was he a KNOWLEDGEABLE source, in YOUR opinion???
MOST people then/now thought he was NUTS.
Robert Barnwell Rhett was a secessionist from way back. After 1850, he wore the mantle of Calhoun. Rhett was a longtime member of the US Congress and was instrumental in drafting the CSA constitution. He was clearly an influential member of southern society and was an ardent fire-eater.
He well expressed the extreme views of the secessionists. Would you prefer I quote from William L. Yancey or Laurence M. Keitt instead? Neither lived as long or were as prolific as Rhett, but they were equally as extreme.