Lincoln sent a ship to fort sumter in april 1861 because the union troops desperately needed food and water.
Fort Sumter is an island fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Fort Sumter is remembered for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War.
On April 8, 1861, President Lincoln sent a letter to South Carolina Gov. Francis Pickens stating that he would resupply Fort Sumter by force, if necessary, or peacefully.