SUNBURY — The Big Walnut Area Historical Society will host a virtual program via Zoom at 7 p.m. Monday, March 15. Presented by Van Young, the topic of the program is “The Battle of Fort Sumter – First Shots of the Civil War.”
A press release issued by the historical society details the history of the famous battle, which began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery fired on the Union garrison. These were the first shots of the war and continued all day, watched by many civilians in a celebratory spirit. The fort had been cut off from its supply line and surrendered the next day.
The March 15 program will focus on the events and decisions Lincoln and others had to make during the most desperate of days.
As for the history of the fort, the BWAHS notes that after the War of 1812, a series of fortifications were designed to protect the eastern coast of United States from naval attack. Named for Gen. Thomas Sumter, a hero of the American Revolution, Fort Sumter was built on an artificial island constructed in the channel on 70,000 tons of granite brought in from New England. The five-sided brick fort was never finished.
Young, who collects little known facts of the Civil War, will share the events leading to the battle and the results of it.
Young was born and raised in Ohio and has been a resident of Columbus for 40 years. When he retired from AT&T in 2012, he made one of his retirement goals to spend time studying about the Civil War. While he enjoys presenting a variety of American history subjects, he is very enamored with the Civil War.
Before the program, a Zoom link will be emailed to individuals receiving the monthly BWAHS newsletter via email, and a reminder will be sent the evening before the program. For those individuals who receive a paper copy but have access to Zoom programs via a computer or smartphone, contact Polly Horn at [email protected] in order to receive the Zoom link.
The Myers Inn Museum in Sunbury is open by appointment only. For details, call 740-965-3583 and leave a message.
