788:, was placed in charge of the assault. When Commander Stevens protested that he "knew nothing of organization " and "made some remonstrances on this grounds and others." Dahlgren replied "There is nothing but a corporal's guard in the fort, and all we have to do is go and take possession." This underestimation of the Confederate forces on Dahlgren's part may explain why he was hostile to a joint operation wishing to reserve the credit for the victory to the navy. Fewer than half of the boats landed. Most of the boats that did land landed on the right flank or right gorge angle, rather than on the gorge where there was a passable breach. The Union sailors and marines who did land could not scale the wall. The Confederates fired upon the landing party and as well as throwing hand grenades and loose bricks. The men in the boats that had not landed fired muskets and revolvers blindly at the fort, endangering the landing party more than the garrison. The landing party took shelter in shell holes in the wall of the fort. In response to a signal rocket fired by the garrison, Fort Johnson and the Confederate warship CSS
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835:'s advance through South Carolina finally forced the Confederates to evacuate Charleston on February 17, 1865, and abandon Fort Sumter. The Federal government formally took possession of Fort Sumter on February 22, 1865, with a flag-raising ceremony. One Union soldier was killed and another Union soldier was mortally wounded during the surrender ceremony (see above). Fifty-two Confederate soldiers were killed there during the remainder of the war. While a number of slaves were killed while working at the fort, the exact number is unknown.
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526:, blindages, and bombproofs. Some of Fort Sumter's artillery had been removed, but 40 pieces still were mounted. Fort Sumter's heaviest guns were mounted on the barbette, the fort's highest level, where they had wide angles of fire and could fire down on approaching ships. The barbette was also more exposed to enemy gunfire than the
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opened fire upon the boats and landing party. The boats that could withdraw withdrew, and the landing party surrendered. The Union casualties were 8 killed, 19 wounded, and 105 captured (including 15 of the wounded). The
Confederates did not suffer any casualties in the assault.
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The
Confederates, in the meantime, were strengthening Fort Sumter. A workforce of just under 500 slaves, under the supervision of Confederate army engineers, were filling casemates with sand, protecting the gorge wall with sandbags, and building new
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410:, Beauregard, suspecting an attack, replaced the artillerymen and all but one of the fort's guns with 320 infantrymen, who repulsed the naval landing party. Gillmore had reduced Fort Sumter to a pile of rubble, but the
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152:
Photograph taken
September 8, 1863, shows the breach compromised at Fort Sumter's wall facing Morris Island during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The naval party attempted to enter the fort here.
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assault involved 400 sailors and marines in 25 boats. The operation was a fiasco from beginning to end. Poor reconnaissance, planning and communication all characterized the operation.
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never effectively engaged, and the ironclads fired only 154 rounds, while receiving 2,209 from the
Confederate defenders. Due to damage received in the attack, the USS
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After the unsuccessful boat assault, the bombardment recommenced and proceeded with varying degree of intensity, doing more damage to Fort Sumter until the end of the
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815:. The garrison continued to suffer casualties. The Confederates continued to salvage guns and other material from the ruins and harassed the Union batteries on
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498:(The 1863 Battle of Fort Sumter was the largest deployment of monitors in action up to that time). The attack was unsuccessful, the Union's best ship, USS
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by the low tide. By the time they could proceed, the navy assault had already been defeated and the army flotilla returned to shore.
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under the command of an army officer, so two flotillas set out towards Fort Sumter that night. The army flotilla was detained off
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attempted to retake the fort at the mouth of the harbor. Union gunners pummeled the fort from their batteries on
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Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South
Carolina, 1863
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Interior View of Fort Sumter, taken by a
Confederate photographer, 1864.
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Union efforts to retake
Charleston Harbor began on April 7, 1863, when
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sank the next day, 1,400 yards (1,300 m) off the southern tip of
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Operations against the
Defenses of Charleston (American Civil War)
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Exterior view of Fort Sumter, 1865. Banded rifle in foreground,
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518:. One of the Dahlgren guns was promptly placed in Fort Sumter.
288:
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Map of Fort Sumter II Battlefield core and study areas by the
18:
121:
For the 1861 battle that started the
American Civil War, see
383:, who had commanded the defenses of Charleston and captured
391:, was in overall command of the defenders. In the battle,
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United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries
627:, one rifled 42-pounder, one 8-inch (200 mm) Brooke
1002:
Gate of hell : campaign for
Charleston Harbor, 1863
823:. The Confederates mounted four 10-inch (250 mm)
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After the devastating bombardment, both Major General
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View of Confederate-held Fort Sumter, August 23, 1863.
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Battles of the American Civil War in South Carolina
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The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
635:Five rifled and banded 42-pounders, one 24-pounder
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1004:. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.
1365:Confederate victories of the American Civil War
995:. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
132:
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831:, never surrendered Fort Sumter, but General
807:Flag-raising over Fort Sumter, April 14, 1865
316:Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston
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8:
533:A special military decoration, known as the
706:View of Fort Sumter from the sandbar, 1865.
651:Two 10-inch (250 mm) seacoast mortars
1410:19th-century in Charleston, South Carolina
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974:Artillery and ammunition of the Civil War
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
1082:South Carolina in the American Civil War
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544:Fort Sumter Armaments, August 17, 1863'
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1380:Naval battles of the American Civil War
976:. Charleston, S.C.: The Battery Press.
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722:American Battlefield Protection Program
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894:, Civil War Fortifications dictionary.
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1400:History of Charleston, South Carolina
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599:, five rifled and banded 42-pounders
530:in the two lower levels of the fort.
7:
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993:"Delayed report, September 28, 1865"
866:
643:Three rifled and banded 42-pounders
587:Two 8-inch (200 mm) shell guns
369:was fought on September 8, 1863, in
47:adding citations to reliable sources
1173:Second Battle of Charleston Harbor
755:South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
431:South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
16:September 1863, American Civil War
14:
1375:Charleston County, South Carolina
1153:First Battle of Charleston Harbor
604:Right face, first tier casemates
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947: This article incorporates
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584:Left face, first tier casemates
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640:Salient, second tier casemates
615:One XI-inch Dahlgren (From USS
496:attack on the harbor's defenses
34:needs additional citations for
735:, William Aiken Walker, 1886,
619:), four 10-inch (250 mm)
58:"Second Battle of Fort Sumter"
1:
172:– September 8, 1863
1265:Union forces occupy Columbia
1178:Second Battle of Fort Sumter
1168:Second Battle of Fort Wagner
1163:Battle of Grimball's Landing
414:still waved over the ruins.
367:Second Battle of Fort Sumter
133:Second Battle of Fort Sumter
1158:First Battle of Fort Wagner
1137:Second Battle of Pocotaligo
991:Stevens, Thomas H. (1902).
623:, one 8-inch (200 mm)
575:, two 8-inch (200 mm)
164:September 7, 1863
1426:
1260:Skirmish at Congaree Creek
1122:First Battle of Pocotaligo
595:Two 10-inch (250 mm)
571:Two 10-inch (250 mm)
560:Two 10-inch (250 mm)
120:
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1235:Campaign of the Carolinas
1000:Wise, Stephen R. (1994).
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1250:Skirmish at James Island
1245:Battle of Broxton Bridge
1240:Action at Rivers' Bridge
1132:Battle of Simmon's Bluff
1127:Battle of Secessionville
972:Ripley, Warren (1984).
389:first battle of the war
1395:1863 in South Carolina
949:public domain material
808:
777:Thomas H. Stevens, Jr.
739:
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427:Samuel Francis Du Pont
241:Commanders and leaders
1405:September 1863 events
1106:Port Royal Experiment
1096:Battle of Fort Sumter
960:National Park Service
806:
753:, now commanding the
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612:Right flank barbette
539:Quincy Adams Gillmore
443:, the tower ironclad
347:2nd Charleston Harbor
327:1st Charleston Harbor
271:Casualties and losses
123:Battle of Fort Sumter
1214:Battle of Honey Hill
1101:Battle of Port Royal
915:Civil War Dictionary
904:Civil War Dictionary
737:Gibbes Museum of Art
592:Right face barbette
557:Left flank barbette
43:improve this article
1219:Battle of Tulifinny
1037:32.7524°N 79.8749°W
1033: /
967:CWSAC Report Update
579:, four 42-pounders
568:Left face barbette
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429:, commander of the
408:bombing of the fort
381:P. G. T. Beauregard
252:P. G. T. Beauregard
955:NPS battle summary
855:NPS battle summary
833:William T. Sherman
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744:Quincy A. Gillmore
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337:Grimball's Landing
235:Confederate States
140:American Civil War
1390:Conflicts in 1863
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406:. After a severe
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32:This article
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927:Stevens 1902
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748:Rear Admiral
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424:Rear Admiral
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212:Belligerents
138:Part of the
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53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1283:Confederate
1040: /
880:Ripley 1984
449:, and the
385:Fort Sumter
375:Confederate
201:Confederate
1354:Categories
1304:Charleston
1204:Housatonic
1028:79°52′30″W
1025:32°45′09″N
937:References
825:columbiads
621:columbiads
597:columbiads
577:columbiads
573:columbiads
562:columbiads
433:, led the
418:Background
371:Charleston
176:1863-09-08
168:1863-09-07
99:March 2023
69:newspapers
892:Traverses
867:Wise 1994
799:Aftermath
774:Commander
625:Columbiad
552:Armament
549:Location
528:casemates
479:Nantucket
455:Weehawken
1327:Category
1309:Columbia
785:Patapsco
524:traverse
512:Keokuk's
485:Catskill
473:Patapsco
451:monitors
437:frigate
435:ironclad
373:Harbor.
258:Strength
184:Location
1338:Commons
791:Chicora
781:monitor
759:marines
694:at top.
648:Parade
467:Montauk
387:in the
378:General
203:victory
174: (
166: (
83:scholar
1297:Places
1208:Hunley
1008:
980:
770:navy's
712:Battle
692:fraise
617:Keokuk
504:Keokuk
494:in an
491:Nahant
488:, and
461:Pasaic
446:Keokuk
197:Result
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
1288:Union
1276:Units
951:from
839:Notes
819:with
393:Union
90:JSTOR
76:books
1228:1865
1195:1864
1146:1863
1115:1862
1089:1861
1006:ISBN
978:ISBN
768:The
746:and
365:The
161:Date
62:news
1206:by
813:war
276:117
266:320
263:413
45:by
1356::
958:.
847:^
482:,
476:,
470:,
464:,
458:,
1074:e
1067:t
1060:v
1014:.
986:.
962:.
925:(
878:(
865:(
724:.
308:e
301:t
294:v
279:9
178:)
170:)
125:.
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
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