[BroJoeK]

Bull snipe: "If not, the ships were authorized to use force to land not only provisions by munitions and two companies of artillerymen."

DiogenesLamp: "And what "force" would they use?"

The Lincoln-Fox plan was to land supplies at Fort Sumter, in small boats at night ideally under cover of fog.
As such, it might have required no use of force.
The plan originated (so he claimed) from Ft. Sumter's Captain Doubleday and could have succeeded, if Maj. Anderson had held the fort long enough.

Let's also remember that on April 3 -- before Lincoln ordered the mission -- Jefferson Davis wrote Bragg to say he intended to start war at Forts Sumter and Pickens regardless of what Lincoln did or didn't do.

All of which DiogenesLamp well knows but refuses to acknowledge because it explodes his anti-Lincoln narrative.

[DiogenesLamp]

As such, it might have required no use of force.

So why then did the bulk of the ships consist of warships?

Let's also remember that on April 3 -- before Lincoln ordered the mission -- Jefferson Davis wrote Bragg to say he intended to start war at Forts Sumter and Pickens regardless of what Lincoln did or didn't do.

Third time you've said this to me. I look forward to you providing a copy of the text or a link to same.

All of which DiogenesLamp well knows...

Not at all. I've never heard this letter to Braxton Bragg thing before.