[Non-Sequitur]

One of the newspaper reports says that in early April 1861, US Lt. Talbot on a mission from Washington asked the SC governor for permission to land an unarmed supply boat at Sumter. Permission was denied. Talbot went back to Washington. It was clear that any such expedition by Lincoln would be met with force.

You're partly right. Theodore Talbot and Robert Chew carried a message to Governor Pickens detailing the intention of the government to land food and supplies at Sumter. If that effort was unopposed then no troops or munitions would be landed and the status quo would be unchanged. It was a statement of intent. Permission was not denied because no permission was asked.

Lincoln sent armed warships on a mission where permission to enter SC waters had been denied. This wasn't provocative? Why did Lincoln send them? A token show of force for his Northern audience?

The provocation came earlier with intent of the Davis regime to force the garrison at Sumter to surrender by starving them out. They were the ones forcing the issue and demanding a change to the situation, not Lincoln.

[rustbucket]

Permission was not denied because no permission was asked.

That is not what the newspaper said -- not that I trust everything in newspapers (particularly today's), but the old newspapers, more often than not, have led me to find historical information before. In this case, the newspaper report contained elements of truth. It was made clear to Talbot that any vessel approaching the fort after being warned off would be shot at. So much for being able to deliver supplies to the fort.

Here is a letter of US Captain Foster of Talbot's meeting with the governor from the Official Records (excerpting and paragraphs and bolding are mine):

Fort Sumter, April 5, 1861

General JOS. G. TOTTEN,
Chief Engineer U. S. A., Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I wrote yesterday by Captain Talbot, who left here at 12 m., as bearer of dispatches from Major Anderson to the Government. Lieutenant Snyder accompanied him to the city as bearer of a communication to the governor and General Beauregard, relating to the firing upon the schooner Rhoda H. Shannon, and to the presence of the revenue cutter so near the walls of this fort.

The result of this mission, so far as I understand it, is this:

First, Captain Talbot, after some consultation, was permitted by the authorities to proceed to Washington.

Second, it was stated that no Engineer employee or enlisted man would be permitted to leave the fort until the command was withdrawn, in consequence of a dispatch from Commissioner Crawford, at Washington, to the effect that "I am authorized to say that this Government will not undertake to supply Fort Sumter without notice to you [Governor Pickens]. My opinion is that the President has not the courage to execute the order agreed on in Cabinet for the evacuation of the fort, but that he intends to shift the responsibility upon Major Anderson by suffering him to be starved out"; and that no more supplies for the fort could come from the city.

Third, that more stringent orders would be given to regulate the firing from the batteries and to restrict random firing, not, however, changing in the least the order to fire on any vessel attempting to force her way in after being warned off.

Fourth, disclaiming any knowledge of the revenue cutter so near the walls, and expressing a determination to investigate the subject.

In returning from the city Lieutenant Snyder called for the mail at Fort Johnson, where he also took on board a small supply of beef and cabbages, which had come from the city the day before, too late for our boat.

...

J. G. FOSTER,

Captain, Engineers

Note the supplies of beef and cabbages coming from the city to the fort.

Interestingly, Lt. Talbot's opinion above about Lincoln not having courage and leaving Anderson to take the responsibility appeared in the newspaper article too, though attributed to a private communication from one of the Southern Commissioners in Washington. Here is what the article quoting the private communication said (The Memphis Daily Appeal of April 7, 1861, reporting on an article in the Charleston Daily Courier of April 4):

" ... the President had not the courage to execute the order which has been decided upon in the Cabinet to remove the garrison. The President has now determined to throw the responsibility of evacuation upon Major Anderson, and make him the scape-goat to satisfy the disappointment of the Black Republicans of the North.

This is almost word for word what Talbot said. Man what a disinformation campaign Lincoln was running! Either that or the newspaper did not want to attribute to Talbot something disparaging he said about his president at the private meeting between Talbot and the governor and so attributed it to a private correspondence from Washington.