WI - South Carolina attacks Fort Sumter

I just started reading an excellent military history of the US Civil War, and it claims in the opening chapters that the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States was afraid South Carolina would attack Fort Sumter without direct authorization. Given South Carolina's long-standing independent streak, it was not foolish to think that the state could possibly prove troublesome to the new Confederate government as well. IOTL, the Provisional Congress sent P.G.T. Beauregard to organize the South Carolina militias, which did not attack until prompted by Jefferson Davis' cabinet.

By the time the attack began, South Carolina had technically been independent for six months. Fort Sumter's garrison was constantly harassed during this period and Governor Pickens had repeatedly insisted that the fort was now South Carolina property.

What if, before March 1 (when General Beauregard assumed command of the South Carolina militias), Pickens decides to act on his own and orders an attack on the Fort (or merely accepts the attack when it takes place)? Would Lincoln still issue his order for 75,000 volunteers? What would be the reaction of the Provisional Congress?
 
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I'm not sure of the exact timetable off the top of my head,but, I know that Virginia was really wavering on whether or not to secede. Maybe an earlier attack on Fort Sumter could shift public opinion in Virginia away from secession. This has a massive impact on the Civil War in leadership (Lee is definitely accepting Lincoln offer to lead Union Forces if Virginia stays loyal, not to mention some top Confederate generals where also from Virginia), It effectively shifts the front way further south away from Washington, finally it robs the Confederates of even the meager industry of Virginia.

If South Carolina goes rogue and attacks Sumter early, I'm assuming you'd see a way quicker Civil War. A shorter, less contested war probably means that slavery gets dealt with differently. Reconstruction in general, if it even exists in any form, is going to look massively different. Perhaps a less contested war would lead to even more resentment towards the North, the whole Lost Cause mythos may look very different as well.
 
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Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861. If South Carolina attacks Fort Sumter before March 1, they are rebelling against President Buchanan. That is going to alienate a lot of sentiment - and not just in the North. It could easily spoil any chance of Virginia joining the Confederacy, and possibly Tennessee. IMHO, it would immediately lose Kentucky and Missouri.

My thinking is that it would force the conditional Unionists and crypto-secessionists in these states to take sides on secession before any "Northern aggression". Some will declare support for South Carolina anyway, but some will not - even denouncing South Carolina's action.

Note that OTL, on April 4, the Virginia convention voted 45 to 88 against secession, and that the final vote for secession was only 88 to 55. It wouldn't take much of shift to reverse the later vote.
 
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