You need to study history more. In the beginning, no one thought it would ever grow so large. Both sides thought they would do a little ass slapping, and that would be that. Each one underestimated the resolve of the other. The Confederates had already taken over many other forts, yet none of these were regarded as a Casus belli. Lincoln himself was of a divided mind as to whether he should relinquish the two remaining forts, and went so far as to poll his cabinet regarding what he should do.
It was a real possibility that Lincoln could have simply turned over the keys and walked away from this conflict. I don't know that History would have turned out better had he done so, but I'm pretty sure it would have saved over 600,000 lives.
From the viewpoint of Anderson and his men, the fort was in their own country.
When we broke from the British we sent them a Declaration of Independence. At that point, what was formerly the property of the crown, became the property of the United States. Do you want to claim that it remained British Property?
So their miscalculation lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. But their underlying reason for the attack, according to your earlier post, was 'just a matter of pride'. Six dead or six hundred thousand dead, it's still a petty reason for going to war.
It was a real possibility that Lincoln could have simply turned over the keys and walked away from this conflict. I don't know that History would have turned out better had he done so, but I'm pretty sure it would have saved over 600,000 lives.
He could have. But all those lives could also have been spared if Davis didn't choose to bombard the fort. It is just as valid to blame him for the war, perhaps more so.
When we broke from the British we sent them a Declaration of Independence. At that point, what was formerly the property of the crown, became the property of the United States. Do you want to claim that it remained British Property?
Actually we broke well over a year before the Declaration of Independence. And the Founding Fathers recognized that they would have to fight for what they wanted. They didn't expect the British just to turn over property that didn't belong to them. Why did Davis?
When you hold a revolution, such an act is always extra-legal, and often illegal, unless of course you win.
The 13 colonies met that standard. The slaveocrats did not.
“The Confederates had already taken over many other forts, yet none of these were regarded as a Casus belli.”
I don’t claim to be a ‘Civil War Expert’, my study has been limited to the Western Front, in Indian Territory, Texas & Arkansas. But you are correct. Ft. Smith was taken without a battle April 23rd, 1861 by Arkansas troops and Stand Watie and his Cherokee Braves. Fort Washita was abandoned by Union Forces April 16. As early as Feb 8th, was the seizure of Little Rock Arsenal by State Troops.
I’ve found the Civil War was fought for a lot of ‘local’ reasons. Just as I suppose any war of such a great geographical scale would be.
http://jesusweptanamericanstory.blogspot.com/