Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The South secedes, why die to stop it?

I don't believe that more than a small percentage of the Union soldiers who served during the American Civil War fought to free slaves, they fought to preserve the Union and because they wanted to join their friends on the greatest adventure of their time. Soldiers fight for their friends, for their units, not for high ideals, but in an effort to survive the conflict. I've read dozens of letters that my ancestors sent home and not once was slavery mentioned.

I have long understood that that some unit of the South Carolina Militia fired the first shot of the American Civil War at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Is that not correct?

I believe that Lincoln issued The Emancipation Proclamation for political and military reasons, to take the high moral ground and keep the European Empires of the UK and Russia from actively/openly supporting the CSA.

The fourth paragraph of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address clearly states his position on slavery; " I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.". How much clearer could he have been?

Many folks seems to forget that when the question of secession arose during the Nullification Crisis of the late 1820's and early 1830's a slave owning POTUS, Andrew Jackson, said that he would preserve The Union by force is necessary and the crisis subsided. I guess that people felt that Old Hickory was likely to do what he said he'd do, while some of the same people didn't believe that Honest Abe would do what he said he'd do, preserve the Union, and not do, end slavery in the States where it existed.

See Proverbs 18:12

The occupying force at Fort Sumter were told to leave South Carolina. They were given time to leave. I believe this is the fuse Lincoln used to start the war. We may never know who really fired the first shot.

Exactly. The war was inevitable because Lincoln wasn't going to let the southern money get away.

The first nail in the coffin was the tax of obamanation passed under Adams presidency.

True, the south refused to let the north resupply the fort. Fort Sumter was definitely the excuse Lincoln was looking for.

Yep, seeing as a great many of them were the Norths' slave labor force, the Irish, who were only there for a paycheck.

I tend to think of Fort Sumter as being Federal property, analogous to our current military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Sovereign American territory on foreign soil. Would the U.S. leave Guantanamo Bay if the Cubans told us to leave? I think not.

There were draft riots.

Stop it, just stop it...the Chinese are the bad guys.

No, Yankees are faaaaaaaaar worse than Chinese.

http://sageamericanhistory.net/civilwar/docs/lincolngreeley.html

" Exchange Between Horace Greeley and President Lincoln, 1862

Horace Greeley's Letter

On the editorial page of the New York Tribune of August 20, 1862, Horace Greeley published an open letter to President Abraham Lincoln entitled, “THE PRAYER OF TWENTY MILLIONS.” Greeley was an abolitionist who was adamant in his demand that the president do something about slavery. Following are excerpts from that letter:

“To ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States:

“DEAR SIR: I do not intrude to tell you—for you must know already—that a great proportion of those who triumphed in your election, and of all who desire the unqualified suppression of the Rebellion now desolating our country, are sorely disappointed and deeply pained by the policy you seem to be pursuing with regard to the slaves of the Rebels. I write only to set succinctly and unmistakably before you what we require, what we think we have a right to expect, and of what we complain.

“We require of you, as the first servant of the Republic, charged especially and preeminently with this duty, that you EXECUTE THE LAWS....”

...

“We complain that the Union cause has suffered and is now suffering immensely, from mistaken deference to Rebel Slavery. Had you, Sir, in your Inaugural Address, unmistakably given notice that, in case the Rebellion already commenced were persisted in, and your efforts to preserve the Union and enforce the laws should be resisted by armed force, you would recognize no loyal person as rightfully held in Slavery by a traitor, we believe that the Rebellion would have received a staggering, if not fatal blow....”

...

“On the face of this wide earth, Mr. President, there is not one disinterested, determined, intelligent champion of the Union Cause who does not feel that all attempts to put down the Rebellion and at the same time uphold its inciting cause are preposterous and futile—that the Rebellion, if crushed out tomorrow, would be renewed within a year if Slavery were left in full vigor—that the army of officers who remain to this day devoted to Slavery can at best be but half way loyal to the Union—and that every hour of deference to Slavery is an hour of added and deepened peril to the Union....”

“I close as I began with the statement that what an immense majority of the Loyal Millions of your countrymen require of you is a frank, declared, unqualified, ungrudging execution of the laws of the land, more especially of the Confiscation Act.... As one of the millions who would gladly have avoided this struggle at any sacrifice but that of Principle and Honor, but who now feel that the triumph of the Union is indispensable not only to the existence of our country, but to the well-being of mankind, I entreat you to render a hearty and unequivocal obedience to the law of the land.”

Yours,

Horace Greeley

NEW YORK, August 19, 1862

------------------------------------------------------

PRESIDENT LINCOLN' RESPONSE

President Abraham Lincoln's response is one of his most famous letters. When Lincoln wrote this letter, he was already at work on the Emancipation Proclamation , but as he states clearly in his reponse, his first concern was the Union. Lincoln sent his response to the New York Times for publication rather than to Greeley's New York Tribune. The Times was a strong supporter of Lincoln's policies, whereas Greeley's Tribune had become something of a gadfly to Lincoln's administration.


"Executive Mansion,
Washington, August 22, 1862.

Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sir.

I have just read yours of the 19th. addressed to myself through the New-York Tribune. If there be in it any statements, or assumptions of fact, which I may know to be erroneous, I do not, now and here, controvert them. If there be in it any inferences which I may believe to be falsely drawn, I do not now and here, argue against them. If there be perceptable in it an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend, whose heart I have always supposed to be right.

As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.

I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.

I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.

Yours,
A. Lincoln."

Diversity is never a strength. Diversity destroys history and communities.

Proof beyond question

Actually, it was a group of cadets from The Citadel. They were out on Morris Island where they did their artillery training when a federal ship, The Star of The West, was enroute to resupply the federal garrison at Fort Sumter. The cadets opened up on it, doing little damage, but convincing the Yankees to change their mind and leave the field without having accomplished their mission.

I've read most of the declarations of independence published by each of the southers states. Preserving slavery was mentioned as the prime cause of their secession. I don't recallany mention of being attacked.

Majority of those fine young Yankees were conscripted.There was no choice unless you had $300.00 to buy your way out.My Great Grandfather lost a leg because he did not have the money to buy his way out.How many do you think volunteered?Once you were conscripted you either went or were hung for desertion.

Slavery was the worst thing to happen to this country. Look at the millions of blacks here today as a result of it.

No you haven’t, or you wouldn’t say that.

Hey, the truth of the matter is we don't care what you do with your sister, as long as we get our watermelons on time.

Why then we'll have to disagree.

As to why northern boys would enlist to fight the war, I have asked that question about my two great great grandfathers. Picture yourself as an Ohio farm boy. Your life is pretty boring. Your life is all laid out. You've never met a Southerner but heard bad things about them. Suddenly, they want to leave your country. Isn't that good? Why try to stop them?

Well, a local politician appoints himself a Colonel and raises a regiment. Aha, a chance for some excitement. To see the world. Spiffy uniforms. An enlistment bonus in cash. And everyone knows it'll be over by Christmas. This is your last--and maybe--only chance. Besides everyone's doing it. Danger? No, glory. One big battle and the Rebs will all run away like dogs....won't they?

The same sort of ferver infected the boys of hte European powers at the start of World War I.

The "fine print" in the contract said it was a 3-year enlistment. At the end of that time neither one re-enlisted, even though the war was not yet over.

The construct of our republic is as close to perfect as any nation could hope. But our country was still very young at the time of the Civil War and there were legitimate disagreements on many issues from both sides.

In the end, the fact that the United States remained united caused our nation to be stronger.

The south was not wrong. The north was not wrong. Both sides had their reasons to fight at the time and it is absurd to question or undermine any American’s choice to fight in that war. Especially given the luxury of hindsight in 2021.

That war was the product of growing pains that were inevitable to occur in a republic like ours. All the men that fought in that war should be revered, and honored. All of them.