Lincoln's decision to relieve Fort Sumter had dire consequences. Not surprisingly, historians have disagreed on the president's motives. Was the act a carefully crafted attempt to strengthen the Republican party and bolster Lincoln's own position? Certainly the president faced mounting criticism in Congress and in the northern press for not dealing decisively with secession. In response, some historians argue, Lincoln maneuvered the Confederacy into firing the first shot in a war he believed both inevitable and desirable. As the commander of the unsuccessful relief expedition noted, the president's clever policy forced the Confederacy to "fire upon bread." To these historians, Lincoln was the bringer of war.

Critics of this interpretation insist that the resort to war represented a defeat of Lincoln's peaceful intentions. They emphasize that the president notified South Carolina's governor of the expedition in advance and sent only supplies, not troops or ammunition. Moreover, Lincoln's action did not force the Confederacy to attack; he was merely seeking to continue the stalemate that had existed for more than three months in Charleston. Of course, the extremes of both these explanations suggest a middle ground. If Lincoln had really wanted war, surely he would have considered it a defeat if the Confederates had allowed the resupply ships to pass unharmed. And there is no evidence to support that view. At the same time, Lincoln clearly ranked saving the union above maintaining peace at all costs. Thus it is possible to argue that the president maneuvered the Confederate government into a position where it would have to fire first if any shots were fired at all. Davis did not have to give the order to attack. In the end, though, Davis preferred war to reunion, just as Lincoln preferred war to disunion.

1			This first link is a letter created as an interpretation of Lincoln's state of mind after deciding to relieve the Fort Sumter garrison. Does this author appear to believe that Lincoln manipulated the Confederates into firing upon Fort Sumter? In order to evaluate the perspective offered by this letter, read Lincoln's diary entry and the advice offered to him by his Cabinet members during this crisis (click on the photos to read their opinions). Based on these primary sources, do you agree with the interpretation of the decision offered by the initial document? Why or why not? Lincoln’s response to Sumner’s advice on Fort Sumter Lincoln’s queries to General Winfield Scott, the commander of the U.S. Army Scott’s Response Gideon Welles to Abraham Lincoln (Notes from cabinet Meeting) Gideon Welles to Abraham Lincoln (Report on Fort Sumter) Edward Bates to Abraham Lincoln (Opinion on Fort Sumter) Salmon P. Chase to Abraham Lincoln (Report on Fort Sumter)