“”You don’t wait until the enemy has fully prepared before attacking.” That’s the problem - the south had already adopted an aggressive war-like attitude. “
General description, not a formal one. When someone starts building up their arms you must consider them a possible enemy. The North was enforcing their positions.
You have it upside down - again. It was the south who took the “my way or the highway” tone. It was the south who ratched up the hostilities. It was the south who built up the fortifications - when they weren’t stealing them outright.
The SOUTH was enforcing their positions.