CIVIL WAR--FIRST BATTLE

From Knob Knowledge

The firing on the Star of the West by Citadel cadets on January 9, 1861 is often cited as the opening of the War; but the ship was not a United States Naval vessel, so the incident is considered by some to not have been a military engagement. The firing on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 is probably the most popular date for the first battle. However, it was not the first engagement on land. According to the West Point Atlas of American Wars, Vol. I, page facing map 18 (REF. G1201 .S1 U5), "the first engagement of the war had actually taken place on June 10, 1861, at Big Bethel (near Fort Monroe, Virginia), where Col. John B. Magruder won a victory for the Confederacy." (Source: Prof. John Coussons, Department of History, The Citadel, 1996) (DH)