Charleston, South Carolina. Flag-Raising Ceremony at Fort Sumter. Awaiting the Arrival of Gen. Anderson and Invited Guests to Inaugurate the Ceremony of Raising the Flag

 

Crowds filled the interior of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 14, 1865, waiting for the flag to be raised again over the fort where the Civil War had begun. A simple platform trimmed with bunting stood at the center, surrounded by soldiers, officials, and civilians who had come to witness the moment. Major General Robert Anderson, who surrendered the post in 1861, returned to lift the same flag that had been lowered at the start of the conflict. Four years of war had passed, and the ceremony served as a public sign that the Union had been restored.