Abner Doubleday was an 1842 graduate of the U. S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point and a veteran of the Mexican warwhen he was assigned to Fort Moultriein the summer of 1860. A Captain of Artillery, he served as second in commandof the garrison at the historic fort when the curtain rose on the dramaticevents leading to the outbreak of the War Between the States. Doubleday alsohad the distinction of aiming the first cannon fired in response to thebombardment of Fort Sumter.