[lentulusgracchus]

[Me] The Constitution had nothing to do with it after South Carolina withdrew, but you knew that.

It would still apply to the U.S. government. Sumter could not be relinquished without congressional approval.

That's an internal problem of U.S. governance, something for Lincoln to work out with the Congress. Assuming Lincoln was working on a peace policy -- in which case, it would be appropriate to include State Department and receive commissioners from the departing States. Instead, Lincoln started giving orders to the Sec'y of War and the Sec'y of the Navy.

[Non-Sequitur]

That's an internal problem of U.S. governance, something for Lincoln to work out with the Congress. Assuming Lincoln was working on a peace policy -- in which case, it would be appropriate to include State Department and receive commissioners from the departing States. Instead, Lincoln started giving orders to the Sec'y of War and the Sec'y of the Navy.

Of course it was. Rule of law? That's Lincoln's problem. Grand theft and fraud? That was the Davis regime's chosen path.

[rustbucket]

On a recent excursion to the library, I found where a rupture had taken place between Winfield Scott and Buchanan (Feb 1, 1861 New York Times): "There is no longer any doubt that a serious rupture has taken place between the President and Gen. Scott ..." The paper said this was because Buchanan had been more "vacilating [sic] and willful relative to the secession movement" than Scott.

At this time Scott was pushing for the reinforcement of the remaining forts in Union hands consistent with Lincoln's December letter to be ready to reinforce or retake the forts at or after Lincoln's inauguration. Scott, the General-in-chief, sent the January 21 order sending the Brooklyn to reinforce Fort Pickens [Link].

The secret mission of the Brooklyn was discovered and its objective published in the papers. When faced with the likelihood that war would result, Buchanan backed off and sent orders to stop the Brooklyn. Perhaps this and other differences of opinion were behind the "serious rupture" reported a few days later in the New York Times. Lincoln's meddling may have contributed to the rupture.