The first shots of the American Civil War were fired at a merchant ship in 1861
Months before the formal declaration of war, a civilian steamship named Star of the West became the target of South Carolinian artillery, signaling the violent collapse of the American Union in 1861.
On January 9, 1861, the merchant vessel Star of the West attempted to deliver supplies and troops to the federal garrison at Fort Sumter. As it entered Charleston Harbor, cadets from The Citadel fired upon the ship, forcing it to retreat.
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