As Bruce Catton points out in "The Coming Fury", the Lincoln Administration pretty much continued the Buchanan policy towards the secessionists pretty much unchanged.
In any event, Lincoln's call for 75,000 militia was filled quickly and to overflowing. The draft provided only @ 6% of federal man power. You conveniently overlook that the rebel government was the first to go to conscription.
The Congress provided the money and the legislation to prosecute the war. Lincoln was just one man.
Had the secessionists kept their seats in the Congress, Lincoln could not have done a thing to attack slavery. It was the slave power that rolled the dice, and they were the big losers.
Walt
Catton is wrong then as one major thing did change - Lincoln launched an invasion of the south.
In any event, Lincoln's call for 75,000 militia was filled quickly and to overflowing. The draft provided only @ 6% of federal man power.
Though I have no reason to put any credibility into statistics coming from you, such matters are not of issue here as the call was ultimately Lincoln's, and not, as you suggested, the collective will of "the people."
You conveniently overlook that the rebel government was the first to go to conscription.
Once again, unless you are intent upon playing games of tu quoque relativism, such matters are not of issue here since they say nothing of your contention that the war was the collective will of "the people."
The Congress provided the money and the legislation to prosecute the war.
Congress was out of session until July 4, 1861. Lincoln had been waging the war since April.
Lincoln was just one man.
And also the one man whose actions, more than any other individual on any side, directly brought about the war.