How the Civil War Began, an April 1861 Timeline – April 6

In a pivotal communication penned in his own handwriting, President Abraham Lincoln addressed U.S. Maj. Robert Anderson stationed at Fort Sumter, stating: “I am directed by the President of the United States to notify you to expect an attempt will be made to supply Fort Sumter with provisions only; and that, if such an attempt be not resisted, no effort to throw in men, arms, or ammunition will be made without further notice.” A copy of this crucial letter was also sent to South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens, despite opposition from Lincoln’s Cabinet. Historian Robert Rosen, in *A Short History of Charleston*, describes the note's wording as “a masterpiece of ambiguity.”

Recognizing the varied interpretations among different parties, Southern historian Charles W. Ramsdell elaborates in his 1937 work, *Lincoln and Fort Sumter*: “To the suspicious and apprehensive Confederates it did not merely give information that provisions would be sent to Anderson’s garrison – which should be enough to bring about an attempt to take the fort – but it carried a threat that force would be used if the provisions were not allowed to be brought in. … To Northern readers the same words meant only that the government was taking food to hungry men to whom it was under special obligation. Northern men would see no threat; they would understand only that their government did not propose to use force if it could be avoided.”

Readers may recall from Thursday’s post that on April 5, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, ordered two warships, the USS Powhatan and USS Pawnee, along with the steamer USS Pocahontas and the USS Revenue Cutter Harriet Lane, to sail to provision Fort Sumter. Three tugboats were dispatched to assist in landing reinforcements at the fort, with Capt. Samuel Mercer in command of the expedition.

However, an unexpected last-minute change was occurring on the flagship, the Powhatan, which was crucial for successfully delivering supplies to Anderson at Fort Sumter. When the Powhatan departed from New York on the evening of April 6, it was not under Capt. Mercer’s command but rather under Lt. David D. Porter. Instead of heading to Fort Sumter, Porter was tasked with delivering the ship to Fort Pickens in Pensacola, FL. These new orders had been issued secretly under Lincoln’s direct authorization.

Believing there was a mix-up and after a brief meeting with the President that left the situation unclear, Lincoln’s Secretary of War, William H. Seward, sent a telegram to Lt. Porter, commanding him to deliver the Powhatan immediately to Capt. Mercer. Porter’s response was firm: “HAVE RECEIVED CONFIDENTIAL ORDERS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND SHALL OBEY THEM.”

What was happening behind the scenes?

Rosen suggests that “… the Confederates already knew from intelligence and even newspaper reports that a large naval expedition was on its way. Theoretically, no one knew the destination of Captain Fox’s ships, but Lincoln’s message had implied that force would be available. It was assumed that Fox’s expedition must be that force. Some of the ships were actually heading to Pensacola, but that fact was kept secret, so secret that the Confederates assumed incorrectly that the entire expedition was headed for Charleston.”

Meanwhile, Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut, the wife of Col. James Chesnut, who served as Beauregard’s second-in-command, noted in her diary that day: “The plot thickens, the air is red hot with rumors… in spite of all, Tom Huger came for us and we went on the Planter to take a look at Morris Island…”

As Mary and her friends enjoyed a lovely spring day inspecting the Morris Island batteries, we will pause our narrative for today.