Does surreptitiously here mean secretly and improperly?

Context:

The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–14, 1861) was the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment and surrender of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sumter, near http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston,_South_Carolina, that started the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War. Following declarations of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secession by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America#Secession, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, 1860, U.S. Major http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RobertAnderson(Civil_War) surreptitiously moved his small command from the indefensible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Moultrie on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan%27s_Island,_South_Carolina to Fort Sumter, a substantial fortress controlling the entrance of Charleston Harbor. An attempt by U.S. President http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan to reinforce and resupply Anderson, using the unarmed merchant ship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_the_West, failed when it was fired upon by shore batteries on January 9, 1861. South Carolina authorities then seized all Federal property in the Charleston area, except for Fort Sumter.