Pretty much, yeah. Lincoln made his intentions clear in letters to Governor Pickens and Major Anderson, the ships would unload provisions only unless opposition to that action was shown by the southern forces.
It is true that President Lincoln sent instructions with Captain Chew to be delivered to Gov Pickens with the expedition but I don't think it ever arrived. In any event, I don't think we have ever disagreed on the point that firing on Sumter was the Grand Poobah of mistakes. I do have
something you may be interested in:
(Letter to Captain Gustavus Fox)
...while, by an accident, for which you were in no wise responsible, and possibly I, to some extent was, you were deprived of a war vessel with her men, which you deemed of great importance to the enterprize (President Lincoln was referring to the Powhatan that ended up going to Pickens instead of Sumter).
(This, however, is a very telling and provacative statement)
You and I both anticipated that the cause of the country would be advanced by making the attempt to provision Fort-Sumpter, even if it should fail; and it is no small consolation now to feel that our anticipation is justified by the result.
Very truly your friend A. LINCOLN
And
this letter to Major Anderson
I now write this, as a purely private and social letter, to say I shall be much gratified to see you here at your earliest convenience, when and where I can personally testify my appreciation of your services and fidelity; and, perhaps, explain some things on my part, which you may not have understood.
Major Anderson was subsequently promoted and given a major (no pun intended) command. That makes me wonder what Major Anderson's reaction was. Do you think he felt used? Do you think the promotion was a way to say "sorry, ace, but you were just a pawn"? So much about this conflict was twisted in so many ways but this seems to be pretty convincing evidence that a set up was afoot.
It is true that President Lincoln sent instructions with Captain Chew to be delivered to Gov Pickens with the expedition but I don't think it ever arrived. Lincoln had sent a personal messenger, Robert Chew, with the letter and instructions to deliver the letter to Governor Pickens. This was done on April 6. Pickens literally knew about the plan before Major Anderson did. Here is the letter and Chew's account.
You and I both anticipated that the cause of the country would be advanced by making the attempt to provision Fort-Sumpter...
The cause of the country was advanced to some extent, the length to which Jefferson Davis wanted war rather than a peaceful solution were exposed. Had the plan gone ahead and Sumter had been peacefully reprovisioned would Lincoln have been disappointed? I don't think so. Lincoln was in a win/win situation here. He truly believed that he could win the peace and outwait the south, ending the southern rebellion without a war. But if a war was to come, then it had to be the south that started it.
Do you think the promotion was a way to say "sorry, ace, but you were just a pawn"?
Nonsense, it was war and regular officers were a rare commodity. With the rapid expansion of the army, officers who had been captains and lieutenants in 1861 ended the war as generals, and that was true on both sides. As it turns out I can think of at least three officers present at Sumter who were generals during the war - Anderson, Doubleday, and (I kid you not) a lieutenant named Jefferson Davis. But there were hundreds of officers not at Sumter who ended the war as generals, too. Were they paid off as well?