I have a couple of thoughts related to the War Between the States brought on by the thread about N.B. Forrest, and I figured the discussion deserves its own thread. First off, I'm not a fan of Lincoln. I believe Lincoln brought on the war without trying to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He painted the south into a corner at Sumter, forcing them to seem the aggressor with no attempt to avert it. Remember, there were several southern states who hadn't seceded, but were waiting to see what was gonna happen. Who knows, maybe with some statesmanship and some compromise, war might have been avoided. With that said, I believe that Booths shot at Ford's Theater hurt the south far more than Sherman's March. With Lincoln gone, the radical republicans forced their idea of "reconstruction" on the south, which was far worse than what Lincoln had planned. And while we're talking about Sherman, I believe his "March" prolonged the war, both in 1864, and in the minds of southerners long after. The Confederate government's power rested on the Confederate Armies. Hood's Army of Tennessee was his rightful objective, not the farms and plantations of Dixie. Had he pinned Hood between himself and Thomas and Schofield, and afterward reinforced Grant in VA, the war may have ended much sooner. Thoughts? 7mm
"Preserving the Constitution, fighting off the nibblers and chippers, even nibblers and chippers with good intentions, was once regarded by conservatives as the first duty of the citizen. It still is." � Wesley Pruden
