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The mere presence of a presumably hostile force at the entrance to one of your major ports is itself a deterrent of trade. Nobody wants to be the first to learn that they may be fired upon by a change in policy that occurred while they were crossing the Atlantic.

And yet trade was not deterred. Ships kept entering and leaving Charleston right up until the time the Confederacy started the war.

Have you never heard of the "Sword of Damocles"? Same principle.

Only if you're looking for an excuse to start a war. Which the Confederacy was.

They influenced the people, and who can say that what is editorial opinion one day is not going to be National policy the next? Certainly the Chicago Newspapers got the war for which they called.

So did the Southern newspapers.

And yet trade was not deterred. Ships kept entering and leaving Charleston right up until the time the Confederacy started the war.

And you happen to know somehow that this was exactly the same number that would have done so had there been no Federal Troops with cannons overlooking the entrance?

You don't think it was a slightly uneasy situation for ships entering the harbor and not knowing what might happen?

Only if you're looking for an excuse to start a war. Which the Confederacy was.

The Confederacy could have attacked the US at dozens of places other than Ft. Sumter. They had no desire to do so because nobody was giving them any trouble anywhere else.

The Confederacy did not need a war. All they wanted was to trade with Europe without 40% or more of their money ending up in Washington DC and New York. Lincoln needed the war, otherwise the North would have been devastated by the collapse of their manufacturing and shipping.

One had a serious financial motive to start a war. The other did not.

So did the Southern newspapers.

If you can find some Southern Newspapers calling for war against the North prior to Lincoln sending those ships to Charleston, feel free to post this information. I will make note of it.