I am much reassured by the fact that they have so effectively kept it out of the history books that I had to find the information by looking at scraps of what they did tell us which didn't make any sense.
Having had to go to the trouble of following the trail of clues that led to ever more revelations that nobody mentions in the history books, I am confident that I have a more accurate understanding of the events than I did four years ago.
I didn't know Lincoln sent a war fleet to attack the Confederates. No one mentioned that. They simply say "The confederates fired first!"
Well yeah, if I knew a fleet of warships was going to fire cannons at me when they arrived, I would want to take out the nearby fort to avoid getting caught between two opposing groups of cannons.
And nobody mentioned this relevant little detail. Funny that.
Ah yes. The grand conspiracy on the part of biographers and historians everywhere.
It's not mentioned because it's not true.
First of all, Lincoln's alleged "war fleet" in Charleston Harbor was exactly two ships on the morning of April 12, 1861 when Confederates began firing on Fort Sumter.
One was a transport ship the other a small coast guard cutter.
Some fleet.
Second, and more important, Lincoln's "war fleet" was under orders not to attack and not to use force if not resisted in its mission to... resupply Fort Sumter.
Third, Lincoln's plan was to resupply Fort Sumter using small boats under cover of darkness or fog, keeping his larger ships well off shore.
Fourth and most important, all that is irrelevant because Davis had already issued orders to seize Forts Sumter & Pickens, by force if necessary, thus starting Civil War.
Davis didn't care about it.
Indeed, he needed war to convert Virginia and the Upper South from Union to Confederates.
That was the "other consideration" he told Bragg about.
Blame Davis.