Signed approved: Abraham Lincoln
April 4, 1861
To: Lieut. Col. H.L. Scott, Aide de Camp
This will be handed to you by Captain G.V. Fox, an ex-officer of the Navy. He is charged by authority here, with the command of an expedition (under cover of certain ships of war) whose object is, to reinforce Fort Sumter.
To embark with Captain Fox, you will cause a detachment of recruits, say about 200, to be immediately organized at fort Columbus, with competent number of officers, arms, ammunition, and subsistence, with other necessaries needed for the augmented garrison at Fort Sumter.
Signed: Winfield Scott
Yes, I've seen that, but there are other orders which more closely reflect Lincoln's instructions, and his promise to South Carolina Governor Pickens that no reinforcements would be landed if no resistance was met at Charleston.
An earlier comment said you doubted if Lincoln ever intended to land those 200 troops... if you think about it, they were ordered not to land if there was no resistance, but as events proved, in the face of resistance they were completely unable to land.
So what did Lincoln really intend?
The answer is that Lincoln's mission commander, Gustavus Fox, sold Lincoln & cabinet on his plan to quickly go in, make his deliveries and then get the h*ll back out again, with or without reinforcing Fort Sumter.
My opinion is that Lincoln believed he must do something more than a cowardly surrender of the fort, and Fox's plan was the best he could do, under the circumstances.