Cannons boomed around Charleston Harbor today, to recreate the bombardment of Fort Sumter that plunged the nation into the Civil War on April 12, 1861.
The South Carolina ceremony began this morning with the four-year national commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the nation's bloodiest war.
Around 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, a single beam of light was aimed skyward from Fort Sumter. Then about half-hour later - around the time of the first shots of the war - the beam split into two beams, signifying a nation torn in two.
The war resulted in more than 600,000 deaths, although during the bombardment of Sumter only a Confederate officer's horse was killed.
Union troops in the fort surrendered after absorbing 36 hours of Confederate shells.
Communities in several upstate New York towns plan to ring bells to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
Historians in neighboring Genesee and Livingston counties in rural western New York hope to have scores of schools, churches, courthouses and other government buildings ring bells for two minutes at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday to commemorate the beginning of the four-year war.
Bells will also be rung across Rensselaer County, where a re-enactment group will hold a ceremonial cannon firing at noon.
In Brooklyn, the Culinary Historians of New York plan to mark the 150th anniversary with a lecture: "Starving the South: How the North Won the Civil War."
New York State contributed the most men during the Civil War and suffered the most casualties, with more than 53,000 killed out of the 500,000 from New York who served.
Here in Central New York, the Onondaga Historical Association will use technology and social media to link today's citizens with the thoughts of several local men who lived through the war. The OHA will take excerpts from the diaries and letters of six individuals and tweet them 150 years to the day of when they were originally put to paper with pen and ink.
In a news release, the OHA says "Followers will see how the beautifully eloquent language of the Victorian era creates a poetically ironic twist to the raw and, at times, horrific scenes they describe. Their patriotism is inspiring and their stories are compelling and emotionally moving as they provide first-hand testimony regarding the ordeals and observations of the typical Civil War soldier."
For background on the six men click here. To follow them on Twitter click here.
