More bull.
See my comments about the Missouri Wide-Awakes above.
Also, if you are correct (and you are not), then why were Ben Butler and the Sixth Mass formed up and moving within 48 hours of Lincoln's call for troops?
Troops from Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts were all on foot within hours of Lincoln's call.
Threat from the South? I don't think so. Rather, a bunch of Northern politicians getting together to plan for a war to make them all Masters of the Universe -- that's a likelier explanation for these regiments' "timeliness".
Yes, I know it's more bull but I'm going to read your post anyway. I promise.
See my comments about the Missouri Wide-Awakes above.
Yes, I know. But I noticed you forgot to talk about the St. Louis Minute Men - the pro-secessionist group that was active at the time and who the Wide-Awakes were organizing to oppose. And I also noticed that you completely forgot the mention that a state convention convened in March voted down secession. Why is that? Why is it that you have no problems with Southern mobs taking the state out of the Union against the wishes of the people as expressed at a convention held to determine the whole secession question, but you see nothing but evil intent in an attempt to oppose that attempt?
Also, if you are correct (and you are not), then why were Ben Butler and the Sixth Mass formed up and moving within 48 hours of Lincoln's call for troops?
Well it would nice if you were specific on which 6th Mass. you were talking about. Assuming you mean the one that was attacked by the rebel mob in Baltimore, then it was ready to move for the same reason why Virginia militia regiments were ready to move against Harper's Ferry the day the state voted for secession - state's had been organizing militias for decades. The 6th Mass. was made up of militia companies that existed. It was an organization of long standing with a history going back to the Revolutionary War. The fact that it could be collected and deployed withing a few days is not surprising.
Troops from Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts were all on foot within hours of Lincoln's call.
Same explanation as the Massachusetts militia.
Threat from the South? I don't think so.
Why not? They had already fired on the flag and had made it clear that they would have Sumter regardless. All the aggressive acts had come from them. The threat from such an unstable regime was very real and something Lincoln had to keep in mind.