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After the fact. The southern states left first and walked away from obligations and with anything they could get their hands on. So even if the delegation had been there to discuss paying for anything, and there was nothing in the letter of introduction Davis sent Lincoln that indicates they were, what leverage did Lincoln have to get fair value?

That potentially large Union army. That would seem to me to be a pretty good guarantor of fair value. :)

It'd be like if I demanded you sign your car over to me and say I'll pay you fair value for it. You're at the mercy of whatever I consider fair.

If you had at your beck and call a gang of rowdies, I believe I would certainly make every effort to be fair to you.

Shouldn't the issues have been settled before leaving? Otherwise how can both sides protect their own interests?

I don't think the timing is important so long as it is understood that the issue would be addressed. Before or after, the property wasn't going anywhere and neither was the degree of indebtedness. Some of these land/property disputes go on for years. I think the Spanish and the Brits are still arguing over Gibraltar.

I personally think the Confederates would have been smarter to just keep haggling instead of trying to force the issue, but Arrogance is what motivated them to act. "Pride goeth before a fall."

That potentially large Union army. That would seem to me to be a pretty good guarantor of fair value. :)

You criticize Lincoln for not surrendering after Fort Sumter was attacked, a deliberate act of war, and yet you suggest that he could resort to war for money?

If you had at your beck and call a gang of rowdies, I believe I would certainly make every effort to be fair to you.

You have it wrong. I have your car, legally, free and clear. I offer $5 for it. What recourse do you have?

I don't think the timing is important so long as it is understood that the issue would be addressed.

If I walk out on you taking all the community property I can get my hands on and leaving you with sole responsibility for all the debt built up while we were together then what good is "addressing" it later? I've got what I want. I've left you with all the bills. I'm free and clear. What motivation do I have to reimburse you for anything?

I think the Spanish and the Brits are still arguing over Gibraltar.

An excellent example. Great Britain has Gibraltar. They are paying nothing, reimbursing nothing, doing nothing to address the Spanish claims. And it's 310 years after the fact. So why should Lincoln believe that the Confederacy were interested in paying for anything or accepting responsibility for anything? If the Confederate delegation had, in fact, been open for discussions why should the U.S. believe anything they have to say?