David- Were I Captain Faunce in this situation I certainly would have held off on entering this contentious situation alone. The rendevous mentioned in orders and the fact of an arrival during hours of darkeness by the Harriet Lane would have me travelling at reduced speed with lookouts. Mention made of the Pawnee sailing with signal lights. This the reason of probability for the distance from intended station of 11 miles or so.
I hold with the assertion that the USS Harriet Lane closed with the area indicated in orders within one hour of Beauregard's order to fire at 4:30 AM. The captain of that vessel knew he would not be alone.
Yes, The Baltic and the Nashville were of simular construction and might have caused difficulties in identification, especially in low light conditions of the time period in question.
The Marshall House in Alexandria will, though not precedent to Sumter, always be the place of the start of it all, in my heart. Then it was then known that Lincoln's determination to maintain the Union overrode a popular vote by the People. It was in Alexandria that private property was violated.