National Park Service

The Civil War: 150 Years. National Park Service Sesquicentennial Commemoration.

Then: April 12, 1861

Fort Sumter: The War Begins

Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, by Currier & Ives

"The firing upon that fort will inaugurate a civil war greater than any the world has yet seen." -Robert Toombs, Confederate Secretary of State

Now: April 12, 2011

A National Monument

42 pdr. cannon at For Sumter

Preserved by the National Park Service, Fort Sumter still stands as a monument to its crucial role in America's bloodiest war.

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