Dennis Lyall (American, B. 1946) "The Stars and Stripes - Fort Sumter Flag" Signed lower right. Original Oil on Canvas painting. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 33c Fort Sumter Flag Classic Collection Series stamp issued June 14, 2000. By early 1861, several Southern states had seceded from the Union, claiming possession of all U.S. forts and arsenals within their territory. Fort Sumter -- named for Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Sumter -- was located on Sullivan's Island at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Union troops were garrisoned at Fort Sumter under the command of Major Robert Anderson. Confederate authorities demanded that President Abraham Lincoln surrender the fort to the South. Although Fort Sumter was of no strategic value to the Union -- it was an incomplete structure whose 60 guns pointed toward the Atlantic -- Lincoln believed the fort symbolized national unity and refused to surrender it to the Confederacy. The president dispatched much-needed supplies to the garrison, but before they arrived, South Carolina troops, led by General Pierre Beauregard, opened fire on the fort. The shelling began at dawn on April 12, 1861, marking the first engagement of the Civil War. The U.S. garrison surrendered two days later. The Fort Sumter flag features 13 red and white stripes, representing the 13 original colonies. A diamond-shaped grouping of white stars is displayed on the blue canton. Image Size: 14 x 11.5 in. Overall Size: 18 x 14 in. Unframed. (B16806)