FORT SUMTER, CHARLESTON, SC; The Fort Sumter National Monument is an attraction located in Charleston, South Carolina. Although the fort has gained national attention for its part in the American Civil War, Fort Sumter was originally built following the War of 1812 in an attempt to further secure the Mexican – American border. The fort was built chiefly with slave labor and was actually unfinished in 1860 at the start of the Civil War.The Civil War Fort Sumter has the distinc