Fort Sumter is located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. It was here that this week 152 years ago on April 12th 1861 the Civil War would begin when Confederate artillery began the bombardment of the fort. After 34-hours of artillery fire the Union surrendered. The Confederacy would hold the fort until they finally abandoned it prior to Sherman’s capture of Charleston in February 1865 almost 4 years later. The conflict would claim the lives of over 600,000 Americans.