[PeaRidge]

More post # 571 Canards:

“In fact, only one warship, revenue cutter Harriet Lane (crew of 95), arrived at Charleston to witness the beginnings of Confederate military assault on Fort Sumter.”

Absolute BS. From the Official Records: On April 12, 1861, at 3am the Baltic arrived at the rendezvous point ten miles out of Charleston Harbor with civilian Gustavus Vasa Fox, the planner and leader of the expedition aboard. The armed revenue cutter Harriett Lane had arrived several hours earlier, and had fired on civilian shipping attempting to enter the harbor. The Pawnee arrived at 6am.

Canard: “Those troops were ordered not to reinforce Sumter so long as there was no Confederate resistance.”

Wrong. The expedition leader had direct orders specifically to reinforce Ft. Sumter.

April 4, 1861
To: Lieut. Col. H.L. Scott, Aide de Camp

"This will be handed to you by Captain G.V. Fox, an ex-officer of the Navy. He is charged by authority here, with the command of an expedition (under cover of certain ships of war) whose object is, to reinforce Fort Sumter.

"To embark with Captain Fox, you will cause a detachment of recruits, say about 200, to be immediately organized at fort Columbus, with competent number of officers, arms, ammunition, and subsistence, with other necessaries needed for the augmented garrison at Fort Sumter."

Signed: Winfield Scott

The War Department said nothing about resistance. From the beginning, Fox's intent and direct orders were to reinforce the fort with the men and provisions in Scott's orders.

Another Brojoke Canard bites the dust.

[BroJoeK]

PeaBrain attempting to pass off more lies as true: "Absolute BS.
From the Official Records: On April 12, 1861, at 3am the Baltic arrived at the rendezvous point ten miles out of Charleston Harbor with civilian Gustavus Vasa Fox, the planner and leader of the expedition aboard.
The armed revenue cutter Harriett Lane had arrived several hours earlier, and had fired on civilian shipping attempting to enter the harbor.
The Pawnee arrived at 6am."

As previously posted:

1. Revenue cutter USS Harriet Lane (note spelling) was 180 feet long, 730 tons and crewed by 95 officers & men -- hardly the most fearsome warship of its day.

2. Unarmed civilian steamer SS Baltic was not a warship at all.
   It carried a cargo of supplies for Fort Sumter along with about 200 US Army troops with orders not to land if there was no Confederate resistance.

3. The sloop of war USS Pawnee was 221 feet long, 1,533 tons and crewed by 181 officers & men.
   It was indeed a substantial warship, however, Pawnee had orders to stay well out to sea pending arrival of the even larger warship, USS Pocahontas, which had already been diverted to Fort Pickens and would never arrive in Charleston harbor.

So, bottom line: at 4:30 AM, as Confederates began their 4,000 gun bombardment of 85 Union troops in Union Fort Sumter there was within sight, one small warship Harriet Lane plus one unarmed civilian steamer SS Baltic.