Operations in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina

The Operations in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina are widely considered to be the first major military operations conducted by either side at the outbreak of the war. The operations began shortly after South Carolina announced its secession from the Union on December 20, 1860 and State Troops began seizing federal property within state borders. The crisis escalated when Confederate troops repelled a relief ship destined for the fort and began firing warning shots at other passing vessels. After months of increasing diplomatic tension and the possibility of a second relief ship crisis under a new president, newly appointed Confederate Brigadier General Pierre Gustav Toutant-Beauregard bombards the fort's garrison to force a surrender. From April 12-14, 1861, the South Carolina troops unleash a continuous stream of artillery shells upon Union Major Robert Anderson and his 1st United States Artillery garrison. The battle results in the death of a single Union horse during the bombardment and a handful of Union casualties during a salute before the troops are allowed to leave. The final bombardment marks a relatively bloodless start to the bloodiest conflict in American history.
== Prelude ==
=== Secession ===
On December 20, 1860, shortly after Abraham Lincoln's victory in the presidential election of 1860, South Carolina adopted an ordinance declaring its secession from the United States of America. By February 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, had adopted similar ordinances of secession. On February 7, the seven states adopted a provisional constitution for the Confederate States of America and established their temporary capital at Montgomery, Alabama. A February peace conference met in Washington, D.C., but failed to resolve the crisis. The eight remaining slave states declined to join the Confederacy at this time, preferring instead to see what the next moves of each government would be.
The seceding states seized numerous Federal properties within their boundaries, including buildings, arsenals, and fortifications. President James Buchanan protested but took no military action in response. Buchanan was concerned that an overt action could cause the remaining slave states to leave the Union, and while he acknowledged there was no constitutional authority for a state to secede, he could find no constitutional authority for him to act to prevent it.
== Sub-Operations ==
* December 20, 1860 - South Carolina Convention votes 169-0 to secede from the United States
* December 26/27, 1860 - Evacuation of Fort Moultrie and Occupation of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
* December 27, 1860 - Seizure of Castle Pinckney, South Carolina 
* December 27, 1860 - Seizure of Fort Moultrie, South Carolina
* December 30, 1860 - Seizure of the United States Arsenal at Charleston, South Carolina 
* January 2, 1861 - Seizure of Fort Johnson, South Carolina
* January 5-13, 1861 - (I) Expedition for Relief of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
** January 9, 1861 - Confederate Bombardment of the Steamer "Star of the West"
* January 11, 1861 - (I) Surrender of Fort Sumter demanded of Major Anderson, and refused
* April 10-14, 1861 - (II) Expedition for Relief of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
* April 11, 1861 - (II) Surrender of Fort Sumter demanded of Major Anderson, and refused
* April 12-14, 1861 - Confederate Bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
== Troops in the Harbor ==
The Operations in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina did not include units larger than company size.
=== The Union Troops ===
 
 
 Field and Staff Officers
This section includes all officers, non-commissioned officers at the regiment level, and United States Engineers that do not directly report to Anderson, but instead the War Department.
* Robert Anderson (Major - Commanding)
* Jefferson C. Davis (1st Lieutenant)
* Norman Hall (2nd Lieutenant)
* John Gray Foster (Captain - United States Engineers)
* George W. Snyder (Lieutenant)
* R.K. Meade (Lieutenant)
* Samuel W. Crawford (Assistant Surgeon)
* James Kearney (Ordnance Sergeant)
* William H. Hammer (Quartermaster Sergeant)
 
 
 Regimental Band
Rank 	Name 	City/Town	Commission From /Enlistment Date
Sergeant	James E. Galway 	? 	?
Corporal	Andrew Smith 	? 	?
Private 	Andrew Murphy 	? 	?
Private 	Fedeschi Onoratti	? 	?
Private 	Peter Rice 	? 	?
Private 	Henry Schmidt 	? 	?
Private 	John Urquhart 	? 	?
Private 	Andrew Wickstrom 	? 	?
 
 
 1st U.S. Artillery / Battery E
Rank 	Name 	City/Town	Commission From /Enlistment Date
Captain 	Abner Doubleday 	? 	?
1st Sergeant	Eugene Scheibner 	? 	?
Sergeant 	Thomas Kirnan 	? 	?
Sergeant 	William A. Harn 	? 	?
Sergeant 	James Chester 	? 	?
Corporal 	Owen McGuire 	? 	?
Corporal 	Francis J. Oakes 	? 	?
Corporal 	Charles Bringhurst	? 	?
Corporal 	Henry Ellerbrook 	? 	?
Musician 	Charles Hall 	? 	?
Private 	Philip Anderman 	? 	?
Private 	John Emil Noack 	? 	?
Private 	Cornelius Baker 	? 	?
Private 	Thomas Carroll 	? 	?
Private 	Patrick Clancy 	? 	?
Private 	John Davis 	? 	?
Private 	James Digdam 	? 	?
Private 	George Fielding 	? 	?
Private 	Edward Gallway 	? 	?
Private 	James Gibbons 	? 	?
Private 	James Hays 	? 	?
Private 	Daniel Hough 	? 	?
Private 	John Irwin 	? 	?
Private 	James McDonald 	? 	?
Private 	Samuel Miller 	? 	?
Private 	John Newport 	? 	?
Private 	George Pinchard 	? 	?
Private 	Frank Rivers 	? 	?
Private 	Lewis Schroeder 	? 	?
Private 	Carl A. Sellman 	? 	?
Private 	John Thompson 	? 	?
Private 	Charles H. Tozer 	? 	?
Private 	William Witzman 	? 	?
 
 
 1st U.S. Artillery / Battery H
Rank 	Name 	City/Town	Commission From/Enlistment Date
Brevet Captain	Truman Seymour 	? 	?
1st Sergeant 	John Renehan 	? 	?
Sergeant 	James McMahon 	? 	?
Sergeant 	John Carmody 	? 	?
Sergeant 	John Otto 	? 	?
Corporal 	Christopher Costolan	? 	?
Musician 	Robert Foster 	? 	?
Artificer 	Henry Strandt 	? 	?
Private 	Edward Brady 	? 	?
Private 	Barney Cain 	? 	?
Private 	John Doran 	? 	?
Private 	Dennis Johnson 	? 	?
Private 	John Kehoe 	? 	?
Private 	John Klein 	? 	?
Private 	John Lanagan 	? 	?
Private 	Frederick Lintner 	? 	?
Private 	John Magill 	? 	?
Private 	John Laroche 	? 	?
Private 	Frederick Meier 	? 	?
Private 	James Moore 	? 	?
Private 	William Morter 	? 	?
Private 	Patrick Neilan 	? 	?
Private 	John Nixon 	? 	?
Private 	Michael O'Donald 	? 	?
Private 	Robert Roe 	? 	?
Private 	William Walker 	? 	?
Private 	Joseph Wall 	? 	?
Private 	Edmond Walsh 	? 	?
Private 	Henry R. Walter 	? 	?
Private 	Herman Will 	? 	?
Private 	Thomas Wishnowski 	? 	?
Private 	Casper Wutterpel 	? 	?
 
 
 Non-Combatants
* Mechanics, Employees, Laborers, and Cooks
Rank 	Name 	City/Town	Employment Date
Overseer 	William O. Lyman	? 	?
Mason 	George Coons 	? 	?
Mason 	John Schweirer 	? 	?
Smith 	John Buckley 	? 	?
Carpenter	John Lindsay 	? 	?
Rigger 	John Saxton 	? 	?
Smith 	James Tweedle 	? 	?
Cook 	Samuel Abraze 	? 	?
Cook 	Patrick Walsh 	? 	?
Laborer 	Michael Berne 	? 	?
Laborer 	John Burns 	? 	?
Laborer 	John Branley 	? 	?
Laborer 	Peter Caine 	? 	?
Laborer 	Patrick Conner 	? 	?
Laborer 	William Dorsey 	? 	?
Laborer 	Edward Davis 	? 	?
Laborer 	Patrick Donahoe 	? 	?
Laborer 	Peter Donley 	? 	?
Laborer 	William Eagen 	? 	?
Laborer 	Andrew Felton 	? 	?
Laborer 	Michael Goff 	? 	?
Laborer 	James Howlett 	? 	?
Laborer 	Patrick Heeney 	? 	?
Laborer 	Andrew Lindsey 	? 	?
Laborer 	Dennis Macgrath 	? 	?
Laborer 	John McCarty 	? 	?
Laborer 	James McMahon 	? 	?
Laborer 	Michael Meechins	? 	?
Laborer 	Thomas Murphy 	? 	?
Laborer 	Thomas Myers 	? 	?
Laborer 	William Powers 	? 	?
Laborer 	Edward Quinn 	? 	?
Laborer 	Patrick Quinn 	? 	?
Laborer 	Martin Rafferty 	? 	?
Laborer 	John Riley 	? 	?
Laborer 	Michael Ryan 	? 	?
Laborer 	Jeremiah Ryan 	? 	?
Laborer 	James Ryan 	? 	?
Laborer 	James Shea 	? 	?
 
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=== The Confederate Troops ===
* 1st South Carolina Artillery Battalion (Roswell Sabine Ripley, Lieutenant Colonel)
* Marion (South Carolina) Artillery Battery (J. Gadsden King, Lieutenant Colonel)
* Washington (South Carolina) Artillery Battery (Stephen Dill Lee, Captain)
* 1st South Carolina Infantry
* 1st South Carolina (Provisional) Infantry
* 1st (Regular) South Carolina Infantry
== Aftermath ==
== NPS Fast Facts ==
* Other Names: None
* Location: Charleston County
* Campaign: Operations in Charleston Harbor (April 1861)
* Date(s): April 12-14, 1861
* Principal Commanders: Maj. Robert Anderson [US]; Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard [CS]
* Forces Engaged: Regiments: 580 total (US 80; CS est. 500)
* Estimated Casualties: None
* Description: On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. Although there were no casualties during the bombardment, one Union artillerist was killed and three wounded (one mortally) when a cannon exploded prematurely while firing a salute during the evacuation on April 14.
* Result(s): Confederate victory
* CWSAC Reference #: SC001
* Preservation Priority: III.1 (Class A)
* National Park Unit: Fort Sumter NM
== Casualties ==
== Notes ==
== Sources ==
* (Pages 606)
* (Chapter 1)
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter
* http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/sc001.htm
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Category:Source: ACWR 606