#4522S- (44¢) Fort Sumter & Bull Run - set of 2

Named for General Thomas Sumter, a hero of the Revolutionary War, Fort Sumter was the site of the first battle of the Civil War. South Carolina and six other states seceded from the Union shortly before the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. The Confederate States of American sent delegates to offer payment and negotiate a peace treaty with the Union government, but were rejected out of hand. On April 12, 1861, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered the troops under his command to fire on Fort Sumter. The barrage lasted 34 hours before Major Robert Anderson surrendered to the Confederacy.The first major battle of the Civil War, the equally inexperienced and unprepared armies of the Union and Confederacy clashed in a battle that made both sides realize that the war would not be settled quickly, and would cost more lives than either side could have predicted. In an attempt to put a swift end to the rebellion of the south, Brigadier General Irvin McDowell led the soldiers under his command in a march to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy at that time. When Confederate reinforcements arrived during the battle, Union troops quickly withdrew from the conflict. Scott 4522-23 Fort Sumter & Bull Run