The Sumter Expedition

CAPTAIN FOX FELT HELPLESS. HE AGAIN CONSIDERED TRYING TO fight his way in but believed that without the Powhatan and its guns and its hundreds of soldiers, the attempt would be folly, especially in such rough seas. Fox still expected the ship to arrive, but in the meantime he hoped to supply Major Anderson with at least a few days’ worth of food, thanks to the improvisational thinking of one of his officers.

The Pawnee’s captain, Stephen C. Rowan, seized a private schooner waiting off the bar and presented the vessel to Captain Fox with the idea of using it to ferry at least some provisions and a few men to Sumter while the fleet awaited the arrival of the Powhatan. Fox had no problem collecting volunteers and soon raised a full crew of officers, soldiers, and sailors ready to man the schooner. Despite the wind and rolling seas, they were able to fill it with guns and food. They planned to cross the bar late the following night, Saturday, April 13.

Their prospects were good: A small vessel sailing in absolute night had a solid chance of making it to Sumter’s wharf without detection, and even if spotted, its modest size and the darkness would make it next to impossible to hit with a cannon from shore.