Chapter 138: Breakdowns in the chain of command cripple the Sumter expedition.

Confusion swirls around the allocation of ships to be sent to the two forts. Captain Montgomery Meigs is in charge of “a secret mission” to Ft. Pickens, under direct orders from Lincoln and Scott. Fox himself will lead on Ft. Sumter, with directions from Gideon Welles and the normal Navy chain of command.

The problem here being that Welles is kept in the dark about the Pickens’ plan. So when Fox approaches him on April 4, the Secretary gives his approval to include the crucial troop carrier USS Powhatan in his fleet. Then Welles learns that Lincoln and Scott have already assigned the ship to “some other undisclosed initiative. He is apoplectic, and calls on the President at midnight to protest. “Honest Abe” dissembles, apologizing for the error and promising Powhatan to Welles, still without telling him about Ft. Pickens.

On April 6, Captain Andrew Porter leads his fleet, including Powhatan, out of the Brooklyn Naval Yard and on his way to an easy reinforcement of Ft. Pickens which remains in Union hands throughout the war.

Meanwhile Fox heads out for Ft. Sumter on April 8, lacking the ship he most needs and amidst press publicity signaling the South of his departure.