Post by lordroel on Apr 12, 2024 10:21:50 GMT
163 years ago the Civil War began:
Day 1 of the United States Civil War, April 12th 1861
(South Carolina) Operations in Charleston Harbor - Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was a pentagonal masonry fort built on an artificial island in the middle of the main ship channel. It was about 300 to 350 feet across with walls 40 feet and between 8 and 12 feet thick. Despite having been commenced in 1829 it was incomplete, It had 48 guns ready for use out of the 140 prescribed for the fort; 21 were housed in the upper of the two tiers of casemates and a further 27 en barbette on the rampart. The garrison was commanded by United States Army, Major Robert Anderson and counted nine officers, 68 other ranks, 8 musicians, and 43 non-combatant workmen. It was intended to be garrisoned by 650 men in the event of hostilities.
At 4:30 a.m. on April 12th 1861, Confederate States Army, Lieutenant Henry S. Farley, acting upon the command of Confederate States Army, Captain George S. James,fired a single 10-inch mortar round from Fort Johnson. (James had offered the first shot to Roger Pryor, a noted Virginia secessionist, who declined, saying, "I could not fire the first gun of the war.") The shell exploded over Fort Sumter as a signal to open the general bombardment from 43 guns and mortars at Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson, the floating battery, and Cummings Point. Under orders from Beauregard, the guns fired in a counterclockwise sequence around the harbor, with 2 minutes between each shot; Beauregard wanted to conserve ammunition, which he calculated would last for only 48 hours. Edmund Ruffin, another noted Virginia secessionist, had traveled to Charleston to be present at the beginning of the war, and fired one of the first shots at Sumter after the signal round, a 64-pound shell from the Iron Battery at Cummings Point. The shelling of Fort Sumter from the batteries ringing the harbor awakened Charleston's residents (including diarist Mary Chesnut), who rushed out into the predawn darkness to watch the shells arc over the water and burst inside the fort
Illustration: “Bombardment of Fort Sumter by the batteries of the Confederate states
United States Army, Captain Abner Doubleday eventually returned fire against the Ironclad Battery at Cummings Point from about 7.30 am. United States guns were supplied with inadequate solid shot ammunition as there were no fuses for their explosive shells. It was immediately clear that the fort’s exposed guns en barbette could not be manned without unreasonable losses although Sergeant John Carmody did move outside to fire some of them and gained acclaim for his effort. Fort Sumter’s garrison could only safely fire the guns in casemates on the lower levels. However, the guns in these enclosed positions were largely incapable of the indirect fire that could seriously threaten the Confederates at Fort Moultrie.
The fort had been designed to hold out against a naval assault, and naval warships of the time did not mount guns capable of elevating high enough to fire over the walls of the fort. The land-based guns manned by the South Carolina militia were capable of landing indirect fire into Fort Sumter. Although the Union forces had moved as much of their supplies to Fort Sumter as they could manage, the fort was low on ammunition and their shooting was intermittent. By the afternoon only six guns were available to answer the besiegers’ fire, primarily due to a shortage of ammunition. The Fort’s guns were silent during the night and the bombardment was maintained by mortars only.
Illustration: Bombardment of Fort Sumter
At about 1 pm the steamship BALTIC, sloop-of-war USS PAWNEE under the command of United States Navy, Commander Rowan, and United States Revenue Cutter USRC HARRIET LANE under the command of Captain Faunce arrived off Charleston ostensibly to reinforce Fort Sumter. The ships assigned to relieve Anderson had been delayed by bad weather and administrative confusion and were too late to enter the harbour unopposed. They were nevertheless cheered by the garrison, who believed them to be a relieving force. The wooden ships were too weak to survive if they came within range of the bombardment which had already begun. Unable to re-provision the fort under fire they abandoned the attempt and departed for their onward journey to strengthen the garrison of Fort Pickens at Pensacola.
Florida
Following secret orders, Fort Pickens was reinforced by United States Army troops under the command of United States Army, Captain Israel Vogdes and United States Marines under Lieutenant John C Cash. The reinforcements were brought ashore from the sailing frigate USS SABINE under the command of United States Navy, Captain H A Adams, wooden screw sloop USS BROOKLYN under the command of United States Navy, Captain W S Walker, sloop-of-war USS ST LOUIS under the command of United States Navy, Commander Charles S Poor) and the steamer USS WYANDOTTE under the command of United States Navy, Lieutenant J R Madison Mullany. Their arrival assured the retention of the fort in United States control.
Florida
Harper's Weekly: the sailing frigate USS SABINE off Fort Pickens, 12 April 1861
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Legislature took up its military appropriations bill and during the afternoon the news of the firing on Fort Sumter galvanized both chambers. The bill, drawn up by Alexander K. McClure, passed without amendment in the evening and provided $500,000 for the militia and an Adjudant General, Commissary-General, and Quartermaster-General to lead and equip massively expanded state forces.
(South Carolina) Operations in Charleston Harbor - Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was a pentagonal masonry fort built on an artificial island in the middle of the main ship channel. It was about 300 to 350 feet across with walls 40 feet and between 8 and 12 feet thick. Despite having been commenced in 1829 it was incomplete, It had 48 guns ready for use out of the 140 prescribed for the fort; 21 were housed in the upper of the two tiers of casemates and a further 27 en barbette on the rampart. The garrison was commanded by United States Army, Major Robert Anderson and counted nine officers, 68 other ranks, 8 musicians, and 43 non-combatant workmen. It was intended to be garrisoned by 650 men in the event of hostilities.
At 4:30 a.m. on April 12th 1861, Confederate States Army, Lieutenant Henry S. Farley, acting upon the command of Confederate States Army, Captain George S. James,fired a single 10-inch mortar round from Fort Johnson. (James had offered the first shot to Roger Pryor, a noted Virginia secessionist, who declined, saying, "I could not fire the first gun of the war.") The shell exploded over Fort Sumter as a signal to open the general bombardment from 43 guns and mortars at Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson, the floating battery, and Cummings Point. Under orders from Beauregard, the guns fired in a counterclockwise sequence around the harbor, with 2 minutes between each shot; Beauregard wanted to conserve ammunition, which he calculated would last for only 48 hours. Edmund Ruffin, another noted Virginia secessionist, had traveled to Charleston to be present at the beginning of the war, and fired one of the first shots at Sumter after the signal round, a 64-pound shell from the Iron Battery at Cummings Point. The shelling of Fort Sumter from the batteries ringing the harbor awakened Charleston's residents (including diarist Mary Chesnut), who rushed out into the predawn darkness to watch the shells arc over the water and burst inside the fort
Illustration: “Bombardment of Fort Sumter by the batteries of the Confederate states
United States Army, Captain Abner Doubleday eventually returned fire against the Ironclad Battery at Cummings Point from about 7.30 am. United States guns were supplied with inadequate solid shot ammunition as there were no fuses for their explosive shells. It was immediately clear that the fort’s exposed guns en barbette could not be manned without unreasonable losses although Sergeant John Carmody did move outside to fire some of them and gained acclaim for his effort. Fort Sumter’s garrison could only safely fire the guns in casemates on the lower levels. However, the guns in these enclosed positions were largely incapable of the indirect fire that could seriously threaten the Confederates at Fort Moultrie.
The fort had been designed to hold out against a naval assault, and naval warships of the time did not mount guns capable of elevating high enough to fire over the walls of the fort. The land-based guns manned by the South Carolina militia were capable of landing indirect fire into Fort Sumter. Although the Union forces had moved as much of their supplies to Fort Sumter as they could manage, the fort was low on ammunition and their shooting was intermittent. By the afternoon only six guns were available to answer the besiegers’ fire, primarily due to a shortage of ammunition. The Fort’s guns were silent during the night and the bombardment was maintained by mortars only.
Illustration: Bombardment of Fort Sumter
At about 1 pm the steamship BALTIC, sloop-of-war USS PAWNEE under the command of United States Navy, Commander Rowan, and United States Revenue Cutter USRC HARRIET LANE under the command of Captain Faunce arrived off Charleston ostensibly to reinforce Fort Sumter. The ships assigned to relieve Anderson had been delayed by bad weather and administrative confusion and were too late to enter the harbour unopposed. They were nevertheless cheered by the garrison, who believed them to be a relieving force. The wooden ships were too weak to survive if they came within range of the bombardment which had already begun. Unable to re-provision the fort under fire they abandoned the attempt and departed for their onward journey to strengthen the garrison of Fort Pickens at Pensacola.
Florida
Following secret orders, Fort Pickens was reinforced by United States Army troops under the command of United States Army, Captain Israel Vogdes and United States Marines under Lieutenant John C Cash. The reinforcements were brought ashore from the sailing frigate USS SABINE under the command of United States Navy, Captain H A Adams, wooden screw sloop USS BROOKLYN under the command of United States Navy, Captain W S Walker, sloop-of-war USS ST LOUIS under the command of United States Navy, Commander Charles S Poor) and the steamer USS WYANDOTTE under the command of United States Navy, Lieutenant J R Madison Mullany. Their arrival assured the retention of the fort in United States control.
Florida
Harper's Weekly: the sailing frigate USS SABINE off Fort Pickens, 12 April 1861
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Legislature took up its military appropriations bill and during the afternoon the news of the firing on Fort Sumter galvanized both chambers. The bill, drawn up by Alexander K. McClure, passed without amendment in the evening and provided $500,000 for the militia and an Adjudant General, Commissary-General, and Quartermaster-General to lead and equip massively expanded state forces.