Which battle is often cited as the beginning of the Civil War?

The Battle of Fort Sumter is often cited as the beginning of the Civil War because it marked the first significant military engagement between the Union and Confederate forces. On April 12, 1861, Confederate artillery opened fire on Fort Sumter, which was a Union stronghold located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The attack on Fort Sumter was initiated after South Carolina had seceded from the Union and demanded the surrender of the fort, which the Union refused.

The surrender of Fort Sumter took place on April 13, 1861, following a 34-hour bombardment. This event galvanized both Northern and Southern sentiments, leading to a surge in enlistments for the Union army and the rallying of Southern forces to defend their newly formed Confederacy. The attack signified the breakdown of any potential for peaceful resolution to the divisions between North and South and immediately escalated tensions into open conflict, thus marking the official start of the Civil War.

In contrast, the other battles listed occurred later in the war. The Battle of Antietam took place in September 1862 and is significant for being one of the bloodiest single-day battles in American history. Gettysburg, fought in July 1863, is often seen as