Sumter Provocation

[K Hale]

Davis underestimated Union resolve.

I think both sides underestimated the resolve of the other. That's what led to the 620,000 figure.

 

[B Peach]

Yupp he tricked the Confederate forces into starving the garrisson and forcing their Commander-in-Chief into attempting to send them food..

First Lincoln in Dec of 1860 sent Gen Scott instructions:

Lincoln 12 December 1860
"Please present my respects to the general, and tell him, confidentially, I shall be obliged to him to be as well prepared as he can to either hold or retake the forts, as the case may require, at and after the inauguration."

Since Anderson was drawing daily supplies from Chalreston that increased he logistical base, and the US Governemnt had entered into a legal treaty not to reinforce Sumpter of Pickens, in exchange for opening up the Miss for commece, when the orders were sent to reinforce Pickens, POCSA ordered no more supplies to be drawn by Anderson.



Lieutenant General Scott: Executive Mansion, March 9, 1861.

My dear Sir: On the 5th inst. I received from the Hon. Joseph Holt, the then faithful and vigilant Secretary of War, a letter of that date, inclosing a letter and accompanying documents received by him on the 4th inst. from Major Robert Anderson commanding at Fort Sumpter [Sumter] South Carolina; and copies of all which I now transmit. Immediately on the receipt of them by me, I transmitted the whole to you for your consideration; and the same day you returned the package to me with your opinion endorsed upon it, a copy of which opinion I now also transmit to you. Learning from you verbally that since then you have given the subject a more full and thorough consideration, you will much oblige me by giving answers, in writing, to the following interrogatories:

1st To what point of time can Major Anderson maintain his position at Fort Sumpter [Sumter], without fresh supplies or reinforcement?

2d. Can you, with all the means now in your control, supply or re-inforce Fort Sumpter [Sumter] within that time?

3d If not, what amount of means and of what description, in addition to that already at your control, would enable you to supply and reinforce that fortress within the time?

Please answer these, adding such statements, information, and counsel as your great skill and experience may suggest. Your obedient Servant A. LINCOLN.
http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/25262




Fort Sumter.
The President has done me the honor to address to me certain professional questions, to which he desires answers. I proceed with them categorically.

"1. To what point of time can Major Anderson maintain his position, at Fort Sumter, without fresh supplies or reinforcements?"

Answer. In respect to subsistence, for the garrison, he has hard bread, flour & rice for about 26 days, & salt meat (pork) for about 48 days; but how long he could hold out against the whole means of attack which the South Carolinians have in, & about the city of Charleston & its Harbour, is a question that cannot be answered with absolute accuracy. Reckoning the batteries troops at 3,500 (now somewhat disciplined) & the batteries at 4 powerful land, & at least one floating -- all mounting guns & mortars of large calibre, & of the best patterns; -- & supposing those means to be skillfully & vigorously employed -- Fort Sumter with its less than 100 men -- including common laborers & musicians -- ought to be taken by a single assault, & easily; if harrassed perseveringly for several previous days & nights by threats & false attacks, with the ability -- from the force of overwhelming numbers -- of converting one out of every three or four of those, into a real attack.

"2. Can you with all the means now in your control, supply or reinforce Fort Sumter within that time?"

Answer. No: Not within many months. See answer to No. 3.

"3. If not, what amount of means, & of what description, in addition to that already at your control, would enable you to supply & reinforce that fortress within the time?"

Answer. A fleet of war vessels & transports, 5,000 additional regular troops & 20,000 volunteers, in order to take all the batteries in the Harbor of Charleston (including Ft. Moultrie) after the capture of all the batteries in the approach or outer Bay. And to raise, organize & discipline such an army, would require new acts of Congress & from six to eight months.

Respectfully submitted.

Winfield Scott.

Head Qrs. of the Army,

Washington, Mar. 11, 1861.



On returning from the inugriation, Lincoln was presented with this from anderson report.[4 March 1861] there came a letter from Major Anderson to John T. Morse, Jr "There were shut up in the fort together a certain number of men and a certain quantity of biscuit and of pork; when the men should have eaten the biscuit and the pork, which they would probably do in about four weeks, they would have to go away. The problem thus became direct, simple, and urgent."

Catton lists on inagriation day the QM report passed on by Anderson (Catton This Hallowed ground page 17) "there were 6 barrells of flour, 6 more or hard tack,3 of sugar, 2 vinager,24 salt pork and odds and ends".


Dailly rations are 18 ounces meat, 20 flour per man, 82 men therfore predicts a know half or full ration limit to those stores. Barrels are 240lbs capacity, hard tack might be the only unkown without a little work, i can worth out the calorific contect on bread (3lbs is 3500 calories or so from memory)etc to see if they were starving, which is what Northern papers purport but not from Andersons and his QM do you read this level, besides, he had the ability to procure any and all stores from charleston untill these were stopped.

So, Flour 6*240=1440 pounds *16=23040 ounces, Consumption at 20*82men per day =1640, which is 14 days full ration of bread.
24 Salt pork: 24*240*16=92160. Consumption 18*82=1476, which is 62 days.
6 hard tack: 6*240=1440*16=23040 ounces.Consumption at 16*82=1312. Which is 18 days.
Sugar 3*240*16=11520, Consumption 82*1.5=123, Which is 93 days.

Information given by the QM report to Lincoln and cabinet, on 4th March, shows that the Garriosn had 62 days of meat at full rations and grains for 32 days and sugar for 93.

First of April, Second Lieutenant Norman J. Hall ( QM at Sumpter) reported to Anderson that there was "at least thirty-five days of comfortable subsistence for the command."


It is a fact the Garrison had more supplies after roughly a months siege, Anderson giving POTUS that he has 4 weeks (28days) on 4th March, and has 35 days on 1 April, and POTUS elect had already chosen to retake the Fort back in Dec irespective of circumstances.

 

[ole]

What we miss is that Anderson had to use his rations to feed the laborers. What he had a plenty of wemt away/

 

[B Peach]

What we miss is that Anderson had to use his rations to feed the laborers. What he had a plenty of wemt away/

No, because the QM reports do not show that, they show an increase in total provisions. Second it is ilegal to feed civilians from US Mil supplies. Third, the maths supports only US mil from the amounts held, and numbers of men serving to give the estimates from QM to Anderosn, Anderson to several parties, and Scott to Potus, none ever refer to Mil fedding the 43 private contractors ( being payed by SC)from Baltimore who stayed on when the majoirty left after the Fort was taken by Anderson. Lastly, after the 7th April Anderson had to feed the 125 men, but that still left a vast surplus from his QM report of stacks ( 14 days) even at that increased level of consumption from 7-13th April.

 

[wilber6150]

So the reports of the officers of being on half rations by April 10, and picking glass shards out of rice so that it can be cooked are lies? And whether or not its illegal to provide food to civilians from military stores, thats exactly what happened and it was used by Southern authorites to use up the food stores in the fort...

 

[whitworth]

It's not a legal matter

The South and the Confederacy seceded. That case close. Then it was put up or shut up. For the Confederacy, no legal case mattered or was pursued. It was a matter of kicking the United States, militarily, out of the seceding states. No writ of appeal; no court case.
It was war and one clearly lost by the Confederacy.

Firing on Fort Sumter wasn't a legal preparation of a law brief. It was war. A situation some on these sites should avoid studying, by their apparent legal consternation.

 

[B Peach]

So the reports of the officers of being on half rations by April 10, and picking glass shards out of rice so that it can be cooked are lies?

No, they just dont mean they were starving for food, but makeing sensible solutions, going on half rations DOUBLES the days i listed!, and was a sensible precaution when supplies stopped on the 7th April. They had exhusted firewood and chose to use lumber from the sea rather than use unmounted gun carriages at $600 a cord, that does not mean they had no firewood but sought to make use of what they could aquire.

And whether or not its illegal to provide food to civilians from military stores, thats exactly what happened and it was used by Southern authorites to use up the food stores in the fort...

On the 2nd April Anderson requested to Beuregard, that the 43 civilian contractors, be evacuated so that he could maintain himself without them for 6 more days.Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1, p231 This was refused by Sec of War Walker, "No portion of the garrison must be permitted to leave unless all go." when passed up channels.

So acording to what Anderson said, 82 men could sustain themselves for 6 more days, but now he has 125 again, what exactly were they eating?, if not the stores the QM reports list them as haveing to eat?, which allowed they to subsist till the surrender, when Anderson claim is that they cannot as 82 can only carry on for 6 days.

 

[B Peach]

The South and the Confederacy seceded. That case close. Then it was put up or shut up. For the Confederacy, no legal case mattered or was pursued. It was a matter of kicking the United States, militarily, out of the seceding states. No writ of appeal; no court case.
It was war and one clearly lost by the Confederacy.

Firing on Fort Sumter wasn't a legal preparation of a law brief. It was war. A situation some on these sites should avoid studying, by their apparent legal consternation.

Wrong. Secession is either lawfull or not.

If secesion is not unlawfull, then no law is broken by inacting it, this legal point is very important.

 

[wilber6150]

No, they just dont mean they were starving for food, but makeing sensible solutions, going on half rations DOUBLES the days i listed!, and was a sensible precaution when supplies stopped on the 7th April. They had exhusted firewood and chose to use lumber from the sea rather than use unmounted gun carriages at $600 a cord, that does not mean they had no firewood but sought to make use of what they could aquire.




On the 2nd April Anderson requested to Beuregard, that the 43 civilian contractors, be evacuated so that he could maintain himself without them for 6 more days.Official Records, Series I, Vol. 1, p231 This was refused by Sec of War Walker, "No portion of the garrison must be permitted to leave unless all go." when passed up channels.

So acording to what Anderson said, 82 men could sustain themselves for 6 more days, but now he has 125 again, what exactly were they eating?, if not the stores the QM reports list them as haveing to eat?, which allowed they to subsist till the surrender, when Anderson claim is that they cannot as 82 can only carry on for 6 days.

The enlisted had I believe one cracker a day, and the officers had a bit more.. Im trying to find the accounts of what they ate, that I posted somewhere on this forum lol

 

[B Peach]

http://kenanderson.net/hardtack/

Officers lost all coffe and sugar back in Feb, enlisted went on half rations, of course we have a later QM report for 4th March which is the most usfull one.

By cracker you mean the hard tack listed in QM stores and part of standard issue, 16 ounces a day ( 3 inch square cracker/bisuit) was the 61 ration, 24 grams gives 100 calories, so a days hard tack gives a soldier, just over 500 calories from his hard tack biscuit.

18 ounces of slat pork, when cooked, gives 2574 calories a day/ration.

Grains and meat are 2 of the priciple foofstuffs you need, veg otoh must have been in short supply, but there are no cases of scurvy reported and acees to this existed till the 7th.

Even on half rations, a man was getting 1500 calories.

Edithttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05262005-122146/unrestricted/CivilWarDiet.pdf

Interesting piece of WBTS diets in comparison to US and CS, also interesting is the use of photos that were thought to show CS bodies appearing shrunken due to poor diet, while Union bodies bloated up from richer diet, and a more scientific answer to why that was.

 

[wilber6150]

So by your calculations then the enlisted men were living on 500 cals a day, there is no mention of enlisted eating pork in the last days, only the officers getting a small piece...500 cals a day is pretty darn close to a starvation diet.

 

[B Peach]

So by your calculations then the enlisted men were living on 500 cals a day, there is no mention of enlisted eating pork in the last days, only the officers getting a small piece...500 cals a day is pretty darn close to a starvation diet.

500 calories is your figure from a cracker a day.

Firstly no one was on half rations of stock foods, when the relief expedition was sent.

Secondly, by the QM reports they were recieving 1500 a day when on half rations, from the 10th April onwards, before then, they had full rations of basic foodstuffs and half rations of sugar and coffee from Feb, because there was no shortage, in fact stores increased on full rations.

1500 calories is the average amount to keep body weight in neutral, ie no weight loss or gain.

 

[wilber6150]

500 calories is your figure from a cracker a day.

Firstly no one was on half rations of stock foods, when the relief expedition was sent.

Secondly, by the QM reports they were recieving 1500 a day when on half rations, from the 10th April onwards, before then, they had full rations of basic foodstuffs and half rations of sugar and coffee from Feb, because there was no shortage, in fact stores increased on full rations.

1500 calories is the average amount to keep body weight in neutral, ie no weight loss or gain.

There are reports and statements from Doubleday and Crawford who say exactly that...
By the time of Fox's expedition enlisted men were down to one hard tack biscuit for the day and the officers were down to half rancid pork and a bit of rice..It got so bad that Doubleday found a potato on the floor that had been stepped on and left in a corner of a room and saved it as he thought he might need it. By the way Doubleday's, an officer of the garrison, breakfast on the day of the bombardment was a some tepid water and a bit of half-rancid pork... They were sifting shattered glass out of rice in order to use it, that sounds like a pretty desparate measure to me..


edit: it was one cracker in morning and one in evening for enlisted men.. so 1000 cals per day for enlisted men

 

[wilber6150]

http://books.google.com/books?id=wv2IZ9CjLmAC&pg=PA369&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[wilber6150]

http://books.google.com/books?id=wv2IZ9CjLmAC&pg=PA369&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[wilber6150]

From the 11th of April

http://books.google.com/books?id=wv2IZ9CjLmAC&pg=PA369&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[B Peach]

Its easier to read from here:

http://civilwardailygazette.com/cat...paigns/01-charleston-harbor-campaigns/page/2/


http://www.archive.org/stream/genesisofcivilwa00incraw#page/374/mode/2up/search/bread+

Anderson stated he had supplies to last a week, from 1st April.

Question how come they lived on stores till the 15th?, when Anderson says they will all be gone by the 8th?.


http://www.archive.org/stream/genesisofcivilwa00incraw#page/398/mode/2up/search/bread+

On the 10th he puts the men of half ration to last till the 13th, but it only lasts till the 11th.

Question why wait till the 10th to go on half rations, which only last 1 day at half rations, second explain where the stocks went from when Anderson QM game him how much he had on the 4th March, as it shows 14 days still on hand when the surrender was effected.

When Lincoln sent the relief force the command was on full rations.

Rice ( which was dried and lasted from 10th to 13th April, so a considerable amount of it) and potatoes were needed to put carbs into their diet, no carbs is a real problem, salt pork and the hard tack gave them 1500 calories a day from the 10th onwards, full rations being consumed till then.

Show me when anyone was on less basic rations before Lincoln ordered the expedition to Sumpter to resupply the starving men.

"They were sifting shattered glass out of rice in order to use it, that sounds like a pretty desparate measure to me."

Source says it was wet rice.http://www.civilwarhome.com/fosterftsumter.htm This acount tells where the glass comes from.

 

[unionblue]

B Peach,

Sounds like wilber6150 did show sources that supplies of food were a problem and a constant worry.

Unionblue

 

[B Peach]

B Peach,

Sounds like wilber6150 did show sources that supplies of food were a problem and a constant worry.

Unionblue

He did not, the maths and QM reports show there to be no such problem before the 7th April ( Wilber made no attempt tpo explain the stocks on hand and consumption rate that show no lack of supplies), he also but forgot the latter periods, when and why. *When* was after supplies were stopped from Charleston on the 7th, in response to the relief expidition to Sumpter and Pickens. Which also answers *why*they lacked a balanced diet ( 1500 calories) from 10th to 15th April because of Lincolns actions.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/47900588/The-Starvation-Crisis-at-Fort-Sumter-in-1861-Part-1




January 19, 1861, Major Anderson gave his response: FORT SUMTER S. C., January 19, 1861Hon. D. F. JAMISON,Executive Office, Department of War: SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this date, stating that you are authorized by his excellency the governor toinform me that he has directed an officer of the State to procure and carryover with my mails each day to Fort Sumter such supplies of fresh meat andvegetables as I may indicate.
I confess that I am at a loss to understandthe latter part of this message, as I have not represented in any quarterthat we were in need of such supplies.
As commandant of a military post, Ican only have my troops furnished with fresh beef in the manner prescribedby law, and I am compelled, therefore, with due thanks to his excellency,respectfully to decline his offer. If his suggestion is based upon a right, then
I must procure the meat as we have been in the habit of doing for years,under an unexpired contract with Mr. McSweeney, a Charlestonbutcher, who would, I presume, if permitted, deliver the meat, &c., atthis fort or at Fort Johnson, at the usual periods for such delivery, fourtimes in ten days.
If the permission is founded on courtesy and civility, I amcompelled respectfully to decline accepting it, with a reiteration of mythanks for having made it in connection with this subject, I deem it notimproper respectfully to suggest that his excellency may do an act of humanity and great kindness if he will permit one of the New York steamersto stop with a lighter and take the women and children of this garrison to thatcity. The confinement within the walls of this work, and the impossibility of my having it in my power to have them furnished with the proper and usualarticles of food, will, I fear, soon produce sickness among them. Thecompliance with this request will confer a favor upon a class of persons towhom similar indulgences are always granted, even during a siege in time of actual war, and will be duly appreciated by me. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,ROBERT ANDERSON,Major, First Artillery, Commanding Fort Sumter.



January 24, 1861, Major Anderson had his grocery list made and forwarded toMr. Daniel McSweeney. FORT SUMTER, January 24, 1861.
Mr. Daniel McSweeney:
SIR:
I am directed by Major Anderson, commanding this post, toascertain whether you will furnish such fresh beef and vegetables asmay be required here; the beef upon the terms of the contract underwhich you supplied Fort Moultrie; the vegetables to be purchased byyou for us at fair market prices;
the whole to be delivered as hitherto, fourtimes in ten days, at some wharf in Charleston, for transportation to FortJohnson, where it will be received by this garrison. This arrangement, whichhas been approved by the governor of South Carolina, it is desired shall gointo effect immediately, and if you consent to it, you can send 184 pounds of fresh beef at a time, at such hour and wherever Quartermaster-General Hatch(120 Meeting street) may advise you. Of the vegetables you will be furtherdirected. Please ackuowledge the receipt of this as soon as possible, in order,if necessary, that other arrangements may be made. Respectfully, your obedient servant,T. SEYMOUR, Captain, U. S. Army. [O.R. Ser 1, Vol 1, Ch 1, p. 154]




Fort Sumter S. C., January 31, 1861.(Received A. G. O., February 4.) Col. S. COOPER, Adjutant-General: COLONEL: I hasten to write this letter, to be taken to the city by my friend,the Hon. Robert N. Gourdin, to say that
the butcher has sent down asupply of fresh beef, with a note from him stating that he had notreceived my note, and that he did not, therefore, know of my order tohim to continue my supplies as when I was in Fort Moultrie. He statesthat he sends the beef today in compliance with instructions from Mr.Gourdin, who has received a letter from me, in which I had alluded tomy having written to him about it. He concluded by saying that he willcheerfully send what I require. Mr. Gourdin says that his excellency thegovernor is very desirous that we shall receive our supplies regularly,and thinks that there can be no difficulty in reference to groceries also.
Hoping in God that there can be no further difficulty of any sort in thisharbor, I am, colonel, respectfully, your obedient servant, ROBERT ANDERSON,Major, First Artillery, Commanding. [O.R. Ser 1, Vol 1, Ch 1, p. 160]


Once the bills were paid, the grocery deliveries were made by Mr. DanielMcSweeney pursuant to a previously existing contract, providing for deliveriesfour times a week. For Major Anderson, and his men at Fort Sumter, the starvation crisis ended onJanuary 31, 1861.

Delivering the bread was the business of Mr. Daniel McSweeney, four days a week, pursuant to a contract with the UnitedStates government

 

[wilber6150]

B Peach from your source...

April 9, 1861.--The four-gun battery on the upper end of Sullivan's Island that was unmasked yesterday morning by blowing up the wooden house standing in front of it was situated very nearly upon the prolongation of the capital of this fort, and, therefore, could enfilade the terre-pleins of both flanks of the work, as well as sweep, to a certain extent, the outside of the scarp wall of the left flank, where alone a vessel of any considerable draught of water could lie near to the fort and discharge her cargo. It therefore became a matter of importance to provide traverses to intercept the fire along the barbette tier of the fight flank, as this contains the heaviest battery, intended to operate both upon Fort Moultrie and Cummings Point, and also to prepare means for quickly unloading any vessel that may run in alongside the left flank with supplies for the garrison.
For the first purpose I commenced to prepare (for want of sand bags) a large doable curb of boards and scantling, to be elevated upon the top of the parapet at the fight shoulder angle, and being filled with earth hoisted from the parade, to serve for a traverse to protect this flank. For the second I prepared ladders and runways to take in re-enforcements and provisions at the embrasures rapidly, one embrasure being enlarged so as to admit barrels, and also cleared the passage around to the main gate. A large stone traverse was also commenced to cover the main gates from the fire from Cummings Point. The masons were put at work cutting openings through the walls of the officers' quarters so as to admit a free communication through them, on the first and second floors, from one flank to the other. The battery in the right shoulder angle, first tier, was also being improved by substituting a 42-pounder for a 32-pounder, cutting into the magazine wall, so as to allow the gun on the gorge to be used against the batteries, and cutting away one side of the embrasure, so as to allow the first gun on the right flank to be used in the same way.
The quantity of bread became very small, and only half-rations of it were allowed to the men. The enemy's steamers were very active carrying supplies to their batteries.

April 10.--Every one, by order of the commanding officer, Major Anderson, changed his quarters into the gun casemates to-day. The work on the traverse progressed well. Lieut. R. K. Meade, Engineers, being placed on ordnance duty, found the supply of cartridges on hand to be too small, and took immediate measures to increase the supply by cutting up all the surplus blankets and extra company clothing to make cartridge bags. The curb for the traverse at the right shoulder angle was completed and put together on the terre-plein at nightfall, and after dark raised up on the parapet and filled with earth, which had been hoisted from the parade. The working party, under Lieutenant Snyder, increased by a large detail from the command, completed this work about midnight.
The supply of bread failed to-day, and its absence was supplied by rice obtained by picking over some damaged rice, which, while spread out to dry in one of the quarters, had been filled with pieces of glass from the window-panes shattered by the concussion of guns fired in practice.

So again we have men getting half rations of bread on the 9th and then the men living on rice that had to have glass picked out of it on the 10th and a small amount of pork which the officers received, this doesn't show that they needed supplies? By the 13th the men would have been in a crisis and needed resupply..What day did Anderson tell the Confederates that he would have to surrander if not relieved? From the accounts it shows that he was very much telling the truth about how long he could hold out..