seward Abraham Lincoln Fort Sumter.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Letter from [[William H. Seward]] advising [[Abraham Lincoln|President Lincoln]] on the obstacles in resupplying Fort Sumter, March 1861]]

Fort Sumter is notable for two battles, the [[Battle of Fort Sumter|first]] of which began the [[American Civil War]]. It was one of a number of special forts planned after the [[War of 1812]], combining high walls and heavy masonry, and classified as [[Seacoast defense in the United States#Third system|Third System]], as a grade of structural integrity. Work started in 1829, but was incomplete by 1861, when the Civil War began.

The attack on Fort Sumter is generally taken as the beginning of the [[American Civil War]]—the first shots fired. Certainly it was so taken at the time—citizens of Charleston were celebrating. The First [[Battle of Fort Sumter]] began on April 12, 1861, when South Carolina Militia artillery fired from shore on the Union garrison. These were (both sides agreed) the first shots of the war. The bombardment continued all day, watched by many happy civilians. The fort had been cut off from its supply line and surrendered the next day. Major [[Robert Anderson (Union officer)|Robert Anderson]] took the flag with him as they evacuated.

The [[Second Battle of Fort Sumter]] (September 8, 1863) was a failed attempt by the Union to retake the fort, dogged by a rivalry between army and navy commanders. Although the fort was reduced to rubble, it remained in Confederate hands until it was evacuated as [[William Tecumseh Sherman|General Sherman]] marched through South Carolina in February 1865.

A widely announced [[Raising the Flag at Fort Sumter|"End of the War" celebration took place at Fort Sumter]] on April 14, 1865. The now-Major General Anderson, though ill and retired, came to the ceremony and raised the flag.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Raising the Flag on Fort Sumter – A Great Anniversary
|newspaper=[[Rock Island Argus]] ([[Rock Island, Illinois]])
|date=April 15, 1865
|page=2
|via=[[newspapers.com]]
|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60879907/end-of-civil-war-celebration-at-fort/}}</ref> [[Assassination of President Lincoln|The assassination of President Lincoln]], which occurred on the evening of that date, almost immediately overshadowed the festivities.