First Battles of the Civil War-Ft. Sumter and Bull Run

Fort Sumter and Bull Run
      Fort Sumter was the first official battle of the Civil War, and it occurred on April 12, 1861. What happened at the battle of Fort Sumter was the Union controlled the fort, and wanted to send fresh supplies to the troops in the fort. However, since the fort was in South Carolina, the first state to secede because of the Election of 1860, the fort was technically in the South's land. Because of this, the Confederacy said that the Union could not send supplies there, and they bombed the ships sending the supplies. This started the Civil War. This battle also united northerners which was very significant. A few months after this battle, another major battle occurred on July 21, 1861 and this was the battle of Bull Run. Thirty thousand Union troops marched to Bull Run Creek in Virginia where Confederate troops were stationed. The Union almost won the battle, but Stonewall Jackson's reinforcements came in time to secure a victory for the South. The Federates fled to Washington D.C. while suffering 3,000 casualties. The South only suffered 2,000 casualties but this was a larger percentage of their whole army than the North's. This battle showed people in the North that the South would not give up easily, and that the Union had overestimated the strength and superiority of their armed forces.


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