At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired the first official shots of the Civil War on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, under the command of Louisiana native P.G.T. Beauregard. His sword still hangs in the Charleston City Hall.
Just 34 hours later, Major Anderson of the federal army surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederates.
The first shots of the Civil War were actually fired on April 12, 1861, not January 9 of the same year.
The four-year conflict resulted in over 620,000 American deaths on Lincoln’s watch.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.