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History Today: Fort Sumter fired upon--American Civil War Begins.(April 12,1861)
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Posted on 04/12/2007 6:43:14 AM PDT by yankeedame

Fort Sumter fired upon American Civil War Begings.(April 12,1861)

...On December 26, 1860, five days after South Carolina seceded, U.S. Army Major Robert Anderson abandoned the indefensible Fort Moultrie and secretly relocated his two companies (85 men, 13 of them musicians) of the 1st U.S. Artillery to Fort Sumter. The Fort was not yet complete at the time and fewer than half of the cannons that should have been there were available due to military downsizing by James Buchanan. Over the next few months, repeated calls for Union surrender from Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard were ignored, and Union attempts to resupply and reinforce the garrison were rebuffed.


1861, inside the fort
flying the Confederate Flag

On April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m., Confederate batteries opened fire, firing for 36 straight hours, on the fort. It has been said that Edmund Ruffin, a soldier and secessionist from Virginia, fired the first shot, although that is under some debate. The garrison returned fire, but it was ineffective, since Major Anderson did not allow his men to use cannons that had a high possibility of being hit by the Confederate attack.

On April 13, the fort surrendered and was evacuated. No one died in the actual battle, but one Union soldier died and another was mortally wounded when firing a cannon showing their surrender. Accounts, such as in the famous diary of Mary Chesnut, describe Charleston residents along what is now known as The Battery, sitting on balconies and drinking salutes to the start of the hostilities.

A special military decoration, known as the Gillmore Medal, was later issued to all Union service members who had performed duty in Fort Sumter during the opening battle of the American Civil War.


Gillmore Medal

The Fort Sumter Flag became a popular patriotic symbol after Maj. Anderson returned North with it. The flag is still displayed in the fort's museum....


Before the attack


Model of Fort Sumter as it
appeared in 1861 before the attack


Fort Sumter Flag flown after the
larger garrison flag had ripped.


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: deathtotraitors

1 posted on 04/12/2007 6:43:16 AM PDT by yankeedame
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To: yankeedame

Didn’t the TITANIC sink on April 12th?


2 posted on 04/12/2007 6:55:25 AM PDT by PzLdr ("The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" - Darth Vader)
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To: PzLdr

No it was on the morning of April 15th.


3 posted on 04/12/2007 7:10:56 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
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To: yankeedame

see tagline


4 posted on 04/12/2007 7:11:28 AM PDT by wildcatf4f3 (Hey, this aint like the 1960s, this is like the 1860s.)
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To: yankeedame
Cadets Haynesworth and Pickens from The Citadel in Charleston actually fired the shots. They had been taken into the South Carolina Military. Two cannons sit on The Citadel parade ground named after Haynsworth and Pickins. The best drilled Citadel Cadet receives The Star of the West medal each year. The Star of the West was the Union supply ship fired on to start the unfortunate disagreement between the states. The actual medal includes a piece of wood from the Star of the West.
5 posted on 04/12/2007 7:12:33 AM PDT by dblshot
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To: yankeedame
Nancy's actions were a direct violation of law* and a vile repudiation of those, who voted for GW in 2004. History may look at this as a critical moment when our Civil War II went from cold to hot. This was a violation of the Logan Act and a direct act of terrorism against our constitution and the voters for GW.

*Conducting Foreign Relations Without Authority: The Logan Act

Summary: The Logan Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 953, states:

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

The Logan Act was intended to prohibit United States citizens without authority from interfering in relations between the United States and foreign governments.

There appear to have been no prosecutions under the Act in its more than 200 year history. However, there have been a number of judicial references to the Act, and it is not uncommon for it to be used as a point of challenge concerning dealings with foreign officials.

Although attempts have been made to repeal the Act, it remains law and at least a potential sanction to be used against anyone who without authority interferes in the foreign relations of the United States.

6 posted on 04/12/2007 7:14:26 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (GW has more Honor and Integrity in his little finger than ALL of the losers on the "hate Bush" band)
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To: Grampa Dave

Televised hanging is too good for the beeotch.


7 posted on 04/12/2007 9:32:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (I last updated my profile on Monday, April 2, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Take her $3,000 suits and shoes off of her and super glue a blue burka on her. Then drop her off in the capitol of Iran or Syria.


8 posted on 04/12/2007 10:02:42 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (GW has more Honor and Integrity in his little finger than ALL of the losers on the "hate Bush" band)
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To: Grampa Dave

Nice touch.


9 posted on 04/12/2007 10:38:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (I last updated my profile on Monday, April 2, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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