On April 12, 1861 Confederate gunners fired upon Fort Sumter. The Union defenders were not able withstanding the bombardment from Confederate forces. As a result the Union surrendered the fort on April 13 and the remaining defenders evacuated the area. The siege of the fort was witnessed by residents of Charleston who were cheering. They were excited because it officially started the American Civil War. It now meant that they were no longer under the Union. The Confederates held on to the Fort until General William T. Sherman marched to the South and the fort’s defenders were forced to evacuate.