Confederates open fire on the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter, touching off the most horrific conflict in American history.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Confederates open fire on the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter, touching off the most horrific conflict in American history.
The South Carolinians receive word that President Lincoln will attempt to resupply Fort Sumter, and President Jefferson Davis makes a fateful decision.
President Lincoln sends agents to Charleston to see if any Unionist sentiment can be found there. He soon learns there cannot.
President Lincoln gets advice on what to do about Fort Sumter and decides to send someone there to assess the garrison’s condition.
Many of Abraham Lincoln’s advisors recommend abandoning Fort Sumter, but Lincoln considers a different course of action.
July 31, 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln approved reinforcing the Department of the South to bolster the Federals on Morris Island who were trying to