The Battle of Fort Sumter

First Shots of the Civil War

Big Walnut Area Historical Society - Myers In - Sunbury Ohio
Van Young - Civil War Researcher - Fort Sumter

Van Young will present his view of the beginning of the Civil War battle at Fort Sumter to the
Big Walnut Area Historical Society
at
7:00 on Monday, March 15, via Zoom.

The First Battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery fired on the Union garrison. These were the first shots of the war and continued all day, watched by many civilians in a celebratory spirit. The fort had been cut off from its supply line and surrendered the next day.  The  talk  describes  the events and decisions Lincoln and other had to make during the most desperate of days.

After the War of 1812, a series of fortifications were designed to protect the eastern coast of the United States from naval attack. Named for General Thomas Sumter, a hero of the American Revolution, this fort was built on an artificial island constructed in the channel  on70,000 tons of granite brought in from New England. The five-sided brick fort was not finished.

Young, who collects little-known historical facts of the Civil War, will share the events leading to the battle and the results of it.

Young was born and raised in Ohio and has been a resident of Columbus for the last 40 years. When he retired from AT&T in 2012, he made one of his retirement goals to spend time studying the Civil War. While he enjoys presenting a variety of American history subjects, he is very enamored with the Civil War.

A Zoom link will be emailed to all who get this newsletter via email a week before the program and a reminder the evening before the program. If you get a paper copy but have access to Zoom programs via computer or smartphone, contact Polly Horn at info@BigWalnutHistory.org so you can receive the Zoom link.

Many thanks to Roger Roberts who finds and secures our speaker


The Myers Inn Museum will be open on Saturdays by appointment for family groups of 10 or less. Call 740-965-3582 for more information.

Delaware County History Network

Big Walnut Area Historical Society is a partner in the Delaware County History Network. The Network’s organizations collaborate to preserve, educate, and promote Delaware County’s rich history and heritage.