“And why was that provocative? Sumter was the property of the federal government. Built on land deeded to the U.S. free and clear by an act of the South Carolina legislature, funded with government revenue provided by all the states, manned by the U.S. Army, Sumter was not the territory of South Carolina or the confederacy and Lincoln was well within his rights to send them supplies and keep them from starving. Had Lincoln landed his supplies then all that would have resulted in was a continuation of the status quo. Why was that such a threat to Davis that he felt the need to launch a war to gain the fort?”
Because if South Carolina’s secession had any merit or standing, they certainly could not allow a “foriegn” army to occupy land in their territory.
“But a month before he fired on Sumter, Davis signed an authorization for raising 100,000 troops. An army 6 or 7 times the size of the U.S. army. What was that for?”
Davis wasnt stupid. He saw what happened at Harpers Ferry and knew that certain folks in the North had grand designs of beating the South into submission, but he raised that army for purely defensive purposes, correctly as it turns out.
In reference to Lee’s men, they certainly do not qualify as war crimes. Lee’s men never burnt down entire cities or issued an order giving his men the right to rape, as the Bastard Butler did in New Orleans.
But the land was not their. And why would continued possession of a fort by the U.S. - a fort that was their property to begin with - cast doubts about South Carolina's secession? How did Sumter create such a threat that it justified a war to gain control of it?
Davis wasnt stupid. He saw what happened at Harpers Ferry and knew that certain folks in the North had grand designs of beating the South into submission, but he raised that army for purely defensive purposes, correctly as it turns out.
Wuh? Harper's Ferry? That was hundreds of miles from Montgomery and the rest of the confederacy. What on earth did that have to do with Davis' rash arms buildup?
In reference to Lee’s men, they certainly do not qualify as war crimes. Lee’s men never burnt down entire cities or issued an order giving his men the right to rape, as the Bastard Butler did in New Orleans.
The people of Chambersburg, Maryland would have an argument with you on that. And as for Butler's order I'd like to see that if you don't mind.