Although it wasn't a major battle, the Battle of Fort Sumter was where the first shots were fired, and it started the Civil War. It all started when the North needed to re-supply their fort, Fort Sumter. The problem was, the fort was in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, so the Confederates didn't allow it to be re-supplied and demanded evacuation. The Union troops refused to evacuate, and the Confederates opened fire. After a 3 day battle, in which no one was killed, the Confederates were victorious, largely in part to the flawlessly planned bombardment from Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard, the most important person involved with this event.
“We shall be in one of the bloodiest civil wars that history has recorded.”
~Alexander Stephens, after the Battle of Fort Sumter
“We shall be in one of the bloodiest civil wars that history has recorded.”
~Alexander Stephens, after the Battle of Fort Sumter