One hundred and fifty years ago, at 4.30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, artillery batteries under the control of the newly formed Confederate States of America opened fire on federal troops in Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Decades of growing tension had culminated in the secession of seven Southern slave states and the Confederacy was moving quickly to seize control of federal government facilities in its section. Fort Sumter was a great prize but had been holding out and now the guns were called upon to resolve the issue. Huge crowds had joyously welcomed secession and now they clambered onto…