George Martin
http://webpages.charter.net/43tenn
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On the occasion of his second inaugural address four years later, President Lincoln made the following remarks: Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.
From the Southern perspective, Lincoln’s concluding sentence had it all backwards. It was his Black Republican Party who “would make war rather than let the nation survive. This was apparently substantiated by the letter he addressed to Gustavus Vasa Fox, who commanded the Sumter naval relief expedition, on May 1, 1861, when he wrote:
“You and I both anticipated that the cause of the country would be advanced by making the attempt to provision Fort Sumpter [sic], even if it should fail; and it is no small consolation now to feel that our anticipation is justified by the result.”
Further confirmation of this thesis may be seen in Fox’s note to his wife when forwarding this letter by his admonition; “Under no circumstances is any mention of it whatever to get into the papers. The whole history of the affair is in able hands and in due time will appear, and the effect of that coming would be destroyed by any premature notice.” [Robert Means Thompson & Richard Wainwright,, Editors, Confidential Correspondence of Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy 1861-1865, Books for Libraries Press, Freeport, New York, First Published 1920, Reprinted 1972, p. 44]
Indeed, the distinguished Massachusetts jurist, poet and editor of the Boston Courier, George Lunt wrote of the Sumter affair: “ . . . it was considered at the South as the repulse of a threatened assault upon Charleston, involving an ostensible breach of faith by a responsible officer and agent of the administration.” [George Lunt, The Origin of The Late War: Traced From The Beginning Of The Constitution To The Revolt Of The Southern States, D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1866, p. 446]
Lending further credence is what Fox wrote in his letter to the Secretary of the Navy, M. Blair on the 17th, “I also explained [to Major Anderson] the reasons for holding the fort, [which were] far superior to any military ones.” [Fox Confidential Correspondence, p. 36]
And then, to end further speculation as to the administrations true intent, we have in Fox’s words contained in a letter to his friend, Dr. Lowery of April 3, “War will commence in Pensacola. There the Govt is making a stand and if they fire upon reinforcements already to land, Fort Pickens and the ships will open upon the whole party.”[Fox Confidential Correspondence, p. 19]
Such intelligence was not restricted to private citizens in touch with the administration, indeed, the whole nation was in on this information as noted in the following article from the Athens Post recording a report from the Charleston Courier of 6 April:.
Important from Washington.
The United States steam sloop Pawnee left Norfolk for the South this morning with 250 men. . . the President assured . . . in the most positive manner that the Administration will not, under any circumstances, commence hostilities; but, in consequence of reliable information that the Confederate States threatened to attack Fort Pickens, the present movement is intended to repel such a demonstration.
Not to taken in by this spin, the Charleston editor, closed with: “We are inclined to think that there is considerable truth in this. The Lincoln Administration does not intend to begin hostilities, but intends to fight. The fight must begin at Pensacola. [Athens Post, Friday, April 12, 1861, p. 2:2]
According to Alvin Nevins, Lincoln’s decision to proceed with a reprovisioning of Fort Sumter “ . . . made war almost inevitable.” [Allen Nevins, War for the Union, 1861-1865, 4 Volumes, Konecky & Konecky 1971, p. 58]
Then, we have Lincoln, in his own words acknowledging his role in bringing on the war when confronting Josepth Meherry Medill, editor of the Chicago Tribune. In 1864, upon the call for extra troops, the people of Chicago revolted and sent Medill to Washington to protest in person to the president any further troopers from that area. In response Lincoln retorted:
. . . after Boston, Chicago has been the chief instrument in bringing this war on the country. The Northwest has opposed the South as New England has opposed the South. It is you who are largely responsible for making blood flow as it has. You called for war until we had it. You called for Emancipation, and I have given it to you. Whatever you have asked you have had. . . You and your “Tribune” have had more influence than any paper in the Northwest in making this war. You can influence great masses. [Tarbell, Ida M, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol 3, Lincoln History Society, New York, 1924, ,p. 218]