If the Governor of Pennsylvania took an interview with the Administration on April 5th, then when was he called to that interview by, no doubt, the President?
Come to think of it, Col. Lee had his famous interview with Gen. Scott on April 20th. So when were his orders cut, and by whom, at whose request, on what date? Lee had to come from San Antonio.
And if Massachusetts had that many men trained up to a razor's edge for war, then when did the State begin training them, and at whose instigation, and with what purpose? This had been going on for a while.
And the South was the "aggressor" because they put out a call for large numbers of (yet) non-existent troops?
Please.
The apologetics keep flowing out from their fountainhead, only less and less convincingly as time goes by.
Trained to a razor's edge? ROTFLMAO!!!!! What universe are you living in? They were militia. Little more than an armed mob. On both sides. As Bull Run was to demonstrate.
As far back as February, I believe. From one of my old posts I linked to non-seq above in post 282:
From the Richmond Daily Dispatch (VA) of February 11, 1861:The Massachusetts Military.
Boston, February 7.
--Military orders promulgated to-day by the Commander-in-Chief are prefaced as follows:
"The present condition of national affairs renders it possible that the services of the volunteer military of Massachusetts may be required at no distant day, and at short notice, by the President of the United States for the defence of the Federal capital, and it is the desire of his Excellency, the Governor, and Commander-in-Chief, that the troops be in readiness for any legal requisition that may be made upon them."
The orders apply more directly to the First Division, and require rigid scrutiny of company rolls, frequent company drills, and a thorough preparation for active service.
Large amounts of equipment and ammunition were procured by Massachusetts for their military buildup.