Lead: In February 1861, the newly formed Confederate government dispatched General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard to command Charleston, South Carolina, a city shimmering on the edge of crisis. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: By February of 1861, South Carolina, after seceding from the Union two months earlier, had seized control of Federal property in the state – with one exception. Fort Sumter, commanded by West Point graduate Major Robert Anderson, had refused to surrender. Confederate government sitting in Montgomery, Alabama, dispatched General Beauregard to Charleston to handle a tense situation which was becoming a symbolic point of tension North and South. Ironically, Robert Anderson was Beauregard’s artillery instructor at West Point, and at the time they were friends. Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [68.96 KB] Share
