Who do you think he had in mind? Who specifically was he gunning for? The bombardment lasted 34 hours. If he wanted to kill someone he had ample time to improve his aim.
Since in your view "he wanted to kill someone" and his bloodlust hadn't been satiated by the end of the bombardment, what was the man to do?
Well, he could have slaughtered them all at the surrender ceremony and cut off their ears and sent them to Lincoln.
But he just didn't.
He honored their surrender and their flag lowering ceremony that followed.
He let them go in peace.
If only Lincoln could have been so magnanimous.
So are you honestly trying to claim that the Confederate gunners were making every attempt not to kill anyone while at the same time bombarding the fort to pieces? Really?
He let them go in peace.
After pounding their fort to pieces.
If only Lincoln could have been so magnanimous.
So your complaint is that Lincoln did not react to the Confederate act of war by immediately surrendering. One could easily say that had the Confederates not started the war in the first place then the death and destruction that followed could be avoided. The question now is who is more to blame? The party that accepted war and fought back? Or the party that started the war to begin with? My vote is for the later.