Civil War History - Secession and PoliticsWas it Slavery, or was it States Rights? Perhaps it was the election of Lincoln? What were the real reasons for Southern Secession and what were the political issues in this time of war? Find your answers here in the Secession and Politics Disussion.
Lincoln, after eight days in office, plotted to begin the war.
Where? Not Ft. Sumter; Ft. Pickens, in Florida.
Let's begin by quoting good ole lying, theiving, cut-throating, socialistic Abe.
"... There can be no conflict unless you [the south] are the aggressors. ..."
This was stated in Lincolns first inaugural address.
Later, I believe in 1863, he said that "The war will cease when it has been ended by those who began it."
Who began it? Why? Certainly the south had no reason to begin the war. They knew their numbers were too small and their supplies too few.
Eight days after Lincolns inauguration, Lincoln began plotting. While he was plotting, there was an armistice in place between the US and South Carolina. So he plotted against Ft Pickens, in Florida.
On Jan 28, 1861 an armistice was signed with Florida, meaning that a boat, the USS Brooklyn, had to stop. It was commanded by a Captain Vogdes. The US then elected Lincoln. Eight days after being elected, he sent an order to Vogdes, using Winfeild Scott as a middle man. On March 12, Vogdes was ordered to land his troops at Ft. Pickens. Vogdes then requested needed supplies to make this landing from Cpt. H. A. Adams. Adams denied these supplies. He stated that to make this move would violate the armistace and would be an "Act of War." Vogdes forwarded that response to Gideon Welles, who sent a letter to Adams stating that he was "Sorry to hear" of his unwillingness to work with Vogdes. He was told to provision Vogdes so he could land. THIS WAS AN ACT OF WAR.
Mr Curtis, no more flame baiting. "<u>I will wait for lies before adding more.</u>" This is neither polite nor tolerated on this board. I do not believe any on this board will knowingly post lies. If you disagree or feel you have been somehow slighted please PM myself or another moderator and you will be heard out.
Sir, as it is, I bid you a good day.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
The only difference between Lincoln and any other possible president in office at the time, dealing with Lincoln's same circumstances, is that any other man probably would not have preformed as well as Lincoln. Remember that in 1856 when John Freemont ran for president on the newly formed republican ticket, the South was threatening rebellion. I wonder what the results would have been there.
Maybe Freemont would have found some better Generals. Say what you will about Lincoln, but his choices for Generals was poor to pitifull. Until Grant at least.
Say what you will about Lincoln, but when he finally hit his stride, he picked some pretty good ones. Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Meade, Hancock, and a few others.
And remember, out West, the Union had been winning for a long, long time.
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
true enough, but his early choices in the east were pathetic. one of em over and over. why he ever gave little mac command of a fighting army is beyond me.
However, with that said I believe little mac to be one of the most important generals of the war. he could build an army like no one else. He just didnt know what to do with it.
On this we are in complete agreement, Little Mac was a supreb organizer but I fear his major problem was he loved his army too much to use it.
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
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