Fort Point at the Presidio of San Francisco, CA is a sister to Fort Sumter. It can be seen underneath the southern anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Great video! I always enjoy the little known stories behind those we know so well that you bring. Well done! On pronunciation, I suggest Kościuszko as “koh-SHOOSH-koh”.
Nice to see it spelled correctly. The largest "mountain" in Australia is named for him but nobody there pronounces it correctly. His statue to commemorate his contribution to the war of independence used to be outside the Whitehouse. He left quite a legacy
Some Forts approaching Portland Maine still exist. In the late 60s and early 70s I enjoyed exploring inside the ones at cape Elizabeth and some islands. Look at the history of Fort Williams.
Would you consider doing a piece on the great stone face, New Hampshire's old man of the mountain and the man who spent many years maintaining the rock formation, Niels Nielsen? The anniversary of the end of the old man of the mountain, a rock formation that persisted for thousands if not tens of thousands of years is coming up on 3rd May. It is definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
I remember that face. As a kid of about 10 we used to visit a cabin near there in the early 60s. I had an old 110 black and white film camera and somewhere have a picture of it. It was sad to hear it broke apart.
I want to add, Niels Nielsen came to my elementary school to teach us about the Old Man and how his family cared for it. I still remember how nice he was, and how passionate about his work. He was a great caretaker and a great educator, too.
Niels was a friend of the family, tickled and grateful that he is remembered, especially so fondly. I used to love looking for the old man every time we drove through the notch when I was a kid. If you have the opportunity to visit, nowadays there is a very nice Memorial; you can pull off the Kank & there are plates with cutouts arranged in such a manner that you can still see the old man...
I can attest, the combination of fort moultrie, fort Sumter, and the museum ship USS Yorktown at patriot’s point make for an interesting series of tours, covering US naval and costal defense history spanning from the Revolution all the way to the Second World War. To say nothing of the various other museums and historical sites in and around the Charleston area.
I’m pretty sure that things like the third system were why the Civil War occurred when it did. Before the 1860s, the USA was very vulnerable to pressure or attack from England or France. We had to hang together, or we might be hung separately. By 1861, we had a good chance of fighting amongst ourselves without other countries being able to take over one part or another. So we did. I remember a Yugoslav English teacher who stayed at our house while taking a 3 month course at the local university. She said that the only thing keeping Yugoslavia together was fear of the USSR. This seems to have been accurate. She was a Bosnian married to a Serb. She ended up migrating to the USA, because she wasn’t particularly welcome anywhere in the former Yugoslavia. Their loss.
South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860. On January 9, 1861, the ship " Star of the West" attempted to resupply Fort Sumter and was driven off by cannon fire. The shots were fired by cadets from the Citadel. These were the first shots it the Civil War.
‘Alleigance’ written by David Detzer has been a great book about Maj Anderson and Fr Sumter. The first chapter blew my find just kind of putting the town of Charleston into context. The more you learn about slavery the stranger it is honestly.
MR G: Well done Sir! While the American civil war actually started years earlier in Bloody Kansas, your account of the Third System is definitely history worth remembering! Everyone should stand in the ruins of FT Sumter today and imagine those awful 72 hours of constant bombardment.
Awful hours that could have been avoided had they simply left when offered the opportunity. Nothing in the Constitution forbade any State from seceding then. Nor is there any prohibition now. Indeed, none of the original 13 states would have signed or ratified such a provision.
@@johncox2865 Perhaps you are correct; there was some debate at the founding about secession, just without agreement. With all due respect, Sir, had the Federals permitted the south to secede, the unconscionable blight of human slavery would have continued to fester "next door," and I suggest would have eventually led to blows. A righteous man cannot live peacefully next door to a wife beater. Let's be clear, the "rights" that concerned southern secessionists were property rights over fellow human beings. I've just been reading a fascinating book, "The Peace That Almost Was: The Forgotten Story of the 1861 Washington Peace Conference and the Final Attempt to Avert the Civil War" by Mark Tooley. In this book, Tooley demonstrates that the property rights arguments of the slave-holding members is clearly the driving force behind secession.
@@davemoore6690 Slavery was not the basic issue. However, it neither began nor ended in the American South. Are you aware that slavery continued unabated in the North long after Emancipation? I repeat, the South was Constitutionally justified in secession. If the tables were turned, would not the North have done the same? I remind you that, before Emancipation, the war was intensely unpopular in the North. Lincoln only turned to the moral issue after realizing that he would fail re-election, if not face military defeat, unless the war could be popularized.
@@davemoore6690 And, I readily admit to being a Recovering Racist, having been born white and male in Birmingham, AL in the very middle of the 20th century. I voted against Roy Moore and for Joe Biden, the first Democratic votes I have ever cast. The reasoning behind my opinions of the war have nothing to do with racism, for I have discovered myself to be a member of an even more hated minority.
@@davemoore6690 I will not argue the morality of slavery. The only point I am making here is that the South had Constitutional justification for secession. In particular, the document is a legal contract between the subscribing states. Clearly, the Union violated that contract.
Would love to hear your input into the Fort Moultie during the rev war, in particular about the material it was made of and why it wasn't defeated:) We first heard the story on a carriage ride in Charleston years ago:)
I you want to see what Ft. Sumter looked like before it was pounded into ruin, check out Ft. Point in San Francisco, which was built on the same plan as Sumter. Location? See that little arch on the Golden Gate Bridge? Ft. Point is under the arch.
I really do like your videos. Your presentation and voice is easy to fallow and understand. And you alas have some information in them that's new to me. Thank you.
The tallest mountain on mainland Australia, Mount Kosciuszko, is also names after General Tadeusz Kościuszko . . . now that's a great trivia questions . . . "What is the direct link between Australia's highest mountains and West Point Military Academy?" . . .?
There is a great misnomer in this video, the war that was conducted in the early 1860s was a failed war of southern independence not a "civil war". The southern states had no desire to rule the north, they only wanted to rule themselves. It was the north that wanted to rule the south.
While there is some academic discussion, in the field of polemology a civil war does not require a fight for control of a central government. Fights for regional independence are generally considered to be civil wars in both academic and geopolitical parlance. Moreover, the leadership of the Confederacy themselves referred to the war as a civil war at the time. In the north the war was more often referred to as a "rebellion," but in the field of polemology a rebellion that rises to the level of a war is also called a civil war. Too, the term "civil war" was still commonly used in the North as well, evidenced by Lincoln's reference to "a great civil war" in the address at Gettysburg. In brief, the claim that the term is a misnomer generally relies on generic dictionary definitions, which can vary. But the American Civil War was a civil war by both the historic and academic use of the term. Most importantly, the people involved in the conflict referred to it as a civil war at the time.
@@au7-721 Freeing the slaves was a much easier sell to someone about to possible go off and die than than telling someone they are fighting to protect and promote northern commercial interests. History is always written by the victors.
Have you posted a video on the Battle of Baltimore, 1814, that discribes the land assault by the British and the susquent Battle of North Point? Ft. McHenry was great, but if the British had entered the back door to Baltimore, I think little would be remembered of the fort's engagement with the British fleet and the Francis Scott Key poem. THANKS!! LOVE YOUR WORK - - -
Idea for a video. Ft. Sumter is as THG noted, generally considered the start of the Civil War. But there were a number of small skirmishes before then as Union troops that were being driven out of the seceded states, mainly before the declaration of the Confederacy when states acted independently. A video on those small battles might be interesting, THG.
Last June or so, I reminded THG that the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim's landing was coming up, and I was looking forward to a video on it. Nothing was produced. So I encourage THG to make a video about the first thanksgiving - the 400th anniversary is this year. There are many misconceptions about the relations with the American Indians, with most thinking that the Pilgrims cheated the land from the Indians, and worse. Please clear things up, and shed some light on some lesser-known facts of the Pilgrims environment and hardships. Thanks.
I've visited Ft Moultrie but never made it out to Sumter. I've delved into the history of Ft Sumter a little and I came up with a little more detail to add to this account. It seems there was a little more to the buildup of the first shot than what was presented here. Namely that runners were going back and forth conveying messages. The fort was running low on provisions and an agreement made was that if the Union didn't resupply the fort by a specific time, Anderson would vacate. But the supplies did come, just in time.
Henry Knox, the 'fat bookseller from Boston'. . He had 0 military training, but he was an invetarate reader and remembered what he read. He put it to good use. A piece on him and the guns of fort Ticonderoga (?). That's a story worth telling. West Point was established to serve as an engineering school, there were none in the US @ that time. Even today, graduates recieve a BS in engineering or a BA in history ( not totally sure about the later).
I just realized after I do not know how many lessons you have taught on here. But I have a Chapeau just like the one with the Red Cross over your left shoulder . I am a 32 degree York Right Mason I am also a Sir. Night of a Commandry. hence the Chapeau.
I really had no idea fort Sumter had this much history, it's great info. Say History Guy, did you ever do a video on Battery Wagner? I'm betting it's got some history behind it that is interesting in general.
Speaking of the Civil War - Abbeville, SC is noted for being the location of the beginning and ending of the war. The decision to secede was made at a meeting in Abbeville, and the last cabinet meeting of the Confederate government to dissolve the government was held at the Burt-Stark mansion there. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbeville,_South_Carolina
Hey History Guy, so I heard a rumor. I heard bubble gum was pink because that was the only colour the creator of it had. I heard this years ago. Maybe a History Guy idea!?
In addition to what you state in the video, Fort Sumter was manned and active during the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II. Actually it was an active boat defense and anti-aircraft battery during World War II. Visiting it is fascinating because they have the guns on display from all the different time periods the fort was active and you can really see the evolution of warfare as the cannons get bigger and bigger with each war. It was retired after World War II because fixed-gun emplacements are largely useless in modern warfare. www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Sumter
I feel like reconstruction is an era that doesn't get enough attention. We fought a civil war, abolished slavery, dot dot dot civil rights movement. There's a lot missing there.
Ironically the only man killed during the bombardment died after the surrender. Major Anderson ordered a cannon salute prior to evacuating the fort and a cannon exploded killing one soldier. Also ironic was that on April 9, 1865 General R.E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General U.S. Grant which effectively left the south with no means of continuing the war.
Hi would you be able to do a piece on fort Erie and fort George in Niagara falls ontario before the war and after the war of 1812 would be interested if possible in the near furture cheer's.
Yeah I wonder who idea was it to place a giant lump of bricks in a middle of a Harbour and the British Captain would say I won't have a hard time shooting at that it looks like a giant lump of cheese
PS in theory yes but in a hypothetical scenario if the United States in Britain went to war in 1860 instead of the Civil War it was more likely than invasion would come down from Canada and head straight towards the capital Washington+ the Royal Navy and Army relatively balance in modern arms and technology
@@lachbullen8014 one issue with the Third System was a new westward focus that required defense of the frontier. But, or course, that would have been poor reason not to defend the ports. And it is difficult to imagine any way with Britain where the British were not relying heavily on the Royal Navy. But it is fair to say that the Third System forts were never tested in the war they were intended to fight, so we really don’t know how they would have performed. Still, the Second System forts showed their worth in the War of 1812. And we can never say what wars might have occurred had the coastal fortifications not been built, as their purpose was deterrence.
I often hear the argument that the American Civil War was based on States rights and NOT slavery. I am in my sixties and I heard this from grade school on and I grew up in Northern Ohio. Just recently a fellow worker stated the civil war had nothing to do with slavery. Never once did any of my history teachers explain slavery in context and the war in 1861, only discussing the Emancipation Proclamation as Lincoln's last minute deterrent to Great Britain entering the war on the side of the Confederacy. This argument needs to be cleared up, as misinformation is not good for the political discourse. We have all seen the recent consequences of misinformation. Please address the history of the United States and slavery, from the Constitutional Convention, to the “DECLARATION OF THE IMMEDIATE CAUSES WHICH INDUCE AND JUSTIFY THE SECESSION OF SOUTH CAROLINA FROM THE FEDERAL UNION” April 26, 1852 and Politicians like Calhoun and Aldrich, etc.
Without Beauregard bombarding Ft. Sumpter the North would not have been able to raise conscripts. The guy on the street didn't care about secession. Lincoln's cause badly needed that casis belli. Beauregard was the Union's most valuable General.
Politeness was the order of the day among gentlemen with opposing views. I would point out, politely, that the attack on Fort Sumner was neither rebellious nor treasonous. The United States are just that - sovereign states which voluntarily sought admission or otherwise entered into a voluntary union. Once a state which entered into a voluntary union (without surrendering its sovereignty) is denied the option to leave of its own accord, and troops are used to occupy said sovereign territory, it is then considered occupied against it's will. South Carolina had seceded from that union and was exercising it's right as a sovereign State to repel foreign troops from its soil. Lincoln had the option, both before and after the attack, to withdraw U.S. troops from the seceding States. He elected to fight a war of aggression in order to forcibly occupy what were formerly members of the Union. He wanted a war, and did whatever it took to get it.
@@dougearnest7590 The eloquence of your comment makes me think you actually believe that narrative. That has got to be the most well spoken lie and finely crafted falsehood since "surely you will not die" was hissed in the Garden. Hilarious... ________
@@BeingFireRetardant Hmmm.. I must not be as smart as you imply I am, because try as I may, I can't find the "lie" to which you refer. If you would be so kind as to enlighten me, I'll be happy to either retract the falsehood or point out to you where you're wrong. (edit) ... politely, of course.
my normal interest is actually something else totally unrelated to history; but when any new video of this channel pops out on the front page : **CLICKS WITHOUT ANY DOUBT*
Ah! I like this episode. Most of us are familiar with Fort Sumter, it's Civil War history. But not Sumter's pre-civil war history, and how it came to be. Thank you Mr. The History Guy, Todays assignment is for me to find out what the forts are at 9:05 and 9:49, and their history. Thank you and Good Day to You. 😃
Good Morning THG. I visited Fort Sumter, and the beautiful city of Charleston, in 2014. The NPS tour out to Ft. Sumter is interesting and well worth taking.
@@toddtouchberry It's been a long time since the tour and my memory can be shaky in the best of times, but as I recall there were some CSA cadets manning a battery that let the first salvo fly.
I am 56 years old and not embarrassed to say I owe all my knowledge on history to the history guy!!! I never paid much attention in school but then again I didn't have the history guy teaching me
I’m glad you are trying, I am 32 and have always been confuse why everyone doesn’t want to know history. The more history you know the less mistakes you make I truly believe that.
@@nedludd7622 maybe the readings werent adequate or interesting either. I have a degree in history, but my love of the subject was not gained in any k12 classroom, unfortunately. My passions grew out of my own personal reading selections. Which actually started mostly with sports biographies..but that lead to biographies generally, etc. I've found a passion for history is usually instilled through some passion you have, ie a hobby that younare presently engaged in, etc. But with such an immediate reaction I cant help but wonder if you arent one of those teachers who just doesnt get it and blames their students for not being passionate when the teacher doesnt know how to connect with them.... (Btw I had really bad grammar teachers and never gained a passion for that)
We have been tearing ourselves apart for the past six years. The violence is bubbling up. Our elected leadership is fostering it, or ignoring it. They are tearing down law enforcement to help it.
Major Robert Anderson is my 3rd cousin, 6 generations removed. I do a lot of family history, and after 50 years, I have concluded that I'm related to almost everybody (as we all are at some level). One of Anderson's sets of great-great-grandparents were William Williams (1665-1712) and Jael Harrison (1674-1734). This same couple was one my sets of 8 x great-grandparents. - Dr Dave Menke, Tucson. PS: history is far more interesting when one realizes one's relatives were part of history.
@@EricDKaufman 40th Anniversary of the First Space Shuttle Launch as well. STS-1 "Columbia", which some years later was lost on re-entry along with all crew.
Coastal defense and the coastal artillery so vital to that defense are long overlooked topics of American military history. A visit to any one of these historic sites quickly conjures up images of what life behind those thick walls must have been like for the soldiers stationed there, be they Spanish, English, French, or American.
Good vids! Please do a story on "Baron von Steuben", Who ,Trained the American troops. Without him ,We would all be in trouble.. And he was not even a Baron.
In 1985 my dad to us on a vacation we drove from Southern California to Florida to Disney world. After Disney world we went to South Carolina and to see Fort Sumter and other civil war battlefields. Fort Sumter was a great place filled with American history. 👮♂️
Thanks for another great lesson in History. Could you please tell the forgotten tale of the cadets from The Citadel who actually fired he first shots of the Civil War with their cannon as they drove off the Supply ship which was I believe The Star of the West.
Raised on James Island, I spent many a summer day at Fort Sumter when I was in my early teens. A friend & myself would commandeer his fathers john boat and put in at the neighborhood boat landing, then run the creeks out to the harbor. It was free to tour the fort then, it was the boat ride from the city marina that cost you. 40 some odd years later we still talk about about that john boat & the places it took us. Castle Pinckney would be another fortification to do a story on. It sets a little further into the harbor on an Island named Shutes Folly & played a part in another confrontation South Carolina had with the Federal Government, The Nullification Crisis. Can't help but to be a history nerd growing up Charleston.
Ha! Nice one, today being the anniversary, you NAILED IT!! Hey, not sure if you're familiar with Ft. Lewis, Washington, but there's some history there. I spent 10 of my 14 years there and I have to say, it's a pretty impressive Fort. It's now called JBLM, they merged Ft. Lewis (Army) with McChord (Air Force)....sooo Joint Base Lewis McChord. Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either, but whattya do!! Thanks as always for making another great video, keep 'em comin'!!
