1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 632 Crisis at Fort Sumter

Lincoln's own attitude was more inclined to stick to Fort Sumter.

He considered Fort Sumter's significance to the North more from a political perspective.

Since last year, when the results of the presidential election were announced, military facilities in the South have fallen into the hands of southern states one after another.

Fort Sumter is the only fort in the South that is still controlled by the federal government and has great military significance.

This fort is of great political value to the federal government, especially since it is located in South Carolina, a state where anti-Northern sentiment has always been the highest.

Furthermore, the North also needed the fortress of Fort Sumter to boost the morale of the Northern soldiers and civilians.

All in all, Fort Sumter was less a military issue than an integrity issue.

Abandoning Fort Sumter without firing a shot would undoubtedly be a proactive show of weakness to the South. This not only gave the South the illusion that the North was weak and could be bullied, but as president, Lincoln himself had no way to explain himself to the people of the North.

At this time, the Yankees did not have the courage to defend the so-called federal government, and the cowardly Yankees did not dare to face the brave Southerners. Speeches such as this were rampant in the South.

Prompt support to Fort Sumter will not only show the South the fearless attitude of the Northerners and the North's determination to safeguard the integrity of the country, but will also dispel these widespread rumors in the South.

"Fort Sumter must be defended. We cannot abandon Fort Sumter!" After careful consideration, Lincoln set the tone for the matter and made his attitude clear to the cabinet members.

"But it cannot be defended according to Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's method, and Fort Sumter cannot accommodate more than 20,000 troops. If you have any good ideas, feel free to speak freely."

Fort Sumter must be supported, but it cannot be supported according to Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's method. Lincoln sought advice from his cabinet members.

Lincoln also knew that Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's request for 25000 reinforcements was just to bargain with the federal government and find a way out for himself.

"It is a very difficult task to reinforce Fort Sumter. The South Carolinians have already set up artillery along the coast of Fort Sumter." Blair said worriedly.

"This could also be a trap by the Southerners, who would then use Fort Sumter as a bait to encircle and mobilize reinforcements."

"Of course we have the ability to support Sumter, there is no doubt about it. But doing so may directly trigger a full-scale civil war in advance." Seward is also very worried, but Seward's biggest concern is not a The gains and losses of a fort are the consequences that will be brought to the north after supporting Fort Sumter.

"We and the people of the North are prepared for war, but our finances are not." Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase reminded Lincoln and the cabinet members present not to be swayed by emotions and to make decisions carefully.

Compared to the South and West, the North was far less prepared for war. The North's inadequate preparation for war manifested itself in all aspects. In addition to insufficient military preparation, the North also had no financial preparation.

Previously, the South and the West contributed more than two-thirds of the federal government's tariff revenue and were the two most important financial sources for the federal government.

Therefore, after the South and the West withdrew from the Union, the South and the West received additional tariff revenue, and their financial situation became better and better.

After losing tariff revenue on southern cotton and western petrochemical products, the federal government's tariff revenue is only one-third of its previous level.

These revenues are barely enough to keep the federal government functioning, let alone launch a full-scale war.

Although the northern industry is large-scale and relatively developed, northern factory owners have never been major taxpayers of the federal government, but have been beneficiaries of the federal government's high tariff policy.

"As for fiscal issues, I will find ways to open up new tax sources." Lincoln said. "Your Excellency, opening up new tax sources is a very sensitive issue. If you are not careful, it may cause our government to fall into turmoil." Chase reminded that if you want to open up new tax sources, you can only target the northern factory owners. The knife was used.

These people are not only the beneficiaries of the government's high tariff policy, but they are also the most important ruling base of the Republican Party.

"Why don't I know?" Lincoln's tone revealed a bit of helplessness, but he still said very firmly, "Rights and obligations are equal. There is no such thing as enjoying rights without fulfilling obligations. Can we still do it now? Count on southern cotton, western petrochemicals to create tariffs to defend our United States?"

The financial problems of the federal government are currently Lincoln's biggest worry. Lincoln is far more worried about the financial problems of the federal government than the military threats in the south and west. Internal crises are far more destructive than external threats.

Lincoln turned the topic back to the crisis at Fort Sumter. He said: "Fort Sumter must be supported, but it cannot be supported in the way proposed by Lieutenant Colonel Anderson. We cannot send a 25000-man army to South Carolina. Elite troops. Do you have any good ideas?"

"It's not impossible." Blair thought for a while and said.

"We can use unloaded tugboats to transport supplies to Fort Sumter under the cover of darkness. My wife's relative, Captain Fox, who previously served in the Navy, proposed to the War Department during the Buchanan administration that they be used at night. A tugboat transports construction materials to Fort Sumter.

However, due to Captain Fox's humble position, the then Secretary of War did not adopt Captain Fox's suggestion. If this suggestion had been adopted at that time, the current Fort Sumter would have been completed long ago and became a strong fortress with sufficient supplies. "

As he spoke, Blair looked at Scott intriguingly. The then Secretary of War in his mouth was Scott.

Yes, Fort Sumter, a sea fortress that began construction in 1827, was not completed in 1861, and the project was only less than 90% complete.

Fort Sumter failed to be completed. Although it was difficult to build a large military fortress on the sea, the obstruction of the South Carolina government was the most important factor affecting the progress of the project.

The federal government at that time built Fort Sumter in the name of guarding the waterway in Charleston, but as relations between the North and the South deteriorated. South Carolina authorities realized that the sea fort under construction would pose a threat to Charleston's shipping lanes, and began to interfere with the construction of Fort Sumter.

The South Carolina government not only stopped delivering construction materials to Sumter, but also banned local workers from participating in the construction of the project.

Therefore, this sea fortress built in 1829 has not yet been completely completed, and the armaments on the fortress are also uneven.

Scott was unhappy because he did not take Captain Gustavus Vasa Fox's advice. But this was Buchanan's intention. Buchanan did not want to anger the South because of a small fort, so he shelved Fox's proposal. As a result, during his tenure, the progress of the Fort Sumter project was delayed.

"Okay, recall Major Fox and ask Major Fox to submit a practical action report to me immediately!" Lincoln had already smelled the gunpowder in the conversation and made a decision.

He had thought about this plan carefully just now. There was no decent navy in the South except Texas. The federal government's navy had an absolute advantage and controlled the sea.

Although the Confederate artillery was located along the shores of Fort Sumter, the accuracy of these guns would not be ideal at night.

As long as sufficient supplies can be transported to Fort Sumter, with the cooperation of the Navy, not 25000 people, but 2500 people can maintain control of this maritime fortress for a long time.

The cost of this action was acceptable to Lincoln, and it was also within the capabilities of the federal government at this stage.

Of course, the premise of all this is that the cowardly Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, who surrendered without a fight, can hold Fort Sumter before receiving external support.

Lincoln had already come up with the idea of ​​changing the command of Fort Sumter at this time, but he just didn't say it out loud.

(End of this chapter)