Final answer:
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, leading to the fort's surrender after a 33-hour bombardment. This event marked the beginning of the conflict which lasted until 1865.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861. Confederate forces, under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard, initiated the attack on the Union garrison commanded by Major Robert Anderson. After a 33-hour bombardment, on April 14, Anderson surrendered. This marked the commencement of the war and was a symbolic victory for the Confederacy. President Abraham Lincoln responded by calling for 75,000 militiamen, setting in motion a conflict that would last four long and bloody years before the Union emerged victorious in 1865.