The south did not just leave they then attacked the union fort which was a federal facility and declared themselves to be at with and in rebellion to the US
The Union had the right to withdraw its forces from Ft. Sumter. It had no right to wage total war, or to make the return of the Confederate States to the United States into an object of war.
[ The south did not just leave they then attacked the union fort which was a federal facility and declared themselves to be at with and in rebellion to the US ]
Precisely, had each southern state legislature held a sate vote to leave the union with at least 2/3 vote saying to leave, and then had state referendum(s) with 3/4 or more of the populace wanting to leave as well, they would have had a hell of a lot higher moral “high ground” to leave and then did nothing to antagonize the north then things would have turned out a hell of a lot differently.
LIncoln had no intention except to force the South into War. LIncoln instituted the income tax, that was illegal. LIncoln suspended habeus corpus that was illegal. One can find over ten actions he took that were illegal under the laws and struck down by the courts. He further condoned the pillaging and rape by Sherman of property and person on Sherman’s March through GA and SC. If there are two people who should never have a monument or honor it is Lincoln and Sherman.
The SC militia attacked that fort. 6 others states were in the Confederacy at the time but did not participate directly in the bombardment.