Cannons boomed in the wee hours around Charleston Harbor, recreating the bombardment of Fort Sumter that plunged the nation into the Civil War on April 12 th, 1861.
The South Carolina ceremony today begins the four-year national commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the nation's bloodiest war.
A somber concert entitled "When Jesus Wept" is being staged before dawn Tuesday on the Battery in Charleston.
The war resulted in more than 600,000 deaths, although during the bombardment of Sumter only a Confederate officer's horse was killed.
But two Union troops died of wounds they suffered when a cannon exploded during the surrender ceremony.
Union troops in the fort surrendered after absorbing 36 hours of Confederate shells and a re-enactment of the surrender is set for Thursday.
Perhaps no other event in U.S. history continues to fascinate Americans as much as the Civil War.
There's no sign of that diminishing, as the nation this week marks the 150th anniversary of the opening shots of the conflict.
The war still sparks strong emotions among some South Carolina natives, including the debate over what it should be named.
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
