Memoir 1, Page 83, James Buchanan

"Freemont desired to strike it with the blow of extermination."

The 15th president James Buchanan spent much of his presidential term seeking compromise. Even as the conflict escalated to the point of South Carolina’s secession, Buchanan refused to act against the South, continuing to listen to Southern advisors such as Jefferson Davis. Following the start of the crisis, Buchanan addressed Congress to denounce secession but also to argue that the Federal government was unable to stop it. His inaction frustrated Northerners and, despite trying to avoid angering the South, his eventual decision to send supplies to Fort Sumter did just that. Unable to construct another compromise and directly facing the end of his term, Buchanan chose a policy of inactivity in his last few months of office, leaving the crisis to Lincoln.