What was the first battle of the Civil War?

The first battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Fort Sumter, which took place in April 1861. This event marked the beginning of open conflict between the Northern Union states and the Southern Confederate states. The battle occurred when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, which was a Union-held fort located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The attack on Fort Sumter followed South Carolina's secession from the Union and was significant because it rallied support for the Confederate cause and galvanized the North to mobilize for war. This battle set the stage for the larger conflicts that would soon follow, making it a pivotal starting point in the Civil War.