• Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the bombardment of Fort Sumter

    Fort Sumter

    National Monument South Carolina

There are park alerts in effect.
hide Alerts »

  • Fort Sumter Elevators Out Of Service

    The elevators at Fort Sumter are out of service until further notice. Disabled visitors departing from Liberty Square will have access to restrooms on board the ferry boat while at Fort Sumter. For more information, please call (843) 883-3123.

Where the American Civil War Began

Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.

Features

  • Ranger in Civil War uniform.

    Visit Fort Sumter

    Learn more about visiting Fort Sumter by ferry or with your own boat.

    Read More
  • Interior of Fort Moultrie with an 18th-century cannon and an 1809 U.S. flag.

    Visit Fort Moultrie

    Experience 171 years of American seacoast defense. Take a tour of Fort Moultrie's history from the American Revolution through World War II.

    Read More
  • NPS social media logo

    Follow Us

    We use several Social Media sites to reach out to our visitors and continue the conversation.

    Read More
  • The visitor center at Charles Pinckney NHS is a historic farmhouse.

    Visit Charles Pinckney NHS

    Visit nearby Charles Pinckney National Historic Site.

    Read More

Did You Know?

42-pounder cannon, Model 1845, at Fort Sumter

The first Union shot of the Civil War was fired by Captain Abner Doubleday. He was the second senior officer at Fort Sumter, under Major Robert Anderson. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC