The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, Friday, March 15, 1861 (Requests opinion on Fort Sumter)
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Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. Transcribed and Annotated by the Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College. Galesburg, Illinois.
Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, Friday, March 15, 1861 (Requests opinion on Fort Sumter)
From Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward1, March 15, 1861
Executive Mansion
March 15 1861
My dear Sir
Assuming it to be possible to now provision Fort-Sumpter, under all the circumstances, is it wise to attempt it?
Please give me your opinion, in writing, on this question--
Your Obt. Servt.
A. Lincoln.
[Note 1 On March 5, 1861, Joseph Holt, acting as secretary of war until March 5, had relayed to Lincoln information and documents from Fort Sumter that delays in strengthening the fort during the late Buchanan Administration had insured that only a great force could now reinforce it. To this General Scott had added that such a force being unavailable, the surrender of the fort seemed inevitable. See Holt and Scott to Lincoln, March 5, 1861.
On March 9, Lincoln queried General Scott, asking how many days' provisions were in the fort, and whether the fort could be supplied and reinforced during that time, "with all the means now in your controlÉ" Were the latter not possible, Lincoln asked Scott what would be necessary to provision the fort during that time. Scott's reply two days later was the fort contained food supplies for no more than 48 days, and that many months would be required to relieve it with the means currently at his disposal. The additional means required for the task during the time in question would involve a naval fleet, 25,000 regular and volunteer troops, new acts of Congress and six to eight months of time. See Lincoln to Scott, March 9, 1861, and Scott to Lincoln, March 11, 1861.
Lincoln sent identical copies of the message below to all his cabinet on March 15, receiving responses from all the same or next day. The cabinet members narrowly advised against such a provision, by a vote of four to three. Edward Bates told the president that evacuation of the fort was preferable to starting civil war, whereas Montgomery Blair thought that a show of force was necessary to the administration's credibility. Seward considered it too early to provoke Civil War, which he thought such a reinforcement would provoke, while Gideon Welles considered reinforcement politically and militarily unwise. Simon Cameron counseled against resupply, though Salmon P. Chase thought civil war possible but unlikely and urged Lincoln to provision the fort. Finally, Caleb Smith thought reinforcement unwise "under all the circumstances." See Bates to Lincoln, Blair to Lincoln, Seward to Lincoln and Welles to Lincoln, all on March 15, 1861, and Cameron to Lincoln, Chase to Lincoln and Smith to Lincoln, all on March 16, 1861.]