Fort Sumter is located in Charleston, South Carolina. The fort is located in Charleston Harbor. The fort was not even complete when the war broke out. This was a major turning point for the United States of America. It separated the north from the south and in some cases separated families. This war would impact how the United States viewed slavery. It is the deadliest war the United States has ever seen in its history. It all began with the secession of South Carolina. Subsequently, an understanding was established between the authorities in Washington and members of Congress from South Carolina. Both agreed that the forts, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, would not be attacked or seized as act of war, until proper negotiations had been made for their transfer to the state. At that time Fort Sumter was in an unfinished state and did not have a garrison. (www.civilwarhome.com/CMHsumter.htm) Major Anderson thought the people of Charleston were going to try to take over Fort Sumter. He could not stand it, therefore, since he was commander of all the defenses of the port, and without any contradictory orders, he said that he could occupy any of them of his choice. Because he was under surveillance, he told his plan only to three or four agents he knew he could trust. First he removed the women and children with a supply of supplies. They were sent to Fort Johnson on December 26 by ships. The firing of cannons into the trees at Moultrie was to be the signal to be transported to Sumter. In the evening the garrison went to Sumter. The people of Charleston knew that the women and children were at Fort Johnson and assumed that Anderson would take his troops there. (www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battlefort-sumter.html) On March 5, 1861, Abraham Lincoln received a message for Major Robert Anderson, who was at Fort Sumter, saying there was less than a six-week supply of food left . . On April 8, Lincoln told Governor Francis Pickens of South Carolina that he would try to renovate the fort. The Confederate government ordered General Beauregard to call for the evacuation of the fort. If he had been refused he would have had to force their evacuation. (www.us-civilwar.com/sumter.htm) Anderson received a letter from General Beauregard telling him to evacuate the fort or h...... middle of paper ......p;The bombardment was lasted thirty-six hours and over 3,000 shots and projectiles were fired at the fort. The evacuation of the fort took place the next day, April 14, 1861. The fort had been evacuated, not surrendered. Before the evacuation the citizens of Taunton Mass. had voted Major Anderson as the elegant sword. New York gave him the freedom of the city in a golden box. Finally, on June 6, 1861, the New York Chamber of Commerce ordered a series of medals to be made to Maj. Anderson and every man in the garrison. (www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fort-sumter.html) This is what happened at Fort Sumter and what the men of the fort faced. This battle didn't have many short-term effects, but it had a major long-term effect. This battle started the Civil War, which was the deadliest war America has ever had and I hope it will be the last. Sources McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, New York. 1994. http://www.us-civilar.com/sumter.htm http://www.civilwarhome.com/CHMsumter.htmhttp://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fort-sumter.html