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| Thursday April 11, 1861 |
Confederate authorities demand the surrender of Fort Sumter in
Charleston Harbor. A delegation of confederate representatives
proceed at in a small boat to Fort Sumter demanding the fort's
surrender. The delegation consists of Colonel James Chestnut, for
United Sates Senator from South Carolina, Captain Stephen D. Lee,
a West Point graduate and former United States Army Captain, and
Lieutenant Colonel A. R. Chisolm. All of these men are
Aide-de-Camps to General P.G.T. Beauregard, commanding
confederate forces in Charleston Harbor. These officers deliver to
Major Robert Anderson United States Army commanding Fort
Sumter. The message states that the Confederates " can no longer
delay assuming actual possession of a fortification commanding the
entrance of one of their harbors, and necessary to its defense and
security. I am ordered by the Government of the Confederate States
to demand the evacuation of Fort Sumter..."
Major Anderson refuses to evacuate.