Fort Sumter

noun

1. a fort in SE South Carolina, in the harbor of Charleston: its bombardment by the Confederates opened the Civil War on April 12, 1861.

Fort Sumter

/ ˈsʌmtə /

noun

1. a fort in SE South Carolina, guarding Charleston Harbour. Its capture by Confederate forces (1861) was the first action of the Civil War

Sumter, Fort

1. A fort at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston , South Carolina ; the location of the first military engagement of the Civil War . In April 1861, several months after South Carolina had declared its secession from the United States, the militia of South Carolina demanded that the commander of the fort surrender. He refused, and the South Carolinians fired on the fort. There were no deaths in the incident. In response, however, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to put down the “insurrection,” and the American Civil War began.

Example Sentences

Colby cites Abraham Lincoln’s genius in maneuvering the South Carolina rebels into firing the first shots at Fort Sumter that started the Civil War.

From Washington Post

Fearing the nation’s capital faced a grave threat from Confederate insurrectionists, President Abraham Lincoln called on thousands of volunteers to defend the seat of government on April 15, 1861, after an attack on Fort Sumter.

From Washington Post

Obviously, there will be no war if this bill passes—no one plans to fire on Fort Sumter, again.

From The Daily Beast

Before Fort Sumter, Gordon, a lawyer, defended slavery as “the hand-maid of civil liberty.”

From The Daily Beast

It was voted to procure a suitable gold badge, with Fort Sumter engraved upon it, for each member.

From Project Gutenberg

A fleet of ironclads had been prepared, with the special object in view of recapturing Fort Sumter.

From Project Gutenberg

The first intimation that the latter received was an order to go to Fort Sumter in twenty minutes.

From Project Gutenberg

He received his commission as lieutenant on the 19th of April, 1861, a few days before Fort Sumter was fired upon.

From Project Gutenberg

The progress of opinion was rapid and decisive, preparing for the bloody conflict which commenced with the attack on Fort Sumter.

From Project Gutenberg