Monday, September 10, 2012

Who Started The War???

This is a detailed timeline that I made to go with the previous post 
"Fort Sumter and the War Conspiracy" to put the firing on Fort Sumter into perspective.

So I hereby present :
Who Started The War? : Facts and events that led up to the firing on Fort Sumter.

      


November 6th, 1860*
** Abraham Lincoln elected as 16th President.
State secession conventions meet leading to 7 states seceding by his inauguration.  
                                          
* In late 1860 most Northerners believed secession was a constitutional right.
** As opposed to all the Presidents before him and most Northerners, Lincoln did not
 believe secession was a legal right.

December 9th
An agreement between President Buchanan and the South Carolina Congressmen is reached.  Forts Moultrie and Sumter will not be attacked as long as they are not reinforced or act aggressively.

December 12th  
Lincoln (before his inauguration) sends orders to Army Chief,Winfield Scott, with instructions to prepare to hold or retake the forts after his inauguration on March 4th.
Fort Sumter was unoccupied except for construction crews.    

December 20th 
South Carolina secedes from the Union.

December 26th 
Maj. Robert Anderson moves his 84 men from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter causing a stir in Charleston.  Shortly after his move he reported to headquarters that he had provisions for 4 months (enough to last 'till April 26th).  A few days later he wrote to a trusted friend saying he actually had provisions for 5 months (enough to last 'till May 29th).

December 31st 
General Scott, secretly and unbeknownst to President Buchanan, has the Navy ship, Brooklyn, outfitted to supply and reinforce either Fort Sumter or Fort Pickens.  Besides supplies and ammunition, it carried 200 artillery soldiers under Army Capt. Vogdes.

January 7th 
Under orders of General Scott, the merchant steamer, The Star of the West, leaves the Norfolk area with supplies for Fort Sumter and 200 soldiers concealed below deck.

January 9th 
The Star of the West sails int Charleston harbor making for Fort Sumter. Charleston batteries fire a warning shot across her bow. She continues towards the fort but turns back after the Charleston batteries begin to fire in earnest.

January 10th 
Florida secedes.
That night the commander at Fort Barrancas on Pensacola Bay moved his men to Fort Pickens.

January 21st 
The Brooklyn with Army Capt. Vogdes and his 200 artillery men arrive in Pensacola Bay and are joined by the Sabine and Wyandotte.

January 29th 
Following tension between Confederate civil authorities and Gen. Braxton Bragg an armistice is signed by Union Secretary of War and Navy Secretary, Toucey, agreeing that Fort Pickens will not be attacked unless reinforced or acting aggressively towards Confederate forces.

February 7th  
Retired Navy Capt. G.V.Fox presents an aggressive plan to reinforce Fort Sumter.

February 18th 
President Buchanan vetos the plan presented by G.V.Fox knowing that reinforcing Fort Sumter or Fort Pickens would be an act of war.

February 20th
Gen. Scott renews the reinforcement plan.

February 25th 
Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, appoints 3 high ranking peace commissioners to go to Washington to discuss the disposition of Forts Sumter and Pickens.
                     
* Lincoln refused to see them, however they received promises from Secretary of State William Seward, that Fort Sumter would be evacuated.

March 3rd 
President Davis assigns Brig. Gen. P.G.T.Beauregard as Confederate Army Commander.   

March 4th 
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated.

March 9th 
Lincoln proposes to his cabinet that Fort Sumter be reinforced. Only 2 support him.

March 12th 
Gen. Scott orders reinforcement of Fort Pickens.

March 15th
Lincoln again proposes reinforcing Fort Sumter to his cabinet with negative results.

March 21st 
Capt. Fox is sent on a special mission to see Maj. Anderson and S.C. Governor, Pickens,  to asses the situation and possibilities of reinforcing the fort.

March 29th 
Lincoln's cabinet is finally persuaded to approve Lincoln's plan to reinforce Fort Sumter though they all know it means war.

April 1st
Lincoln issues 6 secret orders to various naval personell (without consulting the Secretary of the Navy or the Secretary of War) concerning the outfitting of the Powhatan, one of the fastest, most heavily armed ships, for a secret mission to fort Pickens.  Also Army Capt. Vogdes finally delivers the March 12th order from Gen. Scott to reinforce Fort Pickens to the squadron commander, Navy Capt. H.A.Adams.  Adams refuses to comply since it would violate the armistice.

* By this time Northerners are beginning to reassess their position on secession after  seeing how it will affect their revenues.

April 4th 
Maj. Anderson receives notification to expect reinforcement by the 15th.

April 6th 
Adams sends a letter to Navy secretary, Welles, to authenticate the orders from Gen. Scott.  
 Lincoln gives the final order to reinforce Fort Sumter. 
The Pocahontas, the Pawnee, the Harriet Lane, the Baltic ( which would carry 200 troops) and the Powhatan are assigned to the task force.

April 7th 
The Confederate peace commission is still in Washington listening to Seward promise that Fort Sumter will be evacuated.  However, they have grown suspicious and surmise that the fleet is already on its way to Fort Sumter.

April 8th 
S.C. Governor Pickens receives and envoy saying :" I am directed by the President of the United States to notify you to expect an attempt will be made to supply Fort Sumter with provisions only, and that if such an attempt be not resisted, no effort to throw in men, arms and ammunition will be made without further notice, or in case of an attack on the fort". 
In the meantime, Lincoln had planted in the Northern press the misinformation that the garrison at Fort Sumter were starving and in great need of provisions.

April 9th 
Beauregard sends Col. James Chesnut and Capt. Stephan D. Lee to demand the surrender of the Fort, to which Anderson refuses.    

April 11th 
Union reinforcement warships arrive and are within striking distance of the fort and Charleston.

April 12th 
Capt. Adams receives confirmation from Welles that Fort Pickens must be reinforced immediately.  The Pensacola task force is joined by the Powhatan which sails into Pensacola Bay deceptively flying the British colors. Under cover of night they succeed in reinforcing the fort.  Confederate General Braxton Bragg takes no immediate action, still hoping for peace.
    
     3:20 am 
Beauregard sends a message to Maj. Anderson saying the fort will be bombarded within the hour.

    4:30 am 
Confederate Batteries around Fort Sumter begin their bombardment.

    6:30 am 
Fort Sumter begins returning fire.  
The Union flotilla does not engage and keeps it's distance.

April 13th 
The warship Pocahontas arrives.

    7:30 am  
Seeing that the Fort is on fire the Confederates cease firing and offer a fire engine which Anderson refuses. 
Firing recommences. 

    2:00 pm 
A white flag is displayed from the fort and the almost 34 hour bombardment ends.
The defenders of the fort are evacuated with all honor.

April 15th 
 Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to invade the South for "attacking the half starved garrison and preventing ships from bringing them provisions". And so the bloody 4 year war starts.

So it was not the South, and it was technically not the North.  It was a war started by Lincoln to prevent Southern Independence.

                 

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