Discover the Secrets: Top 12 Fun and Fascinating Fort Sumter Facts You Never Knew!

1. Fort Sumter's Epic Slumber Party

When Fort Sumter threw the mother of all slumber parties, they didn't expect their feisty neighbors to bring fireworks of their own: Enduring one of the longest continuous sieges in warfare history, over seven million pounds of projectiles rained upon the fort during 20 months in the Civil War.
Source => charlestonfootprints.com

2. Named After the Fighting Gamecock

Not a cock-and-bull story: Fort Sumter was actually named after General Thomas Sumter, known as the "Fighting Gamecock" from the Revolutionary War, and it holds the distinction of being the stage for the first shots fired in the American Civil War.
Source => smithsonianmag.com

Did you know? Fort McHenry's flagpole endured 27 hours of British bombardment and even after being demolished, a new flag was raised - inspiring the iconic "The Star-Spangled Banner"! 🇺🇸💥 Discover more fascinating details here.

=> Fun Facts about Fort-Mchenry

3. A "Blast" with No Casualties

Rumor has it, the first shots of the Civil War were a literal "blast," but not in the way you might think: During the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter, there were actually no casualties, with the only Union deaths occurring from a tragic accident during a 100-gun salute evacuation, taking the lives of two soldiers.
Source => history.com

4. The Stubborn Phoenix of Battlefields

Like a stubborn phoenix rising from a pile of Civil War-era bricks: Fort Sumter, despite being bombarded into rubble during a 22-month siege from 1863 to 1865, persists as a National Monument and welcomes over 800,000 history-hungry visitors each year to explore the beginning battlegrounds of the American Civil War.
Source => archives.gov

5. Senate's Game of "Disappearing Chairs"

When the Senate turned into a game of "disappearing chairs" during the Civil War, with more empty seats than a Nickelback concert: 25 of the 66 members left to support the Confederate cause, including Vice President John Breckinridge. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and the Senate managed to confirm five cabinet secretaries, a Supreme Court justice, and pass pivotal legislation like the 1861 tariff bill.
Source => senate.gov

6. Construction Delays: The Original Civil War

Fort Sumter, where construction delays were the original civil war: Completed only in 1860, the fort's development was riddled with ownership disputes and funding ruckus, leaving its interior and armaments unfinished just in time for the actual Civil War to kick off.
Source => history.com

7. Soldiers Stuck Between Cannonballs and Walls

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place - or cannonballs and fort walls, more accurately: During the 18-month Union bombardment of Fort Sumter, soldiers and enslaved people were regularly rotated out to maintain their mental and physical health, as they faced over 46,000 projectiles weighing a total of 3,500 tons, before reluctantly evacuating the iconic symbol of southern secession in February 1865.
Source => nps.gov

8. Fort Sumter's MTV Cribs Disaster

If Fort Sumter were on MTV Cribs, it would be the hot mess marked "before" in a house flipper's fever dream: a five-sided masonry relic with 55-foot walls and only 60 out of 135 cannons actually installed. The serious reveal: During the Civil War, Union troops bombarded Fort Sumter with nearly 50,000 projectiles, transforming its façade into a war-ravaged pile of rubble that remains a mere shadow of its once-imposing self.
Source => gonomad.com

9. Founding Member of "Island Life"

Fort Sumter: the star of Charleston Harbor's real estate, and the founding member of "Island Life" - artificially speaking, of course: This notorious landmark sits on a man-made island, strategically crafted to keep Charleston's harbor safe and sound.
Source => loc.gov

10. The Breakup Flag Switcharoo

You know what they say about breakups - it's not you, it's me... or in the case of Fort Sumter, it's not you, it's the flag: During the siege in 1861, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposed by Union Major Robert Anderson, but on one condition - the Union soldiers had to lower their flag before leaving, which they did, bidding adieu with a 50-gun salute.
Source => npr.org

11. Surrender Promotion and Flag Deal

We've all had that awkward moment when you have to surrender your fort to a former student, but at least you get a promotion and a flag out of the deal, right? Well, that's Union commander Robert Anderson's story: He surrendered Fort Sumter to his former pupil, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, but received a hero's welcome in the North, becoming a brigadier general and carrying the fort's 33-star flag to a patriotic rally in New York City. Sadly, his eventual removal from command in Kentucky wasn't due to any student-teacher rivalry, but rather his failing health and a disagreement with President Lincoln over arming Unionists in the border state.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Hurricane Hugo vs. Fort Sumter

When Hurricane Hugo decided to play a little Civil War reenactment itself: Fort Sumter, famous for the first shots of the American Civil War, found itself under a different kind of siege in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo came barreling through. The relentless storm caused around $1 million in damages, giving a one-two punch to the historic fort, boats, and a dock, but fortunately, managed to spare the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service properties as well as any historical structures.
Source => apnews.com