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This is all your link has to say on the matter. I will see if I can find you some of the other accounts I have read.

On April 16 the expeditionary force of Colonel Brown and Captain Meigs arrived at Fort Pickens, approaching the island on the seaward side and offloading without incident two hundred soldiers that night and the rest of the men and cargo, including the horses, on the seventeenth. Also on the seventeenth the Powhatan , whose mission had been to cover the landing, hove somewhat anticlimactically into view.
Her commander, though coming late to the feast, did his best to bring drama to the occasion. He appeared flying the British flag, apparently hoping to run past the shore batteries and enter the harbor itself. The businesslike Colonel Brown did not relish the idea of having his landing parties harassed by the Confederate fire that Porter seemed intent on provoking. So Meigs was dispatched on an errand that, in a final flourish of bravado, Porter reports thus: I ran in for the harbor, crossed the bar, and was standing up to Round Fort, when a tug put out from Pickens and placed herself across my path. Captain Meigs was on board the tug, waving a document, and, hailing, said he had an order from Colonel Brown. It was to the following effect: “Don’t permit Powhatan to run the batteries or attempt to go inside. It will bring the fire of the enemy on the fort before we are prepared.” I felt like running over Meig’s tug, but obeyed the order. The stars and stripes were hoisted, in hopes the enemy would open fire, but they did not, nor do I believe they had any intention of so doing.

Here is another bit.

As for the other matter, the entrance of Captain Porter into the harbor at this time, I agree with you in opinion. It was only by exhibiting your letter to him and indorsing most thoroughly my agreement with it, and giving him a copy of the General Orders just published to all officers to co-operate as you desired, that I stopped this gallant officer, bent on a desperate deed of self-sacrifice and devotion to his country. He will await your orders, as I shall, in all obedience and fealty.

And this:

On the morning of the 17th, while engaged in landing the horses, the Powhatan, which we had passed without seeing her during the voyage, hove in sight. A note from Colonel Brown advised me that in his opinion her entrance into the harbor at that time would bring on a collision, which it was very important to defer until our stores, guns, and ammunition were disposed of.
As the enemy did not seem inclined yet to molest us; as with 600 troops in the fort and three war steamers anchored close inshore there was no danger of a successful attempt at a landing by the enemy, it was evident that it was important to prevent a collision, and her entrance would have uselessly exposed a gallant officer and a devoted crew to extreme dangers.
The circumstances had changed since Captain Porter’s orders had been issued by the President. Knowing the imperative nature of these orders and the character of him who bore them, I feared that it would not be possible to arrest his course; but requesting the commander of {p.397} the Wyandotte, on board of which I fortunately found myself at the time I received Colonel Brown’s letter, to get under way and place his vessel across the path of the Powhatan, making signal that I wished to speak with him, I succeeded at length, in spite of his changes of course and his disregard oil our signals, in stopping this vessel, which steered direct for the perilous channel on which frowned the guns of McRee, Barrancas, and many newly-constructed batteries.

I think the most telling account is Porter's own statements on the subject, told in his memoirs.

The weather was dreadful, but on the 17th •of April the " Powhatan " arrived off Fort Pickens and found that the chartered steam- er " Atlantic," with the Army contingent, had arrived the day before. "^Lieut. Porter stood in towards the bar and had crossed it -and was standing for Fort McRea, with his <;rew at their guns, when Capt. Meigs in a large Government vessel laid right in the track of the " Powhatan " and signalled that he wanted to communicate. The ship was stopped and Capt Meigs came on board, handing to Lieut. Porter a protest against his going inside the harbor, on the ground that Fort Pickens was unprepared for an attack from the enemy's batteries, and if the " Powhatan " entered it would draw their fire upon the fort ! Capt. Meigs had obtained, before he left Washington, au- thority from the President to take this course of action in case the officer com- manding the troops objected to the ship going in.
There was nothing to be done but listen to Col. Harvey Brown's plea, and obey the im- plied order of the President ; and thus the opportunity was lost of reasserting the authority of the Government to have its vessels go in and out of any port as it pleased their commanders to do. As it hap- pened there was no actual necessity for the ship to go inside, but that was not the.ques- iion : it was whether the Government had iny right to its own forts, ships and har- bors; and in starting to enter the harbor, Lieut. Porter wished to test how far the Government rights would be respected, and if not respected to cause them to be so by the power of his guns.
The President and the Secretary of State had shown great decision in fitting out this expedition, and, for the times, great moral courage in permitting it to go on, with the certainty that the guns of the " Powhatan " would be liberally used in dealing with the insurgents. But the timid policy of Col. Brown and his authority to preVent the commander of the " Powhatan " from en- tering Pensacola harbor, took all that was exciting out of this expedition, and turned what would have been a handsome dash into simply convoy duty.
After Lieut. Porter had discussed Col. Brown's protest with Capt Meigs, and care- fully considered the matter, he reluctantly turned the "Powhatan's " head toward the steamer " Atlantic," and anchored within 20 fathoms of the beach, with hawsers to keep her broadside bearing on the Navy Yard.

...

On the second day after the arrival of the " Powhatan," a flotilla, composed of steam tugs, schooners and large launches, filled with soldiers, was seen to be coming from the direction of Pensacola, and heading for the two ships lying outside of Santa Rosa Island. There were about twenty-five of these small vessels, but the number of troops was not known.
This flotilla approached to within a mile and a half of the beach on Santa Rosa Island, and as they were either going to land there, or reinforce the insurrectionary army, it was time to stop their approach. The 11-inch gun on board the " Powhatan " was cast loose, and a shell fired, which burst directly over the middle of the flotilla. The consequence was a rapid retreat of the ex- pedition towards Pensacola. No doubt they had taken the " Powhatan " and " At- lantic " for two store-ships which they ex- pected to capture. Perhaps it was in- tended to attack Fort Pickens, for the troops from the "Atlantic " had been landed at night, and had not been seen by the enemy.
The "Powhatan's" 11-inch gun was re- loaded and pointed in the direction of the Navy Yard, where groups of idle soldiers were watching the operations. It was fired, and the shrapnel shell exploded in the midst of the yard, and at once cleared it of all occupants.
If the Confederates wanted an excuse to commence hostilities the opportunity had been given them ; but the fact was, they were not at all prepared for such a contin- gency, as the troops in Charleston were, and after a year's occupation of Pensacola never advanced sufficiently with their for- tifications to keep three steam frigates out of their harbor.

https://archive.org/stream/cu31924032779385/cu31924032779385_djvu.txt