The “Flashpoint for the Civil War”

A retired National Parks historian for Forts Sumter and Moultrie, Richard Hatcher opens this new work on the history of Sumter with a look at its origins, as part of the nation’s coastal defense system. Authorized in 1827 by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, Fort Sumter was still not finished when the nation slid into civil war over sectional issues. Nevertheless, it became the “flashpoint for the Civil War in 1861” (p. xi).

With the secession of South Carolina in late 1861, only Sumter remained in Union hands, and Lincoln drew a line in the sand about retaining the place. South Carolina, of course, then the Confederacy, were equally resolute about securing the post.

Hatcher gives us a good account of the protracted stand off over the fort (December 1860-April 1861). He then covers the bombardment and defense of Sumter, and its final surrender on April 14, 1861, which touched off the Civil War.

Usually, books about Sumter end at this point. But Hatcher carries the story of the fort through the entire war.

For two years after the capture of Sumter, the fort was not significantly involved in the war, though the Confederacy continued work on the place and elaborated the other defenses of the harbor. This changed rather dramatically in April of 1863

On April 7th, seven Union ironclads attempted to force their way into the harbor. The attack failed, but it signaled the beginning of a protracted Union effort to capture Charleston. Union troops occupied Morris Island and some adjacent area, to begin a 22-month siege of Charleston.

Hatcher covers the subsequent fighting around the harbor, and Sumter’s role in it, such as the famous assault on Battery Wagner led by the 54th Massachusetts (July 18, 1863), the unsuccessful naval attack on the fort (September 8–9), and, of course, William T. Sherman’s entry into the surrendered city on February 22, 1864, and the subsequent reoccupation of the fort by Union troops, raising the very same flag that had been lowered back in 1861.

Hatcher does not end his account of the fort at this point. He goes on to cover the fate of Sumter since its recovery by the Union, years of neglect and deterioration, partial restoration for the Spanish-American War and the World Wars, how it came to be a tourist attraction and its transfer to the National Park Service.

In telling the story of the fort, Hatcher . often offers the perceptions of leaders and common soldiers from both sides, which not only helps the reader understand their experiences, but also offers insights into daily life during the bombardments and amidst the destruction.

Thunder in the Harbor will stand as the pivotal book on Fort Sumter , from the start of the Civil War to its end. This reviewer highly recommends it.

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Note: Thunder in the Harbor is also available in e-editions.

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