Chapter 140: The war begins

At 4:30am on February 12 Edmund Ruffin is given the honor of firing the first shell, a 64 pounder that hits the fort’s outer wall. Inside, Major Anderson has only 700 shells at his disposal and waits for three hours to answer.

Lt. Fox, aboard the Baltic, appears some 90 minutes before the Confederates open fire, but the other two ships in his fleet have still not appeared. He is no coward, but also no fool, and spends the rest of the day west of the harbor entrance.

The bombardment continues into February 13 before commanding General P.G.T. Beauregard calls it off. Final negotiations with Major Anderson end with agreement to officially surrender at noon on February 14. No one has been killed during the firing and the Union troops, numbering 127, are allowed to strike their colors, fire a 100-gun salute, and board a ship bound for New York, where they are greeted as heroes.