Why did the Confederacy want to control Fort Sumter? Fort Sumter was located in a Union state and controlling it would make it easier to hold off Union troops. Fort Sumter was located within the Confederacy, and it protected important shipping lanes and commercial areas. Fort Sumter was located on the border of a Union state and a Confederate state, which gave it a high strategic value. Fort Sumter was located within the Confederacy, and the Union wanted to use it to store weapons and other supplies.