On this day: January 9



OTD January 9 - Star of the West
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Library of Congress

1861: The Star of the West, a civilian steamship hired by the United States government to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of Fort Sumter in South Carolina, is fired upon by cadets from The Citadel as the ship enters Charleston Harbor. Although the Star of the West did not suffer any major damage, her captain, John McGowan, considered it too dangerous to continue and turned about to leave the harbor and return to New York City. The incident, which came after South Carolina had voted to secede but before other states had done so to form the Confederacy (although Mississippi voted to secede the same day), is considered by some historians to be the "First Shots of the American Civil War."


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