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“Have you ever read US history?” Surely you jest... My undergrad is US History.

“The Souths strategy from the beginning was defensive.”

Yeah sure! They were the instigators of the entire war from Ft. Sumter and tried their best to invade boarding states of Kentucky, Maryland, Arkansas, and even tried actions in New Mexico, Arizona and California. You trying to pull off the false argument that the South was just defending themselves is a false strawman argument that anyone with basic knowledge with Civil War actions - especially in border states and the territories can easily rebuff. That doesn’t even include the terrorist plot in NYC on election day 1864.

“There was never any intention of the CSA invading and/or occupying the North.”

So the entire Gettysburg campaign never happened then - good to know....

I’ve read more books on the Civil War - guaranteed than you have. I have at least 200 in my library alone. I can name unit commanders of most battles and even tell you their ranks at the offset of the war. The 2nd US Dragoons unit at Bull Run produced no less than 5 future generals.

Easy to get on the internet and sit on your tush being the keyboard pretending you’re smarter than everybody else. But yeah, I did learn my history from a comic book.

You need a refund. I will attempt to educate you. Don't fight me and open your mind.

The Confederate States of America recognized from the outset of the Civil War that they had disadvantages in terms of population and industrial output. Their strategy was to take advantage of their compact geography, with internal lines of communication, their military heritage (Southerners had been disproportionately the officers of the United States Army), and their greater enthusiasm for their cause to wear down the Union will to wage war. They also believed the Britain, with its heavy dependence on Southern cotton to supply its mills, would be at worst neutral with a bias in their favor, and they dreamed of direct European assistance.

Southern Strategy

Yeah sure! They were the instigators of the entire war from Ft. Sumter

Incorrect. Major Anderson took over the empty fort in December of 1860. Since November of 1860, The Secretary of war had told the people of South Carolina that all the forts would be evacuated and turned over to them. Anderson had spiked all the cannons in Ft. Moultrie, and set the gun carriages on fire. The people of Charleston woke up to fires burning in their forts, and Anderson and his men occupying the previously never garrisoned Ft. Sumter in the middle of the harbor entrance.

The people of Charleston considered the spiking of the guns and the burning of the gun carriages to be the first belligerent act of the war.

So with Anderson occupying the fort, and his officers discussing whether or not to turn the cannons of the Fort on Charleston, the Confederates allowed Anderson to remain there from December of 1860, to April of 1861. In April, Anderson was sent word that if he would but name a time he would evacuate, they would give him as much time as he needed to do so.

Then they were sent word that Abraham Lincoln had launched a fleet of warships with orders to attack the confederates, and so they gave Anderson an ultimatum. Either offer your assurances that you will not attack the confederates with the guns of that fort when those warships arrive to attack, (Anderson refused) or evacuate the fort. (Anderson also refused.)

With the circumstance of shortly being caught between the guns of the fort, and the guns of the warships Lincoln had sent, they had no choice but to neutralize the Fort before the warships could be put into position for an attack.

It was the arrival of the "Harriet Lane", (Which immediately fired cannon at the "Nashville.") which triggered the attack on the fort. When the first of the warships were sighted, General Beauregard realized that the war fleet was actually coming to engage them.

Here is an image of another one of the warships Lincoln sent with orders to attack them.