Fort Sumter

American  

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.

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Fort Sumter British  

/ 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

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Sumter, Fort Cultural  

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.

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Example Sentences

The attack on Fort Sumter in 1861 enraged him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

That is why a Confederate army began the war on April 12, 1861, attacking Fort Sumter, a U.S.

From Slate • Sep. 24, 2025

Before the first shots of the Civil War were ever fired at Fort Sumter, a poem titled “The Southland Fears no Foeman” was published in Richmond’s “Southern Literary Messenger.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025

The Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, six days after South Carolina seceded.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2024

Why did so many people want to see Fort Sumter on a sweltering summer day?

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan