Fort Sumter was named after Revolutionary War general and South Carolina native Thomas Sumter. The battle of Fort Sumter began in December 20, 1860 when South Carolina seceded.
Commanded by Major Robert Anderson (1805-1871), these companies were stationed at Fort Moultrie, a dilapidated fortification facing the coastline. Recognizing that Fort Moultrie was vulnerable to a land assault, Anderson elected to abandon it for the more easily defensible Fort Sumter on December 26, 1860. South Carolina militia forces would seize the city’s other forts shortly thereafter, leaving Fort Sumter as the lone federal outpost in Charleston.A standoff ensued until January 9, 1861, when a ship called the Star of the West arrived in