They knew Lincoln was going to send a war fleet back in mid march. Washington DC was full of Southern spies and sympathizers. The Southern government was sent a telegram from Washington DC telling them that a war fleet was coming. I might be able to find that again because I think I saved a link for it on my other computer.
You are looking at this stuff from the perspective that everything Lincoln or the Union government said was true. You do not even consider the possibility that Lincoln or his government would lie to anyone, or deliberately mislead people, so you just accept what you are told at face value.
Lincoln meant to provoke a confrontation. Lincoln needed a war, and the South did not. Their actions have been attributed to them just being a bunch of hot heads who were spoiling for a war. People see what they want to see, and a little propaganda makes it easy for people to see what they want to see.
Lincoln started that war. He had both the motive and the means, and the evidence points to him.
“They knew Lincoln was going to send a war fleet back in mid march.”
1 - It was NOT a war fleet. We KNOW what the orders were, and their orders were to function ONLY in a defensive mode.
2 - Lincoln sent a letter to South Carolina. They didn’t need spies because Lincoln didn’t HIDE anything.
3 - The South CHOSE to attack. They didn’t have to. They decided to start the war. It isn’t open to discussion. THEY FIRED THE FIRST SHOTS!