[jeffersondem]

“Fort Sumter was a “pretext” only in the same sense that, for examples, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were “pretexts”.”

To compare Fort Sumter - no battle deaths - to Pearl Harbor or September 11 is inapt and unapt.

It is also inept.

[BroJoeK]

jeffersondem: "To compare Fort Sumter - no battle deaths - to Pearl Harbor or September 11 is inapt and unapt."

So, the analogy would be totally apt with you, you'd have no problems comparing Fort Sumter to Pearl Harbor if... if... if only Maj. Anderson had put up more of a fight, if only he'd held out longer, killed more Confederates, got more of his own troops killed, right?
So, how many Union dead people would you need to see?
Would 7% Union casualties be enough to convince you the battle was serious enough to rank with Pearl Harbors' 7% casualties?

Regardless... Fort Sumter had the same effect, just as Toombs had correctly predicted.
And that's a fact, regardless of how apt you consider it.

And Jefferson Davis' excuse for ignoring Toombs' advice was?