Going behind Lincoln’s back, he told the South that the White House would surrender Fort Sumter, a garrison off the coast of Charleston. It was the last federal fort standing in South Carolina, and Seward wanted to avoid a potential battle over its control. While most of the Cabinet was advising Lincoln to let the fort go, the president hadn’t decided yet. As war fever grew in the South, Seward frantically decided to leak to Confederate leaders that the fort would be surrendered. To keep his actions covert, Seward asked intermediaries, including the Russian ambassador, to pass discreet
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