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It was symbolic more than anything. Today the US has military outposts all over the world. But every one of those outposts is there by the consent of the government of the country where it is located. This is something never before seen in human history. And it was not that way in 1860.
The Confederates reasoned that they were a new nation. They had withdrawn from the United States, and set up a new nation; therefore the United States had no business maintaining its military forces in Confederate territory. They had been asked to leave, and did not. A sovereign nation does not allow another nation to keep its military forces within its borders, unless it has agreed to allow it. Otherwise its an act of war.
After the US had won its independence from Great Britain in the Revolution, the British held on to Detroit for twenty years, with soldiers in Fort Detroit, stirring up the Indians. Everyone remembered this in 1860. In the 1790s the US had been powerless to force the British to get out, as they had agreed to do in the peace conference at the end of the Revolution. It had been a real sore point in relations between the US and Britain.
There were three or four forts around the Confederacy like this - old masonry forts built for coastal defense by the US government. There was one at Pensacola, Florida, and another at the tip of Old Point Comfort, in the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia, Fortress Monroe, which is still an active US Army base today. The Union held on to these forts as well, and they were never captured by the rebels. Others of that old system of forts were taken by the rebels in various places.
Fort Sumter was actually unfinished when the Civil War began. The Union troops were stationed at another fort on the mainland in Charleston Harbor. The South Carolina authorities were trying to get them to leave, when one night they sneaked out by boat to Fort Sumter and stayed there.
After Fort Sumter surrendered the Confederates allowed the Union troops to hold a ceremony and haul down their flag, and fire a cannon in salute to it. The cannon they fired blew up and killed one soldier, who was the only Union soldier to die in the whole episode. Then the Union troops were put on a ship and sent off to New York. So it is kind of remarkable that an almost completely bloodless incident stirred up such a storm. Both sides thought the war would be easily won, and looked forward to beating up on the other guys. Four years later they were very much sadder and maybe even wiser.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoAs the formal beginning of hostilities in the American Civil War approached, it was deemed important (by Lincoln and other Northern leaders) to maintain control of Fort Sumter for one reason. Although the commitment was mainly symbolic, the North's insistence on maintaining control of Fort Sumter was based on the simple fact that, as a Union fort, Sumter rightly belonged to the Union. The rest of the South may do what it chooses, but this small, unimportant piece of soil in Charleston Harbor belongs to us, reasoned Lincoln, and cannot justly be taken away.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoTo show that they did not acknowledge the Confederacy as a separate nation.
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Was fort Sumter a north or south war?
Sumter was a US Army garrison on a tiny island in Charleston harbour. The South were trying to assert their sovereignty ove it, as part of South Carolina, and therefore of the Confederacy. The North were trying to hold it, as US property, and affirm their non-recognition of the Confederacy.
Why was the civil war fought at Fort Sumter?
The US Army garrison on Fort Sumter - a tiny island in Charleston harbour - was under threat by the Confederates, wanting to assert sovereignty over their declared borders. (North Carolina had not yet declared for the Confederacy.) Lincoln announced that he would hold Sumter, and he sent rations for the troops. But everyone knew that he would not be able to supply it with enough weapons to defeat the Confederates in Charleston. And the fort was surrendered. This brought four more states into the Confederacy. And Lincoln appealed for 75,000 volunteer troops. (Sherman sneered that this would be about as much use as a water-pistol.)
Who does Lincoln imply started the war?
The Confederacy started the war because not only did they take over Fort Sumter, but they had opposite needs from what the Union needed. Forexample, the Confederacy wanted slavery in the south.
Why did General Anderson surrender fort Sumter?
Major Anderson, commander of the U.S. army unit in Charleston, South Carolina, at the time that South Carolina seceded from the Union, moved his troops into Fort Sumter in 1860 for two reasons. First, as the Civil War loomed, he had remained loyal to the Union despite being stationed in the heart of what was soon to become the Confederacy. Second, in his attempt to hold his position in Charleston, he judged accurately that Fort Sumter, located in the center of the harbor, would be the most defensible point in which to station himself and his troops.
What side controlled fort Sumter?
Sumter was an island garrison in Charleston Harbour, occupied by the US Army. In the run-up to the war, after South Carolina had seceded, Lincoln declared that the US would hold this territory against the threat of Confederate attack from the mainland. In the end, he had to evacuate the island, and in retaliation he appealed for volunteer troops for the Union army. The war was on - and Sumter was occupied by the Confederates for the next four years.
Why did the confederacy want the fort Sumter?
The confederacy of the southern states wanted Fort Sumter to have a foot hold on the harbors. The confederacy held possession of Fort Sumter until February 1865, when the North came in and raised the Northern states flag and regained control of Fort Sumter.
How did the south test president lincolns vow to hold federal property?
By firing on the island garrison of Fort Sumter - officially 'federal property', but to the Confederates, part of South Carolina.
Was fort Sumter a north or south war?
Sumter was a US Army garrison on a tiny island in Charleston harbour. The South were trying to assert their sovereignty ove it, as part of South Carolina, and therefore of the Confederacy. The North were trying to hold it, as US property, and affirm their non-recognition of the Confederacy.
Fort Sumter battle?
First shots of the war. Lincoln had declared that he would hold the Union garrison on the tiny island of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbour. The Confederate artillery fired on it, and it surrendered. Lincoln reacted by calling for 75,000 volunteer troops. The war was officially on.
When and where did the civil war begin why did it occur on thatparticular place?
Fort Sumter was a United States Army garrison on an island in Charleston harbour. When South Carolina became the first state to secede, it declared that Fort Sumter was now Confederate territory. Lincoln responded by declaring that he would hold the fort. The Confederates opened fire on it, the garrison was evacuated, and the war was on.
Why was the civil war fought at Fort Sumter?
The US Army garrison on Fort Sumter - a tiny island in Charleston harbour - was under threat by the Confederates, wanting to assert sovereignty over their declared borders. (North Carolina had not yet declared for the Confederacy.) Lincoln announced that he would hold Sumter, and he sent rations for the troops. But everyone knew that he would not be able to supply it with enough weapons to defeat the Confederates in Charleston. And the fort was surrendered. This brought four more states into the Confederacy. And Lincoln appealed for 75,000 volunteer troops. (Sherman sneered that this would be about as much use as a water-pistol.)
How long did the confederates hold fort Sumter?
`15 1/2 days NEW RESPONDENT. From Apr.14, 1861 up to Feb.17, 1865
Who does Lincoln imply started the war?
The Confederacy started the war because not only did they take over Fort Sumter, but they had opposite needs from what the Union needed. Forexample, the Confederacy wanted slavery in the south.
What led to the fort Sumter battle?
The South wanted to claim the island-fortress in Charleston harbour as part of the Confederacy. Lincoln declared that he would hold this territory with its US Army garrison.
Why did General Anderson surrender fort Sumter?
Major Anderson, commander of the U.S. army unit in Charleston, South Carolina, at the time that South Carolina seceded from the Union, moved his troops into Fort Sumter in 1860 for two reasons. First, as the Civil War loomed, he had remained loyal to the Union despite being stationed in the heart of what was soon to become the Confederacy. Second, in his attempt to hold his position in Charleston, he judged accurately that Fort Sumter, located in the center of the harbor, would be the most defensible point in which to station himself and his troops.
Which battle officially began the civil war?
The first shots of the Civil War were shot in South Carolina, at Fort Sumter, in the bay off Charleston. The Fort was Union occupied, awaiting supply ships that were held up by Confederate ships. The Fort was manned by Anderson, who was under orders to simply hold his position upon hearing of the newly-declared Civil War. The Battle of Fort Sumter opens on April the twelfth, as Confederates under Beauregard bombard the fort in a ring of fire. The battle ends in Union surrender but merely begins a war of terrible proportions.
What side controlled fort Sumter?
Sumter was an island garrison in Charleston Harbour, occupied by the US Army. In the run-up to the war, after South Carolina had seceded, Lincoln declared that the US would hold this territory against the threat of Confederate attack from the mainland. In the end, he had to evacuate the island, and in retaliation he appealed for volunteer troops for the Union army. The war was on - and Sumter was occupied by the Confederates for the next four years.
