Editing William H. Seward (section)

====War breaks out====
Lincoln faced the question of what to do about Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, held by the Army against the will of South Carolinians, who had blockaded it. The fort's commander, Major [[Robert Anderson (Union officer)|Robert Anderson]], had sent word that he would run out of supplies. Seward, backed by most of the Cabinet, recommended to Lincoln that an attempt to resupply Sumter would be provocative to the border states, that Lincoln hoped to keep from seceding. Seward hinted to the commissioners who had come to Washington on behalf of the Confederacy that Sumter would be surrendered. Lincoln was loath to give up Sumter, feeling it would only encourage the South in its insurgency.{{sfn|Stahr|pp=259–264}}

With the Sumter issue unresolved, Seward sent Lincoln a memorandum on April 1, proposing various courses of action, including possibly declaring war on France and Spain if certain conditions were not met, and reinforcing the forts along the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. In any event, vigorous policies were needed and the president must either establish them himself or allow a Cabinet member to do so, with Seward making it clear he was willing to do it.{{sfn|Van Deusen|pp=282–283}} Lincoln drafted a reply indicating that whatever policy was adopted, "I must do it", though he never sent it, but met with Seward instead, and what passed between them is not known.{{sfn|Taylor|p=151}} Seward's biographers make the point that the note was sent to a Lincoln who had not yet proved himself in office.{{sfn|Van Deusen|p=283}}{{sfn|Taylor|pp=151–152}}

Lincoln decided on expeditions to try to relieve Sumter and Florida's [[Fort Pickens]]. Meanwhile, Seward was assuring Justice [[John Archibald Campbell]], the intermediary with the Confederate commissioners who had come to Washington in an attempt to secure recognition, that no hostile action would be taken. Lincoln sent a notification to South Carolina's governor of the expedition, and on April 12, Charleston's batteries began firing on Sumter, beginning the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].{{sfn|Taylor|pp=157–158}}