The Civil War began at Fort Sumter, South Carolina when Confederate forces attacked the U.S. military garrison in 1861.

The Civil War began at Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861. Confederate forces fired on the U.S. military garrison, leading to its surrender after 34 hours of bombardment. This marked the start of the conflict between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy). Although tensions and smaller incidents were leading up to the war, the attack on Fort Sumter is widely considered the event that officially ignited the Civil War. The battle, which resulted in no casualties, was a pivotal moment in American history, leading to four years of intense conflict.