The South was looking for a fight. There is no denying that. Beauregard in Charleston was itching to fire on those forts.
Lincoln by resupplying the forts, on purpose, gave the South the provocation.
Both sides are equally guilty for this war. No side escapes censor for its start.
So, let me repeat my main point: The South was looking for a fight, and Lincoln only too gladly gave them what they were looking for.
You can spin and dance around this issue all you want, but both sides thought it would be decided at First Manassas and both sides thought they would get want they wanted. A restored Union or Independence. In that mind set, they only too eagerly collided at Fort Sumter.
How dare you inject history into this discussion!
And yet all of your Southron cohorts would have us believe that the entire blame for the conflict lies with Lincoln. I give you credit for admitting that the South was looking for an excuse.
Did either side really want a war? I honestly don't know. I think that Lincoln was trying to do whatever he could to avoid one while at the same time hanging on to the remaining federal property in the South. But did he really, honestly believe that there could be a peaceful resolution? I don't know for sure. I think that the South was a little more anxious to resort to war believing, as you pointed out, that it would be a short and fairly bloodless one. But once the die had been cast at Charleston there was no more desire on the North to rein in the dogs of war than there was in Richmond.