[DiogenesLamp]

Noooooo. There was no "fleet" in Charleston Harbor on April 11, there was only one small ship -- the Revenue Cutter USRC Harriet Lane arrived late in the day and never got anywhere close to "South Carolina's sovereign territory".

Don't be dishonest.

You know, or ought to know, given how many times i've covered this, that the fleet consisted of several ships, most of which were warships.

Those ships were:

Powhatan, the command ship, led by Captain Mercer.
Pocahontas,
Pawnee,
Harriet Lane,
Yankee,
Baltic, acting as a troop carrier and loaded with troops and munitions,
Thomas Freeborn,
Uncle Ben

The ships orders were sent to the Confederates, and they knew exactly what those ships orders said. "If resisted, Use Entire Force..." and they looked at it as an attack, which is exactly how Lincoln wanted them to see it.

So yes. WAR FLEET. SENT TO ATTACK.

Proved.

[BroJoeK]

DiogenesLamp: "The ships orders were sent to the Confederates, and they knew exactly what those ships orders said.
"If resisted, Use Entire Force..." and they looked at it as an attack, which is exactly how Lincoln wanted them to see it.
So yes.
WAR FLEET.
SENT TO ATTACK.
Proved."

No, you've proved nothing except that you love to lie straight-faced.

The truth is that Lincoln himself informed SC Gov. Pickens of his resupply mission to Fort Sumter, and that no force would be used unless it was resisted.
So Pickens and Davis had every opportunity to allow the resupply, and no force would be required or used on either side.

But that's not what Davis or Pickens wanted -- both wanted a showdown to force Ft. Sumter's surrender, and to spill enough blood to get Virginians off their fence sitting to vote for secession.

"There are the words of Virginian Roger Pryor, who, speaking to a Charleston audience on April 10, 1861, said,

"But I assure you that just as certain as tomorrow's sun will rise upon us, just so certain will Virginia be a member of the Southern Confederacy; and I will tell your Governor what will put her in the Southern Confederacy in less than an hour by Shrewsbury clock. Strike a blow!"

[Ibid.,_ p. 289] "That same day, Davis received a telegram from Louis T. Wigfall, urging,

"General Beauregard will not act without your order.
Let me suggest to you to send the order to him to begin the attack as soon as he is ready.
Virginia is excited by the preparations, and a bold stroke on our side will complete her purposes.
Policy and prudence are urgent upon us to begin at once."
[Wigfall to Davis, 10 Apr 1861, quoted in Richard N. Current, _Lincoln and the First Shot,_ p. 151]"

As Jefferson Davis himself confessed to CSA Gen. Bragg at Pensacola, FL:

"There would be to us an advantage in so placing them [Lincoln] that an attack by them [Lincoln] would be a necessity, but when we are ready to relieve our territory and jurisdiction of the presence of a foreign garrison [Fort Sumter] that advantage is overbalanced by other considerations.

The case of Pensacola [Ft. Pickens] then is reduced [to] the more palpable elements of a military problem and your measures may without disturbing views be directed to the capture of Fort Pickens and the defence of the harbor. You will soon have I hope a force sufficient to occupy all the points necessary for that end.
As many additional troops as may be required can be promptly furnished.'
[Jefferson Davis to Braxton Bragg, 3 Apr 1861]"

Davis intended to start Civil War at both Forts Sumter and Pickens regardless of what Lincoln did or didn't do.

So this whole argument is simply ridiculous and you guys 100% know the truth, but 100% refuse under all circumstances to confess it.

Why?