[DouglasKC]

civil war n 1. (Military) war between parties, factions, or inhabitants of different regions within the same nation

Except the south declared they were a different nation...

[Sherman Logan]

Which of course is the issue the war was fought over.

Read back thru the southern newspapers in 60/61. They are absolutely loaded with calls for “an appeal to arms!”

Apparently they didn’t realize sometimes you lose an appeal.

[BroJoeK]

DouglasKC debating the definition of "civil war": "Except the south declared they were a different nation..."

Note in my post #425 above that other definitions clearly include the American war from 1861 - 1865.

Here is that entire article, definition of civil war.

"A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same state or country,[1] or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly united state.
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region or to change government policies."