Musings on a Ft. Sumter anniversary.

[rpierson]

I recently read through some of the info on the reenactment & commemoration of the firing on Ft. Sumter. Upon reflection, I was struck by a few things & thought this forum could offer a sample of the wide spectrum of feelings surrounding the historic acts of April 12-13 1861.

My reaction upon reading of the upcoming recreation of the firing on Ft. Sumter could be lumped into two categories. The first was & still is, "COOL". As a student of American histroy, the opportunity to witness an interpretation of an event that fundamentally changed the course of U.S. and world history sounds awesome. My second reaction was & still is, that it seems odd to commemorate the firing upon a Federal military installation by a group of citizens in rebellion. Never mind the fact that these events occurred 150 years ago, they still amount to a pretty serious offense. What's more perplexing is that there will be a fair amount of current Federal employees (NPS) taking part in this event.

It has long been popular to compare the events of April 12, 1861 to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. It was an electric shock that was felt by every citizen north or south and all knew precisely what it meant. While CW veterans were glad to take part in reunions and "reenactments" of the great battles of the war, I wonder how they would feel about the recreation of the firing on Ft. Sumter? Surely their reactions would be mixed as well...

Anyway, I'm curious to hear what folks think & PLEASE don't turn this into a crazy flame war.

-Randall Pierson

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Musings on a Ft. Sumter anniversary.

My thoughts the last couple of days have been along these lines as well. On the one hand, while I can't be in Charleston this week, I would love to see a live broadcast or video of the bombardment of Sumter and the planned light display. I wish that I could stand on Sumter's ramparts and see the muzzle flashes of the artillery around the harbor. On the other hand, when I took my son to the town park to play this morning, I looked at the Parrott rifle and soldier monument and wondered whether that gun would ever have been made, and what the lives of the men who left Macomb to fight, and some never return, if that first lanyard at Moultrie had never been pulled. Perhaps this could provide a moment of national introspection on our combined loss, besides the commemoration of battles and great men. The first shell fired in South Carolina led to the loss of a generation of men in some areas and radically changed the nature of our country.

Just my thoughts.