The Battle of Fort Sumter was one of the first battles in the civil war. The confederate attacked the final still-federal fort, Fort Sumter, with a force of about 200. During the initial proceedings, fort’s seizure in South Carolina was seen as inevitible.
Immediately after the succession, the South Carolina authorities demanded that the fort be evacuated. When the evacuation was refused, a stalemate developed. When Lincoln learned that the fort was short supplied, he thought that a re-supply mission would be feasible. To cut off the supply mission, the Confederates opened fire upon the fort on April 12, 1861. By the end of the 34 hour bombardment, the fort’s supplies were nearly exhausted.
The flag pole was actually knocked down by enemy fire and confederate envoys arrived asking about surrender before a solution could be had. Union Major Anderson agreed to a surrender and by 2 pm the next day, the surrendered union troops were shuttled to Union soil.
Fort Sumter claimed the first deaths in the Civil War. Although no one died in the actual bombardment, the 100-gun salute, part of Anderson’s surrender conditions, lit ammuntions on fire which killed two.