Fort Sumter National Monument, Charleston

Fort Sumter had been under construction for more than 30 years in the December of 1860 when Major Robert Anderson relocated his troops there in the middle of the night from Fort Moultrie. On April 12, 1861, the first shot of the Civil War was fired on the Fort by Confederate troops. Following 34 hours of fighting, Major Anderson surrendered but the siege continued for two more years. Fort Sumter has since stood as a symbol of Southern resistance. The fort is on 200 acres (81 hectares) of land surrounded by water at the entrance to Charleston Harbor and is only accessible by boat, with ferries departing from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant and Liberty Square in Charleston.

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