Conspiracy Theory

[KeyserSoze]

what is your most interesting conspiracy story of the civil war period, concerning the ACW ?

The ever popular "Lincoln tricked us into firing on Fort Sumter."

 

[Pvt.Shattuck]

Occam's Razor suggests that the simplest explanation for any event is usually the correct one. Conspiracy theories, while interesting, always grossly underestimate the high probability of sheer incompetence, especially when government is involved.

 

[CW Watch & Sword Guy]

But he's an Attorney.

That changes everything! Attorneys never lie.

 

[CW Watch & Sword Guy]

A busload of conspiracy theorists were on their way to a conference about the Kennedy assassination, when they hit some black ice and went over a cliff on a curvy mountain road. They found themselves and their vehicle at the pearly gates. The director of the conference, who was on the bus, stepped out to speak with St. Peter and get the green light to proceed. Of course, he took the opportunity to ask the question that had consumed most of his life, expecting confidently to hear the definitive, unimpeachable confirmation of his most cherished theories: "What is the whole truth about the Kennedy Assassination?" he asked.

Peter replied: "Oswald killed Kennedy, and he acted alone."

The stunned arch conspiracy theorist was dumbstruck. He returned to his bus and declared to his breathless colleagues: "This one goes even higher than we thought, boys!"

 

[TerryB]

I don't think everybody involved in Lincoln's assassination was caught or even found out.

 

[Hunter]

I don't think everybody involved in Lincoln's assassination was caught or even found out.

That is exactly what "Paine" claimed. I have reason to believe he was correct.

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

mutually exclusive?

Ouch

 

[damYankee]

When does theory become fact?

Francis Henney Smith, West Point class of 1833, noted as the co-founder of VMI, The Builder and Rebuilder of VMI, .
In 1851 Smith started advising North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana on the creation their own military colleges and advocating the arming of Virginia and other Southern states militias in preparation for "the portentous could gathering in the North".
Appointed by the governor of Virginia to the Council of Three, for the state military preparations.
While fulfilling his duties as Superintendent of VMI he worked tirelessly to secure arms and munitions and vital equipment from the North and encouraged the manufacture arms in Virginia as early as 1852,
So influential was Smith in preparing the Southern States for war that when Davis ordered the Committee of Arsenal and Arms to produce an inventory of weaponry and munitions available to the CSA, Smith was ready.
In his July 1861 "Report of Committee on Arsenal and Arms" Smith had on his own initiative acquired 3,600 muskets, 16,000 lbs. of cannon powder, 125 lbs of rifle powder, 600 lbs of artillery ammunition and 6,000 musket cartridges in the stores of VMI.
But perhaps the greatest contribution was Smith's VMI cadets and recently graduated students who were sent to Richmond to act as drill instructors for the newly formed CSA, training 15,000 new recruits at Camp Lee, in fact VMI graduates are accredited for the training of over 50,000 Confederate soldiers, how many of those went on to train other Confederates one can only speculate.
The fact that Smith had since 1850 been in communications with many powerful and well connected men who became powerful promoters of secession eventually to become leaders of the CSA, would that not qualify as more than theory ?
Smith was a visionary who understood the trajectory of events and foresaw the coming war and tried to prepare the Southern states by encouraging other states to create military academies, encouraged arms industries to locate in southern cities years before the election of Lincoln.
You be the judge.

 

[Hunter]

When does theory become fact?

Francis Henney Smith, West Point class of 1833, noted as the co-founder of VMI, The Builder and Rebuilder of VMI, .
In 1851 Smith started advising North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana on the creation their own military colleges and advocating the arming of Virginia and other Southern states militias in preparation for "the portentous could gathering in the North".
Appointed by the governor of Virginia to the Council of Three, for the state military preparations.
While fulfilling his duties as Superintendent of VMI he worked tirelessly to secure arms and munitions and vital equipment from the North and encouraged the manufacture arms in Virginia as early as 1852,
So influential was Smith in preparing the Southern States for war that when Davis ordered the Committee of Arsenal and Arms to produce an inventory of weaponry and munitions available to the CSA, Smith was ready.
In his July 1861 "Report of Committee on Arsenal and Arms" Smith had on his own initiative acquired 3,600 muskets, 16,000 lbs. of cannon powder, 125 lbs of rifle powder, 600 lbs of artillery ammunition and 6,000 musket cartridges in the stores of VMI.
But perhaps the greatest contribution was Smith's VMI cadets and recently graduated students who were sent to Richmond to act as drill instructors for the newly formed CSA, training 15,000 new recruits at Camp Lee, in fact VMI graduates are accredited for the training of over 50,000 Confederate soldiers, how many of those went on to train other Confederates one can only speculate.
The fact that Smith had since 1850 been in communications with many powerful and well connected men who became powerful promoters of secession eventually to become leaders of the CSA, would that not qualify as more than theory ?

Not sure about the other schools but Alabama did not convert its public university into a military school until 1860. The most attractive feature of this type of conversion was that schools like VMI had attained a very healthy enrollment. Alabama's enrollment had been below average.