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"Had those ships obeyed the orders they had been given, (but could not because the Powhatan command ship was sent to Florida without their knowledge) every ship would have been destroyed by the Confederate shore batteries."

Total nonsense, which by now DiogenesLamp full-well knows but refuses to acknowledge, preferring his own fantasies.

Funny. Lieutenant Porter wrote in his memoirs the exact thing I said. He wrote that those ships would have been torn to pieces and every one sunk.

I think Abner Doubleday also said they would have been wiped out.

Lincoln's "use of force" orders only referred to possible Confederate boats interfering with Lincoln's resupply boats.

I believe the orders referred to "resisted in any way."

So what were the warships going to do, wave flags at them? What is the point of warships being sent if warships are not going to do anything warry?

DiogenesLamp: "Funny. Lieutenant Porter wrote in his memoirs the exact thing I said.
He wrote that those ships would have been torn to pieces and every one sunk.
I think Abner Doubleday also said they would have been wiped out."

First, didn't Porter go with Powhattan to Fort Pickens, not Sumter?

Second, "Lincoln's plan" originated with Doubleday -- it was effectively the Doubleday/Fox/Lincoln plan and it was simply to use the cover of darkness and small boats to resupply Fort Sumter from larger ships sitting off shore well out of Confederate gun range.

DiogenesLamp:"I believe the orders referred to 'resisted in any way.' "

Orders to Fox & others used the words "opposed" and "resistance" without other modifiers like "in any way".

Regardless, no orders told any Union commanders to attack or assault Confederates in Charleston harbor, only to protect the Union boats delivering supplies to Fort Sumter.