Several of the ships were armed. And they were carrying men and munitions to be landed at Sumter if the resupply was opposed. But had the South not chosen to start the war, the fleet would have done nothing but land food and supplies, no reinforcements or munitions.
Maybe. I don’t want to argue about the details of the lead up to the engagement.
But. it seems to me there was a lot of tinder laid about. Do you really think that but for Fort Sumter, there would have been no Civil War?
‘But had the South not chosen to start the war, the fleet would have done nothing but land food and supplies, no reinforcements or munitions.’
please don’t confuse our Civil War genius with logical premises; he refuses to accept that the Southrons were spoiling for war...
Had Lincoln not intended to start the war, he would have ordered the evacuation of that utterly useless fort as various US Government officials had been telling the South would happen soon.
In fact, it was so certain that the "National Republican", (Official Newspaper of the Republican Party") announced the Fort was to be evacuated.