The problem is that by the time this letter had been written, April 25, 1861, the die had been cast and a peaceful solution was no longer possible. The confederates had already bombarded Sumter and declared war. The southern army that had been massing since February was a very real danger. Had Maryland chosen to follow the other southern states into rebellion then the capitol and the administration would have been hundreds of miles behind what had to be considered enemy lines. So Lincoln would have had no choice. Maryand would have to be assumed as hostile as the other southern states and Scott would have been ordered to act accordingly.