Re: It Used to Be Common Knowledge That....
I read a NPS website with sources, Seward made this promise several times before the actual firing on that fort and in fact was assuring the South Carolina government Sumter was about to be turned over to them.
Seward was a cabinet member, he was making promises regardless if they had any force behind them or not, why should Pickens or Davis not believe him???
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/fosu/decision.pdf
GP