Peacefully?

"As I understand it, Davis ordered Beauregard to fire on the fort which he did and the response from Lincoln was to attack the agressor forces in the south."

I believe that this popular explaination of the events is too simplistic and ignores the facts.

General Beauregard did not fire on Fort Sumter on orders from Richmond alone. He was no robot. A highly educated West Point trained Mexican War hero would not knowingly fire on a fort without military cause to do so. He had a gentlemans reputation to defend, he would not throw it away by starting a war by firing the first shot for nothing.

As far as General Beauregard knew he was under attack himself and acting accordingly under his orders to prevent the fort from being reenforced by amphibious assault. The orders force Fort Sumter's surrender gave him the option to prevent this act. Under the strains of his command, his only option given the circumstances put upon him. If he had confidence in his batteries to hit moving targets he would have waited for the assualt, an assualt that would never come because Lincoln had secretly removed the Union's assualt fleets main tool, the USS Powhaten. Lincoln allowed Fox's impotant assualt fleet to sit in sight of Fort Sumter to antigonize the Charleston forces. Where did the USS Powhaten go? - To start the war at Fort Pickens. Lincoln was going to start the war in Florida, he politically lucked out when Beauregard fell for the ruse.

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David Upton