Where the Civil War Began

Where the Civil War Began | Fort Sumter

Рет қаралды 229,782

4 ай бұрын

We hop on a ferry to tour the famous Fort Sumter, where the Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861.
View our entire trip to Historic Charleston here: • Historic Charleston, S...
The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. We permanently protect these battlefields for future generations as a lasting and tangible memorial to the brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

Пікірлер: 233

@bennoe5715 4 ай бұрын

This park ranger is awesome. Conveys history in such an engaging way.

@bo0tsy1 Ай бұрын

He's badass. Very Informed.

@NickP16 4 ай бұрын

What an awesome, and knowledgeable park ranger! Great video guys

@eliasdeleone7059 4 ай бұрын

I'd like to add, the host is excellent as well. The little fact about the British ship running aground the sandbar during the revolution was so sick!

@quentinquentin6752 4 ай бұрын

Sick? Why sick?

@earlt.7573 4 ай бұрын

@@quentinquentin6752 "Sick" is slang for cool, awesome, neat

@bigstyx 4 ай бұрын

When you go on the tour, they spend the whole time talking about the evils of white people. Nothing about the history that you’re hearing from this guy. I’ve been on it I know for a fact. These employees need to be fired.

@JMCAragorn 3 ай бұрын

I don't feel so old now 😅

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

@@JMCAragorn it's American teenage slang from about 2000s

@woodsy9682 4 ай бұрын

Charleston is full of history. l love going there

@fokkerd3red618 3 ай бұрын

Excellent presentation by the Park Ranger host. He really knows the history about this Fort and other facts involving the Civil War. Thank you so much for sharing.

@RRM13 4 ай бұрын

I'm an ACW buff from Brazil and visited FS in 2015. Enjoyed the experience 💪👊.

@billkea7224 Ай бұрын

Are you descended from the southerners that immigrated to Brazil after the war?

@RRM13 Ай бұрын

@billkea7224 No. I am just a "regular Brazilian" who attended an American school down here.

@Jess-bs2jw 4 ай бұрын

This ranger is outstanding. Thank you

@UpandUp97 3 ай бұрын

I don't comment on videos to often but wanted to here just because of Gary, my friend and I had the honor of visiting Fort Sumter but also getting the chance to speak with Gary while we were there. He is super nice (putting up with our barrage of questions) and very knowledgeable. If you ever get the chance to visit Fort Sumter and you see Him walking around 100% go up and have a chat.

@southernman5839 3 ай бұрын

I went there in the late 90’s . Charleston is beautiful and I visited the fort Sumter.

@Cully4x4 4 ай бұрын

Extremely well done! A real delight to hear from this Park Ranger with just a wealth of information! Congratulations to all involved in this episode.

@user-dk1rr6lk7k 3 ай бұрын

I’m from Charleston myself and I love the history at the Fort . Born there to in SC . 😊

@adamfrank5183 4 ай бұрын

Canadian here who loves your civil war tours!!

@jbeusmc 4 ай бұрын

One of my great, great, great grandfathers was a South Carolinian and was in one of the batteries that fired on Fort Sumter. Really fascinating stuff.

@MrSir-ps1lb 4 ай бұрын

Gary is a great ranger, my reenacting unit has worked with him a ton. Great guy!

@usmc-veteran7316 4 ай бұрын

I see that Swampy area. Memories of the swamps of Parris Island back in 5 Oct 73 - 28 Dec 73, when I was in boot camp. Platoon 395, India Co, 3rd RTB.

@GatorTTailAllain 4 ай бұрын

Semper Fi Leatherneck 3006 PISC 1991

@usmc-veteran7316 4 ай бұрын

@@GatorTTailAllain I hear ya Devil Dog, 3rd Battalion ! ! ! Long live the Legend of Chesty Puller. Semper Fi

@K_Type 4 ай бұрын

Semper Fi , I was there 2001 in platoon 2001

@usmc-veteran7316 4 ай бұрын

@K_Type that's cool Plt 2001 in 2001. Where did you do boot camp?

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

Sand fleas and escorts is something SC has abundance of😂

@bigsarge2085 4 ай бұрын

Been to Ft. Sumter, definitely worth the trip.

@billisley8863 4 ай бұрын

No city in America like Charleston. Amazing video!

@brucelytle1144 3 ай бұрын

I lived in Charleston from '71-76, while in the Navy. Got married on Sullivan's Island, lived on James Island and my son was born there. Very interesting history there. I have very fond memories of living there.

@Ole_CornPop Ай бұрын

You'd hate having to live on James island now, traffic is absolutely atrocious.

@mjciavola 4 ай бұрын

I loved visiting there. My only complaint was the short time that they allowed us to stay before having to get back on the boat!

@ocrow8079 4 ай бұрын

Been wanting to check out Fort Sumter since the Sesquicentennial. Big thanks to Chris and the team at American Battlefield Trust for getting me out there sooner than later!

@Alex-kv9un 4 ай бұрын

If this guy says those cannon's were not in range I believe him. What an excellent Ranger.

@bigstyx 4 ай бұрын

Why does it say that they had cannons that could shoot 4 1/2 miles but they couldn’t shoot from battery park which is 2 1/2 miles or castle Pickney, which is 2 miles. Fort Moultrie was a US Army fort that was abandoned to the confederates they used federal guns to shoot at the fort. In fact, all the guns that were used fire upon Fort Sumner were made by the federal government. I live in the area by the way.

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

@@bigstyxmaybe they had different type cannons there

@TheCrunchbite 3 ай бұрын

@@bigstyxuntil Lincoln sent a warship into another country’s waters to illegally man a fort

@ericoberlies7537 3 ай бұрын

Fort Point, at the entrance of San Francisco Bay, is one of Sumter’s sister forts. It was designed according to the same plans as Sumter, it’s mission to protect gold. It’s worth a visit. It sits directly below the SF end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

@GatorTTailAllain 4 ай бұрын

Love Me Some Battlefield Trust. You Had Me At Reseca and Snake Creek Gap. My Great Great Was There With The 5th Company! I went to the Hill on Reseca and took my 2 year old son. Got goosebumps. I wanna meet you Gents One Day! Cheers From New Orleans!

@andrewroberts7428 4 ай бұрын

i love that dude on the boat in the background, learning, listening in on what the two of you are saying

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

He is slick

@echohunter4199 3 ай бұрын

Great Park Ranger! Well done sir!

@greenwave819 4 ай бұрын

This guy knows his stuff!!

@Benno101able 4 ай бұрын

Great video great historical insights !! well done

@user-dj9cq8rn2n 4 ай бұрын

A great presentation. Outstanding gentlemen!

@peterschief9778 4 ай бұрын

Excellent work BT. Thanx from an Ausie civil war buff.

@nicholasflorida1994 Ай бұрын

This Park Ranger is an absolute treasure, everything that it means to be a national park ranger. He should be extremely proud of himself and all that he does and knows.

@DA-bp8lf 3 ай бұрын

What a knowledgeable man and a great story teller! Thanks for bringing us along for the awesome education. 🤗👏👏

@scottpageusmc 4 ай бұрын

My wife and I moved to Charleston 2 years ago, and haven't visited that site yet. We live near the Ashley River, in West Ashley, so will definitely be checking this out!

@ryanwalters6184 3 ай бұрын

It's free if you have a boat to get out there.

@scottpageusmc 3 ай бұрын

@@ryanwalters6184, no boat, yet. That's on the list.

@ImmortalWombat 4 ай бұрын

Just a week ago I found this channel looking for modern footage of fort Sumter and fort Monroe. Great to see this manifest lol.

@drpeterc12 18 күн бұрын

The park ranger is a model of presentation and use of language describing a series of difficult conflicts. Great video.

@terryeustice5399 4 ай бұрын

Chris was a great video. Love all the history and your guide. Learned a lot. I did not know. Thank you for sharing! 💯👍

@cmccrackedteefers292 4 ай бұрын

This was Amazing!!! I’m a huge fan of civil war history, but I learned so much.!!!! Both did great. Great questions and great explanations!!!

@Baggy12 3 ай бұрын

I live in Charleston, fort sumter is a great place to go!

@bottomlesspit7 4 ай бұрын

Yes!!!!!!!! Fort Sumter!!!!!!

@traviswebb3532 4 ай бұрын

Amazing video. I went there in September 2013, it was so much fun and I learned a lot there. Just being able to walk in the areas where the soldiers were is just so interesting.

@chipps1066 2 ай бұрын

What a great enlightening video with a most knowledgeable park ranger!

@fkboyStalin 3 ай бұрын

the Romans actually used a concrete mixture that when exposed to water, sealed cracks.

@MorganOtt-ne1qj 3 ай бұрын

Visited Ft. Sumter in 2001. It was updated after the war with a Huger big gun, and some other things. The battle scars remain from the 1860's, and our tour guide was just as good as the gentleman that appeared here.

@bbs1221 Ай бұрын

Gosh I’m such a history nerd … I loved every bit of this video. Shoutout to the park ranger, he was very knowledgeable and I enjoyed listening to anything he had to say. Double thumbs up 👍🏻👍🏻

@fredjasper7378 4 ай бұрын

Just another great video as always! Love your work guys!

@eaurough 2 ай бұрын

Excellent Park Ranger. Listening to him was a treat.

@jleechadwick 3 ай бұрын

I moved from the Charleston area in 1991, and I miss it a lot. Thanks for the videos. I remember visiting Ft. Sumter with the rest of the family, as well as Ft. Moultrie (my favorite fort). Charleston has so much history.

@Joel-in-Las-Vegas 4 ай бұрын

Well produced video, great sound, editing & history. Well done.

@wildcolonialman 4 ай бұрын

Fabulous fabulous fabulous.

@indycarcomplainer2304 3 ай бұрын

Great stuff! I learned a lot from this video. NPS park ranger interpreters are the best!

@steelpaine9932 18 күн бұрын

Great presentation! I'm a huge history buff, visited Charleston last year, but not Fort Sumter. Been to Gettysburg twice, and plan to go again and all other CW battlefields.

@NickyB0718 3 ай бұрын

Very cool place to visit. Went a few years ago and thought it was an interesting experience.

@simonkevnorris 4 ай бұрын

That was an interesting and informative video. Thanks.

@jaymudd2817 3 ай бұрын

1861,Fort Sumpter. 1945, FDR died. 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. 1981, First Space Shuttle launch. A lot of history packed in the calendar date of 12 April.

@TractorsNStuff 3 ай бұрын

Penn Jillette is awesome! I didn't know he moonlighted as a park ranger at Fort Sumpter! 🤣

@nickroberts-xf7oq 3 ай бұрын

Penn is actually a FOOL ! 📖

@jankovarik9714 3 ай бұрын

We got a LOT of history about the initial bombardment of Ft. Sumter while on tour during the Donor Thank You weekend. GREAT STUFF!

@markleach116 4 ай бұрын

Another excellent video!!!! Thank you!!

@cw7422 4 ай бұрын

My dad was in the Navy. I was born in Charleston. Didn’t come back until I was a senior in high school. Left 2 years later when I joined the Navy. I’ve never been to Ft Sumpter.

@CAPNGRIZZ 3 ай бұрын

So fascinating! Thanks for posting this video.

@HistoryBoy-ui5nb 4 ай бұрын

My 4xgreat-grandfather brother on my mother side was in the 17th SCV, Company H. From August 1863 to April 1864, he and his regiment were stationed in and around Charleston. According to the book “A Rising Star of Promise” which is a diary of Lieutenant David J. Logan of 17th SCV, Company F, Lieutenant David J. Logan mentioned that some regiments were stationed at Fort Sumter during this time period, but not mentioned which ones. Does the National Park Service at Fort Sumter have a detailed list of all the Confederate units that served at Fort Sumter during the war? I was wondering if the 17th SCV, Company H at one point was stationed there. In an interesting note, the commander of Fort Sumter from August 1863 to April 1864, was Colonial Stephen Elliott Jr. The 17th SCV would join Colonial Stephen Elliott Jr in the Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia. My 4xgreat-grandfather brother on my mother side died in that battle and Colonial Stephen Elliott Jr. would die from his wounds from the battle about a year after the war.

@ae1586 3 ай бұрын

There were numerous SC regiments that served at the coast, many were rotated through. I have ancestors from the 1st SC (Orrs rifles) and the 14th Sc that fought at poctaglio and at secessionville (1st battle of James island) under Nathan shanks Evans / during that battle 2000 confederates defeated a union force of 6600 and repelled multiple bayonet charges June 16th 1862

@allangillis9159 Ай бұрын

This is great! thank you!

@whitehousehistories 4 ай бұрын

Thank you 🙏 for sharing this video.

@montemiller3447 3 ай бұрын

Outstanding tour!!

@joe5st817 3 ай бұрын

Good laughs watching the reactions of the good ol boy truck driver looking dude eve’s dropping on the conversation 😂 I’m thinking he led the convoy into Charleston & parked the Rubber Duck in the trucker’s only parking lot.

@EgoFiveFiveSix 4 ай бұрын

i learned a lot...and i've been there a few times. great interview.

@toddlucas1550 3 ай бұрын

My grandfather 4 was William Maxey. He was station at Fort Sumpter nearly the entire time during the war.

@nathanfisher1826 4 ай бұрын

Thank you 😊

@dawn2sing 4 ай бұрын

I’m not sure if you would do a documentary on Fort Monroe in Hampton VA? It is where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the Civil War

@davidkimmel4216 3 ай бұрын

Excellent video

@The_Lorax__ 2 ай бұрын

For Sumter is one of the best places to go for history nerds. Ive been once and my favorite part is seeing some of the dud shells still in the brick

@jon9021 4 ай бұрын

We were lucky to visit in October 2023.

@GatorTTailAllain 4 ай бұрын

Do one at Grande Terre Louisiana Next

@outdoorlife5396 4 ай бұрын

You have to wonder if someone has seen ghost walking the fort. LOL I know in NC, Ft Macon at Atlantic Beach, Is in a lot better shape than Ft Sumter. But it fell early in the war because the bricks would not hold up to the bombardment. Ft Pulaski is also in good condition along with Ft Monroe, Ft McHenry are all made about the same time, brick forts. The dirt forts like Ft Fisher NC, have been damaged due to coastal storms over the years. But some of it is still there.

@nickroberts-xf7oq 3 ай бұрын

I finally got to see Fort Sumter a few years ago. 😮 The Feds really did reduce it to rubble over the 4 year war ! 🇺🇸 It was like.... "You guys WANT it ?!? OK, but you're not keeping it !" 😅

@charlesmaurer6214 3 ай бұрын

I would consider reactivating that cluster of forts as training forts. While each service has an academy, I think it would be wise to have 2 to 4 for each service spred over the country. Besides a primary one should focus on officers from enlisted, and another for officers from civilian education. As part of reactivation a rebuilding could be done to restore the fort and much of the batteries could serve as dorms. Could also expand the bar to the coast.

@dylancloud97 3 ай бұрын

Having been there. Man is it something

@tommyjacks876 3 ай бұрын

I live in Fort Sumner NM part of the trail of tears an the Billy the kid

@ShmooyShmoo Ай бұрын

I worked on a dredge, we did the ports channels there. I found countless bullets and small lead balls (possibly musket or cannon shot ammo). Think they are worth anything?

@terrycollins0314 Ай бұрын

Depends on the condition and what market you choose to exhibit them

@ShmooyShmoo Ай бұрын

@@terrycollins0314 yea… I don’t have them anymore. I left them on the ship and got let go by the company.

@ProvisionalPatrioticAlliance Ай бұрын

I worked here as a Park Guide in 2003-04. I have no idea who this guy is but he did a fair job. When i was there the head ranger was the awful Dawn ******* Dennis Birr if youre out there you were fantastic. Sumter is a great site.... an absolute shell of its former self. The best site there (from a historical nerd perspective) is Battery/castle Hinckney. Relics just lying on the ground and shore. Almost all of where Battery Wagner was is gone.... and i can see nothing discernable in that area of Morris Island to indicate anything... The best Civil War site is on the former town of Seccessionville. It's called Battery Lamar and sits at the edge of a residential area and salt marsh... a well preserved earthen fortification with significant comabt occurring are a rarity in SC. Its right outside Charleston and worth the visit. If im correct and remembering... one of the assaulting union regiments suffered one of the highest casualty rates lf the war

@ProvisionalPatrioticAlliance Ай бұрын

Also... there's significant revolutionary war battlefields within 40 miles

@sinnedsinister 4 ай бұрын

No offense however, your talking and Identifying all these areas around the harbor, yet no video of the areas being referenced is shown while the interview conversation is taking place. It is rather frustrating as a viewer not familiar with the Charleston Harbor area to not see the scenery described and mentioned as your sailing by it.

@mikestacyemett5914 4 ай бұрын

Hey! I work with those guys at Fort Sumter.

@danielvain 4 ай бұрын

Interesting aspect of fate with General Anderson in connection with the assassination of President Lincoln. This has a similar tone of fate with General Grant and President Lincoln's final hours, that being that General Grant had been invited to attend the play along with the president, but the general chose not to accept the invite. It has since been speculated that, even though President Lincoln did not perceive a bodyguard unit for himself as necessary, General Grant was known to (nearly) always travel with a military entourage. Had General Grant attended the play, it is likely that the general's military personnel who accompanied him would have thwarted John Wilkes Booth, (one way or another.)

@texasaggie8449 3 ай бұрын

FYI , prior to Ft Sumpter the was the surrender of Gen Twigg in Texas to Texas Confederate forces. The last battle was also fought in Texas at the battle of Palmito Ranch.

@Captkman 4 ай бұрын

I thought the civil war started in Harpers Ferry or maybe even Kansas, but I could be wrong.

@NickP16 4 ай бұрын

It started at Fort Sumter. In April 1861 When the confederates fired up the fort, they are near Charleston SC

@Captkman 4 ай бұрын

@@NickP16 Really? Not with John Brown's raid of Harpers Ferry?

@NickP16 4 ай бұрын

@@Captkman yeah, that’s definitely one of the many events across the country that helped lead to the Civil War. They were building up to it at that time. John Brown’s raid was in 1859. Another thing that pushed the south over the edge was when Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860. Which led to a lot of southern states succeeding from the union. But those did not cause the Civil War. The thing that finally ignited the country into Civil War was when the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter.

@crippledcrow2384 4 ай бұрын

You are somewhat right about Harpers Ferry (John Brown) and the killings and murders by federal (Kansas Jayhawkers) militia. That had a great push toward the war.

@jasonwilliamson8416 4 ай бұрын

Lincoln WANTED the southern forces to fire on the fort because he had no Constitutional authority to stop secession until they did. To this day our States STILL have the right to leave the Union if they desire to.

@damianreyesavila3402 4 ай бұрын

.Beautiful Charleston Stories Channel in Year Saturday January 27,2024.😐.

@user-ny4nv5qu2p 3 ай бұрын

Was the Battle in Phillipi West Virgina prior to Sumpter?

@RealityOrganized 2 ай бұрын

Good question. Ft. Sumter was 12 April 1861. Philippi was 3 June 1861.

@James-mh4wv 2 ай бұрын

No, there was no west Virginia when Sumpter happened

@paulmuller4335 4 ай бұрын

The first battle of the Civil War was in January 1861, when Confederates crossed Pensacola Bay and attacked Federal forces occupying Ft. Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. The Confederates were pushed back and retreated to Pensacola.

@hunterdunaway1354 3 ай бұрын

They repelled “a group of civilians”. Meanwhile in Charleston Harbor, the Star of the West was committing an act of war.

@dakotavaughan3768 3 ай бұрын

Has this guy ever been to the citadel yet? The cadets are the o es who fired the first shots of the civil war when they fired upon the star of the west.

@shable1436 3 ай бұрын

Only be there once, and it's crazy how many cannons are still there over watching the waters, that and the bridges😂,

@IamtheJeffer Ай бұрын

I thought it started at Harper's Ferry...

@fitmesslife 3 ай бұрын

Had a short gig as a Charleston carriage tour guide and was trained to say what everyone believed; that the shots were fired from the battery. Never questioned it. Lol.... Lots of holes in history.

@bigstyx 4 ай бұрын

He just said you could fire a canon 4 1/2 miles but then he says you can’t do it from battery park or Fort Pickney. What is it?

@rwdyeriii 3 ай бұрын

It was smoothbore artillery that he was saying couldn't hit the fort. The rifled artillery was able to fire shots over 6 miles and able to hit the fort but most rifled artillery wasn't available until 1864.

@mikestacyemett5914 3 ай бұрын

Lincoln wasn’t invited into the 1865 flag reraising ceremony at Fort Sumter.

@mellongfield9873 3 ай бұрын

It didn't help that one of the forts first damage was to the cisterns that held the entire water supply of the forts. It's hard to defend without drinking water.

@davidmurphy8190 3 ай бұрын

Collecting drinking water was an important element of fortification design especially for coastal defense forts. If you can look up the coastal fortifications of the British Empire, you would see that quite clearly.

@manazo16 3 ай бұрын

What!? Notice how this tour guide refers to the Union as “the enemy” within the first 2.5 minutes.

@markcrites7060 4 ай бұрын

I'm about 8 minutes and currently and so far the cameraman has shown none of the things that you are talking about on the boat ride there. Why miss that opportunity? I mean we're pretty clear on what the two of you look like within a few seconds into the video.

@tod2992 4 ай бұрын

And the redneck with the mullet cut behind the ranger.