Below is a fictional narrative of what I think it could've been like for a civilian during the Battle at Fort Sumter. It includes facts about the actual battle and people involved.
April 14th, 1861
Daddy an' I never thought we'd ever find ourselves in the middle of a war, let alone one in our own backyard.
We haven't really been too terribly focused on the actual war happenin' right now. Ever since Mama got that nasty small pox an' went to the Lord's kingdom, nuthin' else has really mattered that much. Daddy didn't even mind it none when I skipped my chores. Yeah, you could say we didn't even see it comin'. Or, maybe we did...
All we was doin' was darin' each other to jump in the creek with all our clothes still on. Mrs. Turner was yellin' at us ladies to git back on inside an' get our school work done. My mama had always homeschooled me an' my friends; Mary, Anna, and Martha. But after she died, Mrs. Turner had desperately tried to git us back into the mind set of a scholar. It wasn't workin' out too terribly well for her since spring had arrived in Charleston, South Carolina. Maybe there's sumthin' 'bout the way the sun shines when spring rolls 'round. Or maybe it's the way all those pretty flowers start to pop up; even the deadly oleander puts us kids in a giddy mood. An' besides, Mrs. Turner was a lot stricter than Mama ever was. She's always givin' us a ton of work to do and doesn't teach too well neither. Mama always taught us jus' fine without no work.
With one of those oleanders carefully set behind my ear, the gals an' I ambled over to my house to chat over our borin' work. Our cluttered kitchen ain't always the best place to do school work, but it'd have to do since my room was ten times worse. As I was pushin' all the clutter off the table, I came across the day's paper. April 12th, 1861. You could tell jus' from the front page that sumthin' big was 'bout to happen. The north an' south have been goin' at it for quite some time now, but no one would throw the first punch. Daddy always said he was convinced that President Lincoln was tryin' to push someone on our side of the country to take that first punch (well, we ain't really part of the country no more since we seceded). After all, then he couldn't be labeled the bad guy.
Most people 'round here can't stand Lincoln. All his talk of discontinuin' slavery really makes people buzz here in the south. My daddy was probably the only man south of Maryland that voted for 'im. We ain't never had no plantation, so slavery was always a problem in our eyes. The way they treat them negroes ain't always right. Mama an' Daddy always believed you should work for your keep, not force someone else to. An' states' rights is just a load of...well, you know what. Things were jus' fine they way they were. The new government seemed pretty darn fair to me. But then again, somebody always gotta go an' disagree with everythin'.
I know a fourteen year-old gal has no mind to worry about no politics, but Daddy always brought it up on our way to the city. Ya see, we live off Lighthouse Creek an' have to take our cramped fisherman's boat northwest through the Charleston Harbor every Saturday afternoon. My daddy, he's one of those business men, an' one of the best I must say. Me an' Mama used to go with 'im an' spend the day shoppin' around town an' havin' our own fun. But the ride to the huge tradin' center was always filled with angry talk of the new, risin' rebels. Sometimes I wonder why we ain't movin' to Ohio or sumthin'.
Anyway, this kinda stuff always had me a thinkin' an' I was eager to read more. "Hey y'all, check this out," I said to my friends.
"Wut is it, Cathy?" said Martha. She was a tad grouchy since her mama was bossin' all us around 'bout doin' work when one of us would be floatin' in that creek by now.
"Union troops are still occupin' that Fort Sumter. An' Lincoln has sent the Star of the West to resupply the fort."
"Well that don't sound too smart now do it?" Mary remarked. Her parents were huge advocates for the new Confederacy idea. "After all, it's still surrounded by our forces, right?"
"Well I'd think that some people ain't too terribly happy 'bout that," said Anna. "I'd bet our guys want them out."
I thought 'bout Anna's last remark. I wondered if Daddy had been right all long. Was Lincoln really lurin' us to throw that first punch?
"I'll bet that Lincoln's preparin' for a war 'stead of rushin' right into one." My girlfriends all stared at me like I'd just discovered the key to life. "What? I mean, the Union was there first. It's not like they jus' went an' bombarded Sumter. Lincoln's got one good poker face..."
"Yeah, yeah, big deal," scoffed Martha. "We don't need to worry none 'bout that stuff!" Suddenly, my front door burst open an' Daddy stood in the doorway.
"What's wrong, Daddy?" I can always tell when sumthin's botherin' 'im.
"You gals go on home now, ya hear!" There was a panic in his voice I've only heard once; when Mama was dyin'. "There's sumthin' goin' on down by Cummin's Point Battery." Naturally, I ran to the window that has the best view of that point, an' sure enough, men were rushin' to load cannons. I could jus' make out mismatchin' gray uniforms the Confederate army had adopted.
When I turned 'round, Martha, Anna, an' Mary had bolted home. "Come on, Cathy! We gotta git somewhere safe. That battery's way too close for my likin'!" I followed my daddy outside jus' in time to hear the firs' gunshot. I later learned that Major Beauregard ordered that firs' shot. There ya go, Lincoln, a southern man threw that firs' punch. An' boy, he threw it hard.
As me an' Daddy was runnin', we saw the Star of the West, a cargo ship (an' a beauty at that), bein' attacked. All we saw was cannons an' fire an' smoke. All we heard was cannon fire an' the shouts of men. I felt a bead of sweat formin' at my left temple. "Come on!" Daddy urged as he grabbed my shoulder. "We make for Morris Island. There shouldn't be no stations that far inland." At that point I was so engrossed in all the commotion that I jus' followed 'im without payin' no mind.
We didn't make it too far 'fore we was stopped by a Confederate station. We were only a half-mile from our house. I could still see it when we was forced to stop. "Where y'all think you're headin'?" said a soldier, no older than sixteen.
"Morris Island, that's where!" my daddy said, a bit impatient.
"Where y'all comin' from?"
"Our house ain't but two yards from Cummin's Point Battery!" This really interested the young recruit. You could easily tell by that look in 'is eyes.
"Would y'all happen to know what's goin' on up there?" Man, he sure did ask a lot of questions!
"Look, I'm jus' tryin' to git my girl here to safety. So will you let us pass or not!?"
"Sorry, sir, but we was told we ain't 'lowed to let nobody past this point." This really disturbed Daddy. I kinda knew what he felt. We only had each other left. If one of us got hurt, our worlds would jus' shatter. "But, uh, if y'all want sumthin' to do..." I had a feelin' what was comin' next.
Daddy an' I never thought we'd ever find ourselves in the middle of a war, let alone one in our own backyard.
We haven't really been too terribly focused on the actual war happenin' right now. Ever since Mama got that nasty small pox an' went to the Lord's kingdom, nuthin' else has really mattered that much. Daddy didn't even mind it none when I skipped my chores. Yeah, you could say we didn't even see it comin'. Or, maybe we did...
All we was doin' was darin' each other to jump in the creek with all our clothes still on. Mrs. Turner was yellin' at us ladies to git back on inside an' get our school work done. My mama had always homeschooled me an' my friends; Mary, Anna, and Martha. But after she died, Mrs. Turner had desperately tried to git us back into the mind set of a scholar. It wasn't workin' out too terribly well for her since spring had arrived in Charleston, South Carolina. Maybe there's sumthin' 'bout the way the sun shines when spring rolls 'round. Or maybe it's the way all those pretty flowers start to pop up; even the deadly oleander puts us kids in a giddy mood. An' besides, Mrs. Turner was a lot stricter than Mama ever was. She's always givin' us a ton of work to do and doesn't teach too well neither. Mama always taught us jus' fine without no work.
With one of those oleanders carefully set behind my ear, the gals an' I ambled over to my house to chat over our borin' work. Our cluttered kitchen ain't always the best place to do school work, but it'd have to do since my room was ten times worse. As I was pushin' all the clutter off the table, I came across the day's paper. April 12th, 1861. You could tell jus' from the front page that sumthin' big was 'bout to happen. The north an' south have been goin' at it for quite some time now, but no one would throw the first punch. Daddy always said he was convinced that President Lincoln was tryin' to push someone on our side of the country to take that first punch (well, we ain't really part of the country no more since we seceded). After all, then he couldn't be labeled the bad guy.
Most people 'round here can't stand Lincoln. All his talk of discontinuin' slavery really makes people buzz here in the south. My daddy was probably the only man south of Maryland that voted for 'im. We ain't never had no plantation, so slavery was always a problem in our eyes. The way they treat them negroes ain't always right. Mama an' Daddy always believed you should work for your keep, not force someone else to. An' states' rights is just a load of...well, you know what. Things were jus' fine they way they were. The new government seemed pretty darn fair to me. But then again, somebody always gotta go an' disagree with everythin'.
I know a fourteen year-old gal has no mind to worry about no politics, but Daddy always brought it up on our way to the city. Ya see, we live off Lighthouse Creek an' have to take our cramped fisherman's boat northwest through the Charleston Harbor every Saturday afternoon. My daddy, he's one of those business men, an' one of the best I must say. Me an' Mama used to go with 'im an' spend the day shoppin' around town an' havin' our own fun. But the ride to the huge tradin' center was always filled with angry talk of the new, risin' rebels. Sometimes I wonder why we ain't movin' to Ohio or sumthin'.
Anyway, this kinda stuff always had me a thinkin' an' I was eager to read more. "Hey y'all, check this out," I said to my friends.
"Wut is it, Cathy?" said Martha. She was a tad grouchy since her mama was bossin' all us around 'bout doin' work when one of us would be floatin' in that creek by now.
"Union troops are still occupin' that Fort Sumter. An' Lincoln has sent the Star of the West to resupply the fort."
"Well that don't sound too smart now do it?" Mary remarked. Her parents were huge advocates for the new Confederacy idea. "After all, it's still surrounded by our forces, right?"
"Well I'd think that some people ain't too terribly happy 'bout that," said Anna. "I'd bet our guys want them out."
I thought 'bout Anna's last remark. I wondered if Daddy had been right all long. Was Lincoln really lurin' us to throw that first punch?
"I'll bet that Lincoln's preparin' for a war 'stead of rushin' right into one." My girlfriends all stared at me like I'd just discovered the key to life. "What? I mean, the Union was there first. It's not like they jus' went an' bombarded Sumter. Lincoln's got one good poker face..."
"Yeah, yeah, big deal," scoffed Martha. "We don't need to worry none 'bout that stuff!" Suddenly, my front door burst open an' Daddy stood in the doorway.
"What's wrong, Daddy?" I can always tell when sumthin's botherin' 'im.
"You gals go on home now, ya hear!" There was a panic in his voice I've only heard once; when Mama was dyin'. "There's sumthin' goin' on down by Cummin's Point Battery." Naturally, I ran to the window that has the best view of that point, an' sure enough, men were rushin' to load cannons. I could jus' make out mismatchin' gray uniforms the Confederate army had adopted.
When I turned 'round, Martha, Anna, an' Mary had bolted home. "Come on, Cathy! We gotta git somewhere safe. That battery's way too close for my likin'!" I followed my daddy outside jus' in time to hear the firs' gunshot. I later learned that Major Beauregard ordered that firs' shot. There ya go, Lincoln, a southern man threw that firs' punch. An' boy, he threw it hard.
As me an' Daddy was runnin', we saw the Star of the West, a cargo ship (an' a beauty at that), bein' attacked. All we saw was cannons an' fire an' smoke. All we heard was cannon fire an' the shouts of men. I felt a bead of sweat formin' at my left temple. "Come on!" Daddy urged as he grabbed my shoulder. "We make for Morris Island. There shouldn't be no stations that far inland." At that point I was so engrossed in all the commotion that I jus' followed 'im without payin' no mind.
We didn't make it too far 'fore we was stopped by a Confederate station. We were only a half-mile from our house. I could still see it when we was forced to stop. "Where y'all think you're headin'?" said a soldier, no older than sixteen.
"Morris Island, that's where!" my daddy said, a bit impatient.
"Where y'all comin' from?"
"Our house ain't but two yards from Cummin's Point Battery!" This really interested the young recruit. You could easily tell by that look in 'is eyes.
"Would y'all happen to know what's goin' on up there?" Man, he sure did ask a lot of questions!
"Look, I'm jus' tryin' to git my girl here to safety. So will you let us pass or not!?"
"Sorry, sir, but we was told we ain't 'lowed to let nobody past this point." This really disturbed Daddy. I kinda knew what he felt. We only had each other left. If one of us got hurt, our worlds would jus' shatter. "But, uh, if y'all want sumthin' to do..." I had a feelin' what was comin' next.
After a whole lotta fightin' between the soldiers an' Daddy, he finally agreed to stand guard at the station while the men would go git news of the conflict an' bring it back. He still didn't feel so hot 'bout not reachin' the island, but as far as I could see, there wasn't no fightin' goin' on 'round these parts. It was all up north. But the sounds were jus' as loud where we were as they were back up at home. I couldn't imagine sittin' down here the whole time while all the action was up there
Even Daddy was gittin' bored jus' sittin' there waitin' for no one to come an' try to git past the checkpoint. We both knew nobody would anyway. "Well," he sighed, "at least you're safe. That's all I care 'bout." At this point, I wouldn't mind bein' in a bit of danger if it gave me sumthin' to do. You know what? Maybe I could git away with followin' those soldiers back home. I could catch a glimpse of what was goin' on an' feel that rush this war had been givin' me so far. But then again, Daddy would be furious if I ran away. He'd worry 'is head right off. I couldn't do that to 'im. We had to stick together.
Watchin' those soldiers pack up supplies made me more an' more curious about what was happenin' up at Fort Sumter. Were the Confederates pushin' the Unions out of there, or were the Unions holdin' on? Questions like these were buzzin' all 'round my brain until I couldn't take it no more. Curiosity had gotten the best of me. An' when I git my head set on sumthin', I'm more stubborn than a mule.
I ain't no pipsqueak. In fact, I'm pretty built for a gal my age. But I could sneak in an' out of the most sticky of situations. An' that's how nobody, not even Daddy noticed me swipe a day or two's worth of food an' water, a couple of blankets, some paper, an' a pen. I followed those soldiers from about ten yards away an' made the half-mile trek once again. It was strange to think that it'd only been 'bout an hour an' a half since we was readin' that paper. Aw well. At least that blisterin' sun wasn't burnin' me that day. An April sun ain't nuthin' compared to an August one.
The walk went by quickly since I've always been good at daydreamin' an' walkin' at the same time. I imagined what was happenin' at the fort. Boy, it wasn't nuthin' like I thought it'd be. Nearly everythin' was as I'd left it, except nobody was firin' at the Star of the West no more. The supplies it carried never made it to Sumpter; the Confederates forced it to turn back east.
Anuther talent of mine is eavesdroppin'. I don't mean to...usually. This was a special occasion though. "What do we got?" asked an older soldier.
I found out that Confederates were firin' at the fort from eight different directions, all surroundin' Sumter. There were stations at Cummin's Point Battery, Fort Johnson, Mt. Pleasant Battery, Floating Battery, Fort Moultrie, an' three other stations I can't remember the names of now. Major Beauregard had taken command of the Confederate forces, an' Major Anderson was leadin' the Unions. So far, there hadn't been any casualties on either side, except one Confederate horse. But everythin' else was basically shootin' an' shoutin'.
I decided to make my way to the basement in my house in case sumthin' went wrong. I wasn't feelin' the mood to die. On my way I thought 'bout Daddy. Boy oh boy, he must be boilin' by now. I wouldn't be too surprised if he came after me. After all, where else would I...go... When I opened the door, there was Daddy madder than heck.
I could feel my face turn tomato red when I saw the fear in his eyes. I always thought he wasn't scared of nuthin'. I guess he's scared he'll lose me, too. "Why?" he asked softly. I didn't respond. "Why'd you have to go an' scare your ole man to death?"
"I...I don't know I...jus' didn't use my head...I guess..." I stopped stutterin' since an angry cannon blast made us jump.
"Git down to the basement. NOW!" I wasn't feelin' like makin' him any angrier than he already was at that point.
Even Daddy was gittin' bored jus' sittin' there waitin' for no one to come an' try to git past the checkpoint. We both knew nobody would anyway. "Well," he sighed, "at least you're safe. That's all I care 'bout." At this point, I wouldn't mind bein' in a bit of danger if it gave me sumthin' to do. You know what? Maybe I could git away with followin' those soldiers back home. I could catch a glimpse of what was goin' on an' feel that rush this war had been givin' me so far. But then again, Daddy would be furious if I ran away. He'd worry 'is head right off. I couldn't do that to 'im. We had to stick together.
Watchin' those soldiers pack up supplies made me more an' more curious about what was happenin' up at Fort Sumter. Were the Confederates pushin' the Unions out of there, or were the Unions holdin' on? Questions like these were buzzin' all 'round my brain until I couldn't take it no more. Curiosity had gotten the best of me. An' when I git my head set on sumthin', I'm more stubborn than a mule.
I ain't no pipsqueak. In fact, I'm pretty built for a gal my age. But I could sneak in an' out of the most sticky of situations. An' that's how nobody, not even Daddy noticed me swipe a day or two's worth of food an' water, a couple of blankets, some paper, an' a pen. I followed those soldiers from about ten yards away an' made the half-mile trek once again. It was strange to think that it'd only been 'bout an hour an' a half since we was readin' that paper. Aw well. At least that blisterin' sun wasn't burnin' me that day. An April sun ain't nuthin' compared to an August one.
The walk went by quickly since I've always been good at daydreamin' an' walkin' at the same time. I imagined what was happenin' at the fort. Boy, it wasn't nuthin' like I thought it'd be. Nearly everythin' was as I'd left it, except nobody was firin' at the Star of the West no more. The supplies it carried never made it to Sumpter; the Confederates forced it to turn back east.
Anuther talent of mine is eavesdroppin'. I don't mean to...usually. This was a special occasion though. "What do we got?" asked an older soldier.
I found out that Confederates were firin' at the fort from eight different directions, all surroundin' Sumter. There were stations at Cummin's Point Battery, Fort Johnson, Mt. Pleasant Battery, Floating Battery, Fort Moultrie, an' three other stations I can't remember the names of now. Major Beauregard had taken command of the Confederate forces, an' Major Anderson was leadin' the Unions. So far, there hadn't been any casualties on either side, except one Confederate horse. But everythin' else was basically shootin' an' shoutin'.
I decided to make my way to the basement in my house in case sumthin' went wrong. I wasn't feelin' the mood to die. On my way I thought 'bout Daddy. Boy oh boy, he must be boilin' by now. I wouldn't be too surprised if he came after me. After all, where else would I...go... When I opened the door, there was Daddy madder than heck.
I could feel my face turn tomato red when I saw the fear in his eyes. I always thought he wasn't scared of nuthin'. I guess he's scared he'll lose me, too. "Why?" he asked softly. I didn't respond. "Why'd you have to go an' scare your ole man to death?"
"I...I don't know I...jus' didn't use my head...I guess..." I stopped stutterin' since an angry cannon blast made us jump.
"Git down to the basement. NOW!" I wasn't feelin' like makin' him any angrier than he already was at that point.
After 'bout a day an' a half of me an' Daddy hidin' in that musty basement with tensions at an all time high, we heard the gunfire suddenly stop. We waited 'bout a minute or two, but still neither of us would jump to the conclusion that this was finally over. "Do...do ya think we should check?" I finally managed.
"I guess it could be safe..." Daddy was still very cautious climbin' those stairs. "But you're still grounded young lady."
"Yeah, I know." At his point, I didn't even care. Could the this long battle finally be over with?
An' it was! After thirty-four hours of cannon fire, Anderson was forced to surrender Sumter to the Confederates. An' as crazy as it sounds, there was only one other casualty; a Union soldier killed on accident durin' the salute.
Beauregard had clearly lived up to his reputation as an excellent guns-man. 'Is men fired at every angle the relatively small fort had, an' even gave 'is teacher, Anderson, a sure run for 'is money. But I know this is only the firs' part of what I believe to be a very long fight between the north an' south of the U.S.A an' C.S.A. An' what side am I on you ask? Well, I ain't entirely sure, but I hope no war takes place at home ever again!
Catherine Burns
"I guess it could be safe..." Daddy was still very cautious climbin' those stairs. "But you're still grounded young lady."
"Yeah, I know." At his point, I didn't even care. Could the this long battle finally be over with?
An' it was! After thirty-four hours of cannon fire, Anderson was forced to surrender Sumter to the Confederates. An' as crazy as it sounds, there was only one other casualty; a Union soldier killed on accident durin' the salute.
Beauregard had clearly lived up to his reputation as an excellent guns-man. 'Is men fired at every angle the relatively small fort had, an' even gave 'is teacher, Anderson, a sure run for 'is money. But I know this is only the firs' part of what I believe to be a very long fight between the north an' south of the U.S.A an' C.S.A. An' what side am I on you ask? Well, I ain't entirely sure, but I hope no war takes place at home ever again!
Catherine Burns