This is a painting of Fort Sumter while it was being attacked.  This picture shows how the fort had no chance of winning.  There was nowhere for the people to go and nowhere for them to hide they just had to hope for the best.  This was just in the fist couple of hours the fort was six times as bad at the end.  The battle lasted 34 hours. Fort Sumter was 5 feet thick and over 50 feet tall.  It was made to hold 650 people with about 100 34 pound cannons and 150 regular 12 inch cannons.  The fort overlooked the Charleston Harbor and who ever controled the fort controled the harbor.  Hayden and Christian.