April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed

[shanneba]

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed when a secessionist mob in Baltimore attacks Massachusetts troops bound for Washington, D.C. Four soldiers and 12 rioters were killed.

One week earlier, on April 12, the Civil War began when Confederate shore batteries opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. During a 34-hour period, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. The fort’s garrison returned fire, but lacking men, ammunition, and food, it was forced to surrender on April 13. There were no casualties in the fighting, but one federal soldier was killed the next day when a store of gunpowder was accidentally ignited during the firing of the final surrender salute. Two other federal soldiers were wounded, one mortally.

First blood in the Civil War | April 19, 1861 | HISTORY

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed when a secessionist mob in Baltimore attacks Mas...

www.history.com

 

[Annihilator]

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed when a secessionist mob in Baltimore attacks Massachusetts troops bound for Washington, D.C. Four soldiers and 12 rioters were killed.

One week earlier, on April 12, the Civil War began when Confederate shore batteries opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. During a 34-hour period, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. The fort’s garrison returned fire, but lacking men, ammunition, and food, it was forced to surrender on April 13. There were no casualties in the fighting, but one federal soldier was killed the next day when a store of gunpowder was accidentally ignited during the firing of the final surrender salute. Two other federal soldiers were wounded, one mortally.

First blood in the Civil War | April 19, 1861 | HISTORY

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the American Civil War is shed when a secessionist mob in Baltimore attacks Mas...

www.history.com

Interesting read, thanks, I have always loved reading about the civil war

 

[DunRanull]

Not to pick nits, but wasnt the first blood shed when the Union soldiers were killed at Ft Sumter (even if "accidentally" or as we say today "negligently")? A true pity that more secesh thugs werent killed in Maryland on April 19th 1861, IMO. The "When you mess with the bull you get the horns" doctrine.

 

[Shibadog]

The War was a tragedy in countless ways, not the least of which was the end of Constitutional government as established by the Founding Fathers and the beginning of an all powerful Federal government. Way too many folks today have never studied the documents written by the parties who were actually there, instead getting their “knowledge” of the situation from the pablum used in public schools-remembering always that “history’ is written by the winning side. (Don’t you think world history today would read a lot differently if Germany and Japan had won WW2?). Example: if the war was about “ending slavery” then one has to wonder why West Virginia was admitted to the Union AS a slave state fully 6 months after the “Emancipation Proclamation” was issued?. Or why there are 13 stars on a Confederate flag if there were only 11 Confederate states (as taught by the education system today?). Or why the “Right to Seceed” was Taught in textbooks at West Point up through 1858? Or why the first states to threaten to secede were all in the northeast? To really understand the War one needs to read and study the times themselves and the decades before the war. Otherwise you will get a really skewed view of what actually happened.