In the tense months of March and April 1861, there were two major hotspots in the nascent Confederacy: Fort Sumter in Charleston and Fort Pickens in Pensacola. In the latter case, Brigadier General Braxton Bragg had been assigned to command the Pensacola post in early March, and was well aware of how volatile the situation was. Bragg had a feud with Davis when the latter was Secretary of War*, though the two managed to discuss the situation at Pensacola freely. Bragg made it clear that a siege of the fort would be impossible, though he did think he could take the fort by distracting the garrison at one point and scaling the walls at another. While Secretary of War Leroy Pope Walker told Bragg the Confederate government wanted posession of the fort, the choice to attack or not was left to Bragg. He decided against it due to lack of men and supplies, and the subsequent bombardment of Sumter rendered the diplomatic issue moot.
Assuming Bragg decides to try taking the fort anyway, he'll probably fail, as the OTL Battle of Santa Rosa Island shows. But attacking Fort Pickens could put Bragg in the public spotlight, and change the direction the war takes from there.
*The idea that Bragg and Davis were buddies is a common idea, but the evidence seems to suggest this wasn't the case. The two had indeed squabbled in the past over Davis' decisions as Secretary of War regarding the artillery. While Davis respected Bragg's abilities, he was not exceedingly chummy with him, and was fine with removing him after Stones River, only Johnston wouldn't take the job.
Assuming Bragg decides to try taking the fort anyway, he'll probably fail, as the OTL Battle of Santa Rosa Island shows. But attacking Fort Pickens could put Bragg in the public spotlight, and change the direction the war takes from there.
*The idea that Bragg and Davis were buddies is a common idea, but the evidence seems to suggest this wasn't the case. The two had indeed squabbled in the past over Davis' decisions as Secretary of War regarding the artillery. While Davis respected Bragg's abilities, he was not exceedingly chummy with him, and was fine with removing him after Stones River, only Johnston wouldn't take the job.