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April 2021
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U.S. Census Bureau History: Fort Sumter
After a 34-hour bombardment, the Union garrison at Fort Sumter evacuated on April 13, 1861. South Carolina's militia
occupied the fort and soon after raised the Confederate flag above the fort.
Confederate troops occupied Fort Sumter until Charleston, SC, surrendered to Union troops on February 18, 1865.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
On the morning of April 12, 1861, South Carolina's militia opened fire on U.S. Army troops stationed at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, SC. Thirty-four hours later, federal troops surrendered the fort and South Carolina won the battle, but the violent and bloody American Civil War had only just begun.
Following Republican Abraham Lincoln's victory over Southern Democratic candidate John C. Breckinridge in the 1860 Presidential Election, South Carolina voted to secede from the United States on December 20, 1860. Anticipating the state's militia would attempt to seize federal fortifications in and around Charleston, SC, U.S. Army Major Robert Anderson consolidated the area's federal troops at the more secure (and yet to be completed) Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Anderson's actions angered South Carolina's legislators who believed the move broke agreements the state and President James Buchanan made earlier in an effort to maintain peace.
While Anderson's men cautiously observed militia activities and naval traffic from the confines of Sumter's fortifications, the situation on the mainland and Charleston Harbor was growing increasingly tense. South Carolina's Governor Francis W. Pickins ordered the seizure of federal property, weapons, and supplies in and around Charleston. Military installations abandoned by Anderson's men were soon repaired and occupied by the state's militia. When President Buchanan sent the Star of the West to Fort Sumter with men and supplies to bolster its defenses in January 1861, batteries at Morris Island and Fort Moultrie forced the ship to turn back. In the meantime, six more states followed South Carolina's lead and seceded from the Union: Mississippi (January 9, 1861); Florida (January 10, 1861); Alabama (January 11, 1861); Georgia (January 19, 1861); Louisiana (January 26, 1861); and Texas (February 1, 1861).
On March 1, Jefferson Davis, the provisional president of the Confederate States of America, selected Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard to command Charleston's defenses. Beauregard immediately began training South Carolina's troops and strengthened the stranglehold on Fort Sumter that prevented federal ships from replenishing the federal troops' dwindling supplies. Three days later, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States, inheriting a deepening crisis in Charleston Harbor as Major Anderson reported just 6 weeks of rations remained for Fort Sumter's garrison.
Refusing to recognize the Confederacy, Lincoln would not negotiate with a Confederate delegation that arrived in Washington, DC, to discuss a peaceful solution to Fort Sumter's siege in March 1861. When Lincoln informed Governor Pickins that he intended to send supplies to Fort Sumter in early April, Jefferson Davis ordered Beauregard to reduce the fort to rubble. Beauregard issued Major Anderson an ultimatum through his aide, Colonel James Chesnut, which required the immediate and peaceful evacuation of Fort Sumter. Anderson responded that he would evacuate the fort on April 15, if new orders or supplies did not arrive. Following this unacceptable reply, Chesnut handed Anderson a note as he departed Fort Sumter, "Sir, by authority of General Beauregard, commanding the provisional forces of the Confederate States, we have the honor to notify you that he will open fire of his batteries on Fort Sumter in one hour from this time."
At 4:30 a.m., on April 12, 1861, a mortar crew at Fort Johnson fired the first shot of the 34-hour bombardment of Fort Sumter. Low on ammunition and unable to fire from many of the fort's gun positions, the federal response was ineffective. Shore batteries prevented ships from reaching Fort Sumter during daylight and they were further delayed by heavy seas. On the afternoon of April 13, Confederate Colonel Louis Wigfall approached Fort Sumter under a flag of truce hoping to convince Anderson to evacuate the fort. Although Anderson had not lost a single man to the bombardment, ammunition and rations were critically low. His men were exhausted. Recognizing he could no longer effectively defend his position, Anderson formally surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederates at 2:30 p.m., April 13.
President Lincoln's call to preserve the Union won widespread support throughout the northern states following the Battle of Fort Sumter. Thousands of men rushed to join their state's volunteer army regiments, fearing the Union would win the war before they had a chance to take part in the "adventure." Enthusiasm quickly waned as the dead and wounded returned home from the battlefields. Nearly 4 years after the Battle of Fort Sumter, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate forces at Appomattox Court House. When President Andrew Johnson declared the war over on May 9, 1865, more than 1.5 million 
soldiers were dead, wounded, and missing. The American Civil War remains the deadliest war in United States history.
You can learn more about Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC, and the American Civil War using census data and records. For example:
- After a number of South Carolina's state congressmen publicly supported the creation of a "Southern Confederacy," the state held a secession convention in Columbia, SC, on December 17, 1860. Three days later, South Carolina voted 169–0 to become the first state to secede from the Union. Six more states voted to secede from the Union before the first shots are fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861: Mississippi on January 9, 1861; Florida on January 10, 1861; Alabama on January 11, 1861; Georgia on January 19, 1861; Louisiana on January 26, 1861; and Texas on February 1, 1861. When the Civil War began, the seven Confederate states had a population of approximately 5 million. By war's end, the nation's 36 states and territories had been divided among the Union, Confederate States of America, and border states. According to the 1860 Census, the Union had a population of approximately 19.2 million. The five border states (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia) had a population of about 3.5 million; and the Confederate States of America had 8.7 million.
- Situated at the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando Rivers, Charleston is the largest city in South Carolina and serves as the seat of government for Charleston County, SC. Founded in 1670 as "Charles Town", the city was renamed Charleston on August 13, 1783. When the United States conducted its first census in 1790, Charleston was the nation's fourth largest city with a population of 16,359. It remained one of the nation's 10 largest urban places until 1850, when it was displaced by St. Louis, MO. In 2019, the city, affectionately called "Chucktown" by many Charlestonians had an estimated population of 137,566.
- Months before Confederates began bombarding Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, nonviolent seizures of federal properties were taking place throughout the South. Between December 20, 1860, when South Carolina seceded, and December 31, the state's militia seized Charleston's Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson; Castle Pinckney; the federal arsenal, post office, and customs house; a lighthouse, and the revenue cutter William Aiken. On January 3, 1862, troops from Georgia seized Fort Pulaski near Savannah, GA, and January 4–5, Alabamans took control of the U.S. arsenal at Mount Vernon, AL, and Forts Morgan and Gaines near Mobile, AL. Floridians captured the Apalachicola arsenal in Chattahoochee, FL, on January 6, and St. Augustine's Castillo de San Marcos, later named Fort Marion the next day.
- The demographics of Charleston, SC, changed dramatically between 1860 and 1870. In 1860, Charleston County, SC, had a population of 70,100, including 29,136 White, 40,912 Black, and 52 American Indian inhabitants. Following the April 1865 Confederate surrender, thousands of former slaves moved to the area. In 1870, Charleston County's Black population had grown to 60,003, and by 1880, it comprised 71,868 of the county's 102,800 people. More recently, the 2019 American Community Survey estimated that 401,165 people called Charleston County. Of this population, 68.3 percent reported being White alone and 26.7 percent reported they were Black or African American alone. American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and those reporting some other race or two or more races made up 2.1 percent or less of the county's total population. Just 5.1 percent of the county's residents reported they were of Hispanic origin compared to the national average of 18 percent in 2019.
- Charleston, SC, and its surrounding defenses were frequent targets of Union Army and Naval forces during the Civil War. Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont led a "grand attack of the federal ironclads" against Charleston on April 7, 1863, but was forced to withdraw. Despite a successful naval blockade that halted all commercial trade into Charleston Harbor, frequent bombardments, and Union assaults in 1863 and 1864, Charleston refused to surrender until the final months of the war. As General William T. Sherman marched through South Carolina, Confederate troops evacuated Charleston on February 17, 1865. The next day, Charleston Mayor Charles MacBeth surrendered the city. Soldiers from the Union Army's 21st Regiment, U.S. Colored Infantry were among the first to enter the city. Union forces reoccupied Fort Sumter on February 22, 1865. On April 14, now Major General Robert Anderson returned to Charleston to raise the battle-scarred American flag he had kept safe following the fort's 1861 surrender.
- Many famous Americans called Charleston, SC, home, including: U.S. Army General William C. Westmoreland; politician, U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Secretary of War John C. Calhoun; signer of the Declaration of Independence Edward Rutledge; author of the English-language opera Porgy and Bess, DuBose Heyward; African-American activist and leader of a planned slave revolt Denmark Vesey; and more contemporary public figures like comedian Stephen Colbert; actress Lauren Hutton; and singer Darius Rucker.
- Did you know that West Virginia became the nation's 35th state when residents of Virginia's eastern and western counties disagreed over the state's vote to secede from the Union on April 17, 1861? Delegates from Virginia's western counties voted to break away from Virginia in May 1861, during the first in a series of conventions held in Wheeling. Following the secession vote, delegates wrote a constitution and petitioned the U.S. government for statehood. On June 20, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation admitting West Virginia to the Union. In 1860, the census found that the part of Virginia taken to form West Virginia had a population of 376,688. The 1870 Census—the first census since statehood—reported that West Virginia's population was 442,014. In 2019, 1,792,147 called the "Mountain State" home.
- Veterans of America's wars lived for decades after the last shots were fired. Daniel F. Bakeman survived the American Revolution (1775–1783) and lived to the age of 109, dying April 5, 1869. War of 1812 (1812–1815) veteran Hiram Cronk died May 13, 1905, aged 105. Fredrak W. Fraske survived the Indian Wars (1817–1898) and died on June 18, 1973, aged 101. Mexican War (1846–1848) veteran Owen Thomas Edgar died September 3, 1929, at the age of 98. Civil War (1861–1865) Union Army veteran Albert Woolson was aged 109 when he died August 2, 1956, outliving Confederate veteran Pleasant Crump, who died at age 104 on December 21, 1951. Spanish-American War (1898–1902) veteran Nathan E. Cook died on September 10, 1992, age 106. World War I (1917–1918) veteran Frank W. Buckles died at age 110 on February 27, 2011. While more than 16.1 million Americans served in World War II (1941–1945), fewer than 500,000 were alive in 2018. According to the Census Bureau's recent report—Those Who Served: America's Veterans From World War II to the War on Terror—the United States was home to approximately 18 million veterans in 2018. Of that number, 6.4 million served during the Vietnam War era (1964–1975) making up the largest veteran cohort in the United States.
and the 1865 Confederate Surrender at Appomattox Court House.
A Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the 34-hour bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, SC, April 12–13, 1861.
Charleston, SC, was a frequent target of Union Army and Naval forces, but the city did not surrender until February 18, 1865. Union troops reoccupied Fort Sumter on February 22, 1865.
During an April 14, 1865 ceremony, Major General Anderson returned to Sumter to raise the battle-scarred flag that had flown above the fort during the 1861 battle.
Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.
Did you know?
In addition to Francis Amasa Walker (see below), two other Census Bureau directors fought for the Union during the Civil War:
Charles W. Seaton, inventor of the Seaton Device and Census Office director (1881–1885), was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters in August 1861. He fought in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign where he was wounded at the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. Promoted to captain, Seaton participated in the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg before resigning in May 1863.
Carroll D. Wright, Superintendent of the Census (1893–1897), enlisted in the 14th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment in 1862 and was stationed at Washington, DC. Promoted to colonel in the 14th New Hampshire Regiment, Wright served as General Philip Sheridan adjutant general during 1864 the Shenandoah Valley Campaign's battles of Winchester and Cedar Creek.
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1890 Veterans Census
In 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted a veterans census that collected the veteran's name, rank, and address; dates of enlistment and discharge; battles fought; and injuries sustained.
The data helped Union veterans locate comrades to testify in pension claims and identify veterans, widows, and dependents eligible for benefits. The U.S. government would continue to pay these benefits until the last pensioner died in 2020!
Albert Woolson was the last surviving Union veteran of the Civil War when he died on August 2, 1956. The 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery drummer did not see action while stationed at Chattanooga, TN.
James A. Hard was the war's last surviving combat veteran when he died March 12, 1953. Hard fought in the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, and Chancellorsville with the 32nd New York Volunteers.
Irene Triplett was the last surviving Civil War pensioner (receiving $73.14 monthly) when she died June 3, 2020. Her father, Mose Triplett, was a veteran of the Union Army's 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry and 83 years old when Irene was born.
Helen Jackson was the last surviving Civil War widow when she died December 16, 2020, but she never applied for a pension. Jackson was 17 when she secretly married her 93 year old husband James Bolin, a veteran of the 14th Missouri Cavalry. Widowed 3 years later, she feared revealing the marriage when filing a pension claim would hurt her family's reputation.
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Francis Amasa Walker
Before modernizing census-taking and implementing hiring reforms that made the Census Bureau one of the most diverse federal agencies in the late 19th century, Superintendent of the Census Francis Amasa Walker was a battle-wounded veteran of the Civil War.
Enlisting in the 15th Massachusetts Infantry in August 1861, Walker fought in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, battles of Second Bull Run and Antietam, and was seriously wounded during the May 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville.
Confederates captured Walker near Petersburg, VA, in August 1864. He was paroled in October 1864, and returned to his home in North Brookfield, MA. For gallantry, General Winfield S. Hancock, and President Andrew Johnson nominated Walker to be brevetted a brigadier general in the U.S. Volunteers.
Learn more about Walker in Captured: The Civil War Experience of Superintendent of the Census Francis Amasa Walker.
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