The attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbour, South Carolina on 12 April 1861 marked the beginning of the American Civil War, a conflict that would last four years, claim more than 620,000 lives, and set almost four million enslaved people free. The South Carolina Militia quickly captured the fort from the Union garrison stationed there, after which Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee also joined the Confederacy, bringing the total number of rebel states to 11. The flag seen here, however, is the original 'Stars and Bars' with only seven stars.
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