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Brojoek, I don't think you fully realize how the sophomoric tenor and content of your recent posts is wasting bandwidth here.

Attempting to co-mingle unrelated events and mixing in non sequiturs from your imaginary analogies is leaching the patience of fellow posters.

You have no stature here to present your definition of war.

Here is the Supreme Court case that defines the beginning as an act originating in President Lincoln's office. None of your supercilious comments resemble anything in the ruling.

Here is the case number:

Protector, 79 U.S. 12 Wall. 700 700 (1870) APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE

UNITED STATES FOR THE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

Syllabus

1. The beginning and termination of the late rebellion in reference to acts of limitation is to be determined by some public act of the political department.

2. The war did not begin or close at the same time in all the states.

3. Its commencement in certain states will be referred to the first proclamation of blockade embracing them and made on the 19th April, 1861, and as to other states to the second proclamation of blockade embracing them, and made on the 27th April, 1861.

Both were political acts by Lincoln.

If you continue to posit your war beginning canard, you will receive this same document every time.

PeaBrain: "If you continue to posit your war beginning canard, you will receive this same document every time."

But regardless of how often you post it, it's still irrelevant to this discussion, because that document only addresses, for certain legal purposes, when the US government first responded (still with words, not bullets!) to actual Confederate acts of war against it.

I take my instructions from the words of President Roosevelt on December 8, 1941 when he said:

"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire."

Those same words could equally apply to Fort Sumter: since the Confederate assault on April 12, 1861 a state of war had existed.

Actual wars begin when soldiers battle enemies, not when politicians sign paperwork.
And as we've seen in more recent years, even years and years can pass by with one side fully engaged in war against and enemy who refuses to recognize war or respond in kind.
But it's still a war, even if we deny it.