Editing Fort Sumter (section)

====Union siege of Fort Sumter====
[[File:FtSumterDrawing.jpg|thumb|right|267px|Drawing of Fort Sumter]]
[[File:Fort Sumter National Monument marker of the Map of Charleston Harbor defenses.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Fort Sumter National Monument]] marker of the Map of Charleston Harbor defenses]]

Union efforts to retake Charleston Harbor began on April 7, 1863, when [[Rear Admiral]] [[Samuel Francis Du Pont]], commander of the [[Union blockade|South Atlantic Blockading Squadron]], led the [[ironclad warship|ironclad]] frigate [[USS New Ironsides (1862)|''New Ironsides'']], the tower ironclad [[USS Keokuk (1862)|''Keokuk'']], and the [[Monitor (warship)|monitors]] [[USS Weehawken (1862)|''Weehawken'']], [[USS Passaic (1862)|''Passaic'']], [[USS Montauk (1862)|''Montauk'']], [[USS Patapsco (1862)|''Patapsco'']], [[USS Nantucket (1862)|''Nantucket'']], [[USS Catskill (1862)|''Catskill'']], and [[USS Nahant (1862)|''Nahant'']] in an attack on the harbor's defenses. (The 1863 Battle of Fort Sumter was the largest deployment of monitors in action up to that time.) The attack was unsuccessful: the Union's best ship, USS ''New Ironsides'' never effectively engaged, and the ironclads fired only 154 rounds, while receiving 2,209 from the Confederate defenders {{Harv |Wise|1994| p=30}}. Due to damage received in the attack, the USS ''Keokuk'' sank the next day, {{convert|1400|yd}} off the southern tip of [[Morris Island]].  Over the next month, working at night to avoid the attention of the Federal squadron, the Confederates salvaged ''Keokuk's'' two eleven-inch [[Dahlgren gun]]s {{Harv|Ripley|1984|pp=93–96}}. One of the Dahlgren guns was promptly placed in Fort Sumter.

The Confederates, in the meantime, were strengthening Fort Sumter. A workforce of just under 500 enslaved Africans, under the supervision of Confederate army engineers, were filling [[casemate]]s with sand, protecting the gorge wall with sandbags, and building new [[traverse (gunnery)|traverse]],<ref name = tr>[http://civilwarfortifications.com/dictionary/xgt-007.html Traverses], Civil War Fortifications dictionary.</ref> blindages,<ref>[http://civilwarfortifications.com/dictionary/xgb-005.html Civil War Dictionary]</ref> and bombproofs.<ref>[http://civilwarfortifications.com/dictionary/xgb-012.html Civil War Dictionary]</ref> Some of Fort Sumter's artillery had been removed, but 40 pieces still were mounted. Fort Sumter's heaviest guns were mounted on the barbette, the fort's highest level, where they had wide angles of fire and could fire down on approaching ships. The barbette was also more exposed to enemy gunfire than the [[casemate]]s in the two lower levels of the fort.

A special military decoration, known as the [[Gillmore Medal]], was later issued to all Union service members who had performed duty at Fort Sumter under the command of Major-General [[Quincy Adams Gillmore]].

{{center|'''Fort Sumter Armaments, August 17, 1863'''}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|-
! Location
! Armament
|-
| Left flank barbette
| Two {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s
|-
| Left face barbette
| Two {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s, two {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s, four 42-pounders
|-
| Left face, first tier casemates
| Two {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} shell guns
|-
| Right face barbette
| Two {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s, five rifled and banded 42-pounders
|-
| Right face, first tier casemates
| Two 32-pounders
|-
| Right flank barbette
| One XI-inch Dahlgren (From USS ''Keokuk''), four {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s, one {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} [[Columbiad]], one rifled 42-pounder, one {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} Brooke
|-
| Gorge barbette
| Five rifled and banded 42-pounders, one 24-pounder
|-
| Salient, second tier casemates
| Three rifled and banded 42-pounders
|-
| Parade
| Two {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} seacoast mortars
|}

<gallery class="center" widths="150px" heights="167px">
File:East face of Fort Sumter, Charleston, S.C, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|East Face of Ft Sumter 1863
File:FortSumter1865.jpg|View of Confederate-held Fort Sumter, August 23, 1863
File:New_Ironsides_and_monitor_class_ironclads_engaging_Fort_Moultrie.jpg|George Cook, half stereo of Federal ironclads firing on Fort Moultrie, September 8, 1863 (click to enlarge) – The Valentine, Richmond, Va.
File:ExplodingShellATFortSumter1863.jpg|Lt. John R. Key's (CSA) "exploding shell" painting, of the interior of Fort Sumter – The Valentine, Richmond, Va.
File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 01 Page 110.jpg|The first breach after the bombardment of September 8, 1863
File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 01 Page 108.jpg|C.S. Cook picture of Ft Sumter after the bombardment September 28, 1863 showing the "Hot shot" Furnace at left and the Barracks at right
File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576140090).jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter

File:Conrad Wise Chapman - The Flag of Sumter, Oct. 20, 1863.jpg|The Flag of Sumter, October 20, 1863
File:Fort Sumter December 9th 1863 LCCN2003680529.jpg|Ft Sumter from the west angle December 9, 1863
File:Fort Sumter, December 9th 1863, View of entrance to Three Gun Bat'y LCCN2004661292.jpg|Ft Sumter View of entrance to Three Gun Bat'y December 9, 1863
File:Harper's weekly (1864) (14804711563).jpg|1864 sketch of bombardment of Ft Sumter

File:Interior view of Fort Sumter, Charleston, S.C. taken by a Confederate photographer in 1864 (i.e. 1863) LCCN2013651649.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter, taken by a Confederate photographer, 1864 [1863]
File:Interior view of Fort Sumter, S.C. showing effects of bombardment LCCN2013651629.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter, taken by a Confederate photographer
File:InteriorViewFtSumter1864.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter, taken by a Confederate photographer, 1864.
File:Interior view of Fort Sumter, S.C. in 1864 (showing debris) LCCN2003669879.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter 1864
File:Interior view of Fort Sumter, S.C. in 1864 (showing debris) LCCN2003669880.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter 1864
File:Interior view of Fort Sumter, S.C. in 1864 (showing debris) LCCN2003669881.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter 1864
File:Conrad Wise Chapman - Fort Sumter, Interior, Sunrise, Dec. 9, 1864.jpg|Interior View of Fort Sumter December 9, 1864
File:ExteriorViewFtSumter1865.jpg|Exterior view of Fort Sumter, 1865.  Banded rifle in the foreground, [http://civilwarfortifications.com/dictionary/xgf-009.html fraise] at the top.
File:SumterDamages1863.jpg|Exterior view of damage to Fort Sumter,

File:ViewFtSumterSandBar1865.jpg|View of Fort Sumter from the sandbar, 1865.
File:Fort Johnson battery. Ft. Sumpter (sic) in the distance, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|View of Battery Johnson with Ft Sumter in the background
File:Interior of Ft. Sumpter (sic) Charleston S. C., from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|Interior of Ft Sumter
File:The Photographic History of The Civil War Volume 05 Page 217.jpg|Interior of Ft Sumter 1865
File:Interior views of Fort Sumter, in April, 1865 LCCN2014646432.tif|Interior of Ft Sumter 1865 showing the Hot Shot Furnace.
File:Fort Sumter, Showing the effects of the bombardment by the Artillery of the Army and Navy of the United States while occupied by the Rebels from April 1861 to Feb. 1865 (7901780748).jpg|Interior view of Ft Sumter in 1865; at left is the "Light house" of Ft Sumter
</gallery>

{{main|Second Battle of Fort Sumter}}
After the devastating bombardment, both Major General [[Quincy A. Gillmore]] and [[Rear Admiral]] [[John A. Dahlgren]], now commanding the [[Union Blockade|South Atlantic Blockading Squadron]], determined to launch a boat assault on Fort Sumter for the night of September 8–9, 1863.  Cooperation between the Army and Navy was poor. Dahlgren refused to place his sailors and [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] under the command of an army officer, so two flotillas set out towards Fort Sumter that night. The army flotilla was detained off [[Morris Island]] by the low tide. By the time they could proceed, the navy assault had already been defeated and the army flotilla returned to shore.

The [[U.S. Navy|Navy's]] assault involved 400 sailors and Marines in 25 boats. The operation was a fiasco from beginning to end.  Poor reconnaissance, planning, and communication all characterized the operation. [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] [[Thomas H. Stevens, Jr.]], commanding the [[Monitor (warship)|monitor]] [[USS Patapsco (1862)|''Patapsco'']], was placed in charge of the assault. When Commander Stevens protested that he "knew nothing of [the assault's] organization " and "made some remonstrances on this grounds and others." Dahlgren replied, "There is nothing but a corporal's guard [about 6–10 men] in the fort, and all we have to do is go and take possession." {{Harv |Stevens|1902| p=633}}. This underestimation of the Confederate forces on Dahlgren's part may explain why he was hostile to a joint operation wishing to reserve the credit for the victory to the navy. Less than half of the boats landed.  Most of the boats that did land landed on the right flank or right gorge angle, rather than on the gorge where there was a passable breach. The Union sailors and Marines who did land could not scale the wall.  The Confederates fired upon the landing party and as well as throwing [[hand grenades]] and loose bricks. The men in the boats that had not landed fired muskets and revolvers blindly at the fort, endangering the landing party more than the garrison. The landing party took shelter in shell holes in the wall of the fort. In response to a signal rocket fired by the garrison, Fort Johnson and the Confederate warship CSS [[CSS Chicora|''Chicora'']] opened fire upon the boats and landing party. A number of the boats withdrew under fire and the landing party surrendered. The Union casualties were 8 killed, 19 wounded, and 105 captured (including 15 of the wounded). The Confederates did not suffer any casualties in the assault.

[[File:Flag-raising Fort Sumter Charleston Harbor 1865.jpg|thumb|right|Flag-raising over Fort Sumter, April 14, 1865]]

After the unsuccessful boat assault, the bombardment recommenced and proceeded with the varying degree of intensity, doing more damage to Fort Sumter until the end of the [[The American Civil War|war]]. The garrison continued to suffer casualties. The Confederates continued to salvage guns and other material from the ruins and harassed the Union batteries on [[Morris Island]] with [[Marksman#U.S. Civil War|sharpshooters]]. The Confederates mounted four {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} [[columbiad]]s, one {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} columbiad rifled, and two rifled 42-pounders, in the left face, bottom tier casemates.