George, there are dozens of newspaper articles about Fort Pickens during this time period. I'll do one more but this is the last one, as it takes a lot of time.

Times-Picayune (New Orleans) Tuesday April 16, 1861

“REINFORCEMENT OF FORT PICKENS”

“SINGULAR STATEMENT OF A PROJECTED ASSAULT”

“The Mobile Mercury, of Monday evening, 15th inst., says it has “”reliable conformation of the telegraphic reports of the reinforcement of Fort Pickens,”” and proceeds to make the following statement, a portion of which reads singular enough:

On Friday evening, a little after dark, signal guns were heard out at sea-six distinct reports-seeming to be some dozen or fifteen miles away. It was surmised at first that they were signals of distress, but soon it was concluded to have some connection with a reinforcement of Pickens. About 9 o’clock there was discovered to be an unusual stir about Fort Pickens, and unusual light displayed. From various indications and circumstances it was apparent that reinforcements were being landed and introduced into the fort. The reinforcement was still going on Saturday morning when our informant left. The guns heard out at sea were surmised, after that discovery, to be signals from the ships supposed to be on their way to Southern ports; but if any came in during the night, they were not observable, and no signs were seen of them Saturday morning.

During the day the Wyandotte had been cruising about the bay as usual. She went up to Pensacola, and was there about to take onboard a person believed to be from Washington City. The citizens detained him and handed him over to General Bragg. An examination elicited nothing to implicate him an any illicit undertaking, and he was released. He went over to Fort Pickens, and it is thought now that he may have carried the order to throw the men on the ships into the Fort. The reinforcement is supposed to be the men who have been waiting on shipboard for the purpose for some weeks.

There is another supposition of the reason of the reinforcements at that particular time. They may have obtained at Pickens some hints of an intended visit of 500 picked men at about the hour of midnight.

There can be no doubt that an assault on Fort Pickens was ordered for that night at about the hour of midnight the assaulting part was composed of five hundred picked men from Mississippi Ninth, to be led by C. W. Harris, of the Home Guards; fifty from the Tenth Mississippi, and the others from other troops at Pensacola. All necessary preparations were made for moving at about 11 o’clock. The storming party were led down to the Navy Yard, from whence it would probably have embarked in boats. There are some other particulars about the preparations, as given to us, which we think had as well not yet have the publicity of newspaper circulation.

It is surmised that Forney was to have been the leader. There was no doubt entertained of its success and if all be true as stated to us we think Fort Pickens would have fallen that night but for --------what?

Fortune, or chance, will have to bear the blame and delay, the real culpable party, will probably escape. Before the hour arrived it was evident the fort had been reinforced and all thought of the mediated assault was abandoned. The men picked for this special lay on their arms all night at the navy yard without any protection from the chill air of the night, some of them not having so much as a blanket. They made no complaint. Colonel Forney complimented them by saying they would do for anything. Not a cap was distributed to them-the business was to be done with cold steel.

There is no truth in the report that General Bragg had a position on Santa Rosa Island with 1500 men.

The Wyandotte is positively notified to stay outside in the future.”