Hey! I get it, Truth hurts, and the more true the more it hurts.No, I'm *really* still laughing at your premise.
In this particular example it is undeniable that Pearl Harbor and Fort Sumter were both opening attacks of what became the greatest, meaning most terrible, wars in American history.
MAD Magazine satire. AGAIN.
The parallels between Pearl and Sumter are numerous and uncanny, and what is inescapable is their identical effects on US public opinion and leadership decisions.
Yeah -- some "parallel:
One "attack" was the defense of an American Southern Fort by Northern aggressors that resulted in TWO deaths because TWO of Lincoln's martyred agitators accidentally died from some ammo exploding.
The other attack could be considered the greatest, most powerful naval sneak attack in history; It was a REAL attack by a vast naval armada and major air attack of a major American military outpost resulting in over 2,000 lives lost, several battle ships sunk and many aircraft destroyed. Maybe you've seen the dramatic film or photos? And gee -- I'm sorry those two Union enforcers died in the ammo accident, BUT, we're talking Major League, vs....a video game, son.
The ONLY area in which we agree is in how terrible both wars were -- ESPECIALLY that one war was waged by a hypocritical sitting NORTHERN American President of many slave-states upon SOUTHERN confederation of slave-states who collectively rejected a continued governance by a centralized coercive, corrupt tyrannical Union and its biased, unfair economic/tariff policies.
Abe Lincoln had NO right to invade then create a bloodbath of over 600,000 deaths. The South defended themselves from the coercive Northern onslaught as brother-fought-brother.
What right did Lincoln and his Northern economic slavemasters have to suppress MILLIONS of Southerners their *rightful* decision to independence? Especially as the feral gummint North continued to rig the economic system for the North while violating and disrespecting States and personal sovereignty?
Should the new regime march into YOUR neighborhood, take over YOUR home to give OTHER "less fortunate" Americans and refugees; remove you from your job to give to the SAME people, how quickly will you be to surrender? Or will you deem it unfair and defend your own sovereignty?
HangUpNow:
"No, I'm *really* still laughing at your premise." Laugh all you want, it's still true.
HangUpNow: "Yeah -- some "parallel:
One 'attack' was the defense of an American Southern Fort by Northern aggressors that resulted in TWO deaths because TWO of Lincoln's martyred agitators accidentally died from some ammo exploding."
Relatively speaking, Sumter & Pearl were the same.
Beginning here: in round numbers the entire US Army in early 1861 was 17,000.
By contrast, in December, 1941 the entire US military was around 1,700,000 or roughly 100 times larger than early 1861.
So, comparing Sumter & Pearl, relatively, we start by adding two zero's to Fort Sumter numbers.
Here then are the analogies:
- Strategically, in late 1941 three most important US overseas forces were 1) MacArthur's in the Philippines, 2) Kimmel & Short in Hawaii and 3) the division strength Panama Canal forces.
After secessions in early 1861, equivalents were three Union manned forts of Pickens at Pensacola, FL, Jefferson in the Lower Keys and Sumter at Charleston.
- The overwhelming Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor matched the Confederate assault on Fort Sumter, where about 5,000 Confederates used 4,000 cannon & mortars to assault 85 Union troops with 21 working guns within the fort.
- At Sumter, Union casualties totaled six of 85 = 7%, or roughly the same percentage as US casualties at Pearl Harbor, compared to total US forces on Oahu.
- In terms of relative losses, Fort Sumter was greater than Pearl Harbor, since Pearl remained in US hands, plus nearly all ships "sunk" in 1941 were later repaired & returned to the fight, while after April 1861 Fort Sumter remained in Confederate hands, protecting the port of Charleston, despite costly Union attempts to retake it.
- But the most compelling analogy between Pearl & Sumter were the effects each had on US public & leaders' opinion, which had previously opposed war but now enthusiastically supported it.
Confederates assault Fort Sumter, Japanese attack Pearl Harbor:
