Tell the whole truth.
excerpt of orders to the senior naval officer of the Sumter mission from the Secretary of the Navy
“Should the authorities at Charleston, however, refuse to permit or attempt to prevent the vessel or vessels having supplies on board from entering the harbor or from peaceably proceeding to Fort Sumter, you will protect the transports or boats of the expedition in the object of this mission — disposing of your force in such a manner as to open the way for their ingress, and afford, so far as practicable, security to the men and boats, and repelling, by force if necessary, all obstructions to provisioning the fort and reinforcing it; for in case of resistance to the peaceable primary object of the expedition, a reinforcement of the garrison will also be attempted.”
Nothing in these orders directs an attack against Charleston or Confederate forces surrounding Charleston. Force is authorized only if the resupply effort is opposed by Confederate forces. That is the whole truth.
The naval forces followed the orders to the letter. Even when Sumter was being bombarded, they would not fire on the Confederate Forces because their orders authorized force only to aid the resupply effort, which was never attempted.
That is a good practice for all of us. You cite the Navy secretary's order.
Now cite General Winfield Scott's order. I believe it is clearer on the point.
Force is authorized only if the resupply effort is opposed by Confederate forces. That is the whole truth.
That is absolutely correct. Rational people see it as a forgone conclusion that the "resupply effort" was going to be opposed, so therefore the orders become "use force."
The Confederates saw it as engagement orders. That is the rational way to see it. That is how Lincoln wanted them to see it, all the while allowing him to maintain plausible deniability to people in the North who would only see it as a "supply" mission. The warships might give them pause, but only briefly.
Lincoln was a very clever wordsmith and political manipulator.
"The naval forces followed the orders to the letter. Even when Sumter was being bombarded, they would not fire on the Confederate Forces because their orders authorized force only to aid the resupply effort, which was never attempted."
Thanks for a great post!