What was Lincolns strategy at Fort Sumter in 1861?
Lincoln knew that he could not prevent the war, but he insisted that the Confederacy must fire the first shot. After the bombardment began a US ship was sent to evacuate Fort Sumter, but it was unable to do so. In short, Lincoln’s strategy was to make no aggressive moves toward the South until after the fort had been fired upon, thus giving the Union the moral high ground.
