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The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the 87th. Armored Recon. Battalion (5/73 -10/73) - Apr. 12th, 2005
www.87th.org.il ^

Posted on 04/11/2005 10:02:04 PM PDT by SAMWolf



Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


.................................................................. .................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

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The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
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The Unit that lead the way to the Suez Canal crossing and the turning point in the 1973 War


History of the 87th


The 87th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion was formed in May 1973 as a reserve unit of the 143rd Armored Division ("Pillar of Fire"). Most crewmen and officers were from tank and reconnaissance units; young soldiers that just had completed their regular military service, and for whom this training was their first reserve call. The battalion CO was Lieutenant-Colonel Ben-Zion (Bentzi) Carmeli, a veteran of the six day war (see "The Tanks of Tammuz" by Shabtai Tevet). Company commanders were: "A" company - Captain Rafael (Rafi) Mitzafon, "B" company - Captain Rafael (Rafi) Bar-Lev, and "C" company - Captain Yigal Abiri. Captain Israel Zohar commanded the jeep company, "D". The battalion consisted of 24 tanks - Patton M60A1 - and 36 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers. The unit underwent several weeks of rigorous training at "Ze'elim", the main army training facility, and participated three months later in a large divisional exercise. The former division CO, Major-General Shemuel Gonen (Gorodish) had been assigned GOC Southern Command and the new division CO was the former GOC Southern Command, Major-General (Res.) Ariel (Arik) Sharon.



In the morning hours of October 6th 1973 - Yom Kippur, the holiest of all Jewish holydays, when it was clear to the General Staff and the government that war with Egypt and Syria was going to break out during the day, the reserve IDF units were mobilized including the 87th together with the entire 143rd armored division. The division was sent in emergency to the Sinai frontier against the Egyptians. During the late hours of the night and early morning hours of the October 7th, the unit rushed to the Sinai desert's central sector. All armored vehicles moved on tracks due to lack of tank transporters.


Bentzi Carmeli - the battallion's first CO


In the afternoon hours of October 7th, the 87th assembled a few kilometers south-west of Tasa, on the road code-named "Akavish" (Spider), leading from Tasa to the north-eastern "corner" of the Great Bitter Lake and took up positions on a sandy ridge overlooking the area of Deversoir located to the North of the point where the Suez Canal joins the northern extremity of the Great Bitter Lake. Here the unit experienced its baptism of fire, repelling the Egyptian attempts to advance in this area. The next morning , October 8th, a counter-attack was launched by the Southern Command, lead by the 162nd armored division under the command of Major-General Adan, against the bridgehead of the Egyptian 2nd army. The initial reports which seemed to indicate success for the 162nd caused Southern Command to order General Sharon to move the 143rd armored division hastily southward in order to attack the Egyptian 3rd army. As this movement would leave a key area exposed, the deputy CO of the division, Colonel Jackie Even, after having obtained approval from General Sharon, ordered the 87th recon battalion to hold positions on the sandy hill area code-named "Hamadia" - an area controlling the designated future crossing point of the Suez Canal. In fact, a week later Sharon's division stormed this area and bridged the Canal into Egypt in a maneuver that would eventually change the course of the war. Positioned alone on the "Hamadia" sandy ridge, the 87th came under heavy attack by outnumbering Egyptian forces, and at 15:30 the tank of Lieutenant-Colonel Carmeli was hit directly by a heavy mortar shell. Carmeli, who was standing exposed in the turret, was killed instantly by shrapnel, and a tank platoon commander injured. The 87th continued to hold the line, under the command of the CO of "A" company, Captain Rafi Mitzafon.


APC from "B" Company in one of the first days of the war


Later that day it became clear to Southern Command that the counterattack by General Adan's division had failed and General Sharon was ordered to turn the 143rd back to its former position. Just at the right moment, the tanks of the 600th armored brigade, rushing at full speed, appeared in the "Hamadia" area to relieve the hard pressured 87th and to drive the Egyptians back. The 87th withdrew a couple of kilometers from the battle zone in order to reorganize.

On the evening of October 8th, while the 87th was refueling and rearming, a soft-spoken young major reported to the unit HQ. This was Yoav Brom, just having received his orders from the HQ of the 14th armored brigade to take over the command of the 87th which now had been attached to the brigade. Yoav had been on vacation abroad when war broke out, and had returned to Israel on the first flight possible. His quiet professional attitude inspired everybody in the unit, which soon regained its fighting spirit in spite of the loss of their former and highly respected commander.


Yoav Brom, the 87th.'s second commanding officer.


On October the 9th the 87th was ordered to perform a scouting mission after dark in order to locate weak points along the sector border between the Egyptian 2nd and 3rd armies. Finding such a corridor could be utilized in a future breakthrough to the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and crossing and establishing of a bridgehead on the western bank. In addition the 87th was ordered to locate, if possible, survivors from the IDF strongholds on the eastern Canal bank. At nighttime, after a long move in the dunes, the task force of three companies and medical and ordnance platoons reached the bank of the Great Bitter Lake. The enemy forces could be clearly observed, while the 87th remained undiscovered by the Egyptians. Before dawn the 87th returned undisturbed through the dunes, completing a mission that was vital for the planning of the future breakthrough and crossing of the Canal.


Sharon during the Yom Kippur War of 1973


During the next two days the unit was reorganized, rearmed and resupplied. On October 12th the unit was ordered to deploy in the southern sector of the brigade, and to hold the front line from the "Kishuf" (Witchcraft) strongpoint and in a sector southward about 30 km. wide. The main action during the next couple of days was patrolling and observing the movements of the enemy forces.


M60


On October 14th, shortly after sunrise, the Egyptian army launched an attack along the entire front line. The Egyptian 21st armored division, equipped with Russian T-62 tanks, attacked in the sector of the 143rd armored division. In the ensuing battle the Egyptian forces were pushed back with heavy losses. At the end of the day 200 Egyptian tanks had been destroyed and the 143rd division lost 20 tanks. The tanks of the 87th battalion launched a successful counterattack against the southern flank of the Egyptian division, inflicting serious damage and causing confusion in the enemy lines. But price paid by the 87th was heavy: seven warriors had been killed during the day and many more injured, including the commanders of "A" and "C" companies. They were replaced by two junior officers, Captain Assaf Avizohar ("A") and Lieutenant Itzik Kahana ("C").

Following the success in crushing the Egyptian attack, the 143rd division issued battle orders, on the morning of October 15th, for Operation "Abirei Lev" (Knights of Heart). The orders included:

  1. To lead a storm attack on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal close to the northern tip of the Great Bitter Lake.
  2. To establish a bridgehead on the western bank of the Canal by the 247th paratrooper brigade crossing in rubber dinghies.
  3. To expand the bridgehead by armored vehicles being ferried over the Canal by barges and special amphibious tank transporters ("Alligators").
  4. To extend and expand the battle on the western bank by two more armored divisions crossing the Canal on floating bridges, in order to surround the two Egyptian armies on both banks of the canal.



TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: egypt; freeperfoxhole; idf; israel; m113; m60; suezcanal; veterans; yomkippurwar
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To: Aeronaut

Good morning Aeronaut.


41 posted on 04/12/2005 10:20:09 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Iris7

Good morning Iris7.


42 posted on 04/12/2005 10:21:15 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: E.G.C.

((Hugs))


43 posted on 04/12/2005 10:21:32 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: radu

Good morning radu. You just "doubled" our pleasure!


44 posted on 04/12/2005 10:22:16 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: The Mayor

Good morning Mayor.


45 posted on 04/12/2005 10:23:15 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: GailA

Enjoy your quilting day out. Rain expected here for as far as the forecast goes!


46 posted on 04/12/2005 10:24:18 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Valin
"There is no sense in being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway."

LOL.

47 posted on 04/12/2005 10:28:55 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: Professional Engineer

Cool hats, sad time.


48 posted on 04/12/2005 10:29:48 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: snippy_about_it

Never heard about this unit before. Thanks for the (as always) great post.


49 posted on 04/12/2005 10:43:23 AM PDT by Steelerfan
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To: SAMWolf; snippy_about_it; All
You really did a great job. Here are a few more photos & graphics from Yom Kippur War of 1973, on the Egyptian/Sinai front.

Sharon (with head bandage) was recalled to the military during the 1973 Yom Kippur war and put in command of an armored division. Some Israelis considered him to be the man who saved Israel after his forces captured Egypt's 3rd Army and effectively ended the war.

Maps: Campaign in the Sinai.

Israeli soldiers flashed victory signs in the Yom Kippur War while standing guard over Egyptian prisoners on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal. (Union-Tribune 1973 file photo)

Lithograph Setting: As Egyptian and Israeli ground forces did battle below, Even and the Israeli Air Force dueled with Egyptian pilots during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Already an ace with 5 kills from previous conflicts, on the 18th & 20th of October 1973, Even skillfully flew his 101 Squadron Nesher to eight victories over Egyptian aircraft in 26 hours: two Sukhoi SU-7s, two Sukhoi SU-20s, and four Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21s. Through this incredible accomplishment, he achieved legendary status in the IAF and became the top scoring Israeli ace of all time!

Yom Kippur War, October 20th, 1973; Already a double Ace with 10 kills, Giora (Epstein) Even maneuvers his 101 Squadron Nesher after one of foue Mig 21 kills in a single battle. Giora would end the war with 12 kills; nine kills in 48 hours, and three additional kills just minutes before the cease fire went into effect. Giora Epstein stands out as the Ace Of Aces, having shot down a record 17 planes in the course of his amazing career.

Known public photo of General Sharon with bandage (back) and General Dayan (front) during Yom Kippur War.

A coordinated attack is launched by Egypt and Syria across the Suez Canal and Golan Heights in what becomes known as the Yom Kippur War. Israel counterattacks and seizes even more territory before a U.N. sponsored cease-fire takes hold.

Suez Crossing: Israeli troops crossing into Egypt

Yom Kippur War Ribbon

After initially suffering heavy losses, Israeli forces miraculously turned the tide and crossed the Suez Canal, liberating its western bank and spectacularly surrounding the invading Egyptian army.

50 posted on 04/12/2005 10:49:20 AM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: SAMWolf; PhilDragoo; The Mayor; Johnny Gage; snippy_about_it
"I Pity Would-Be Immigrants!!"
(To be sung to Bob Dylan's "I Pity the Poor Immigrant")

I pity would-be immigrants...
Who follow our laws and stay home.
They are dreamin' of bein' U.S. citizens...
While law-breakers ignore our borders and roam.
Good men whose honor won't let'em cheat...
Good life's what they want best.
They wait patiently all their lives...
Law-breakers queer their quest!!

I chide those scofflaw immigrants...
Who sneak accross our plains!!
They break our laws and that ain't Right...
Borders are Left's bane!!
We'll FReep 'til we are satisfied...
They won't get amnesty!!
Truth haunts the folks who live in stealth...
'Cuz FReedom is not FRee!!

I blame the greedy bus'nessman...
Who use folks' sweat and blood!!
They fail our youth by cheating...
But cheap labor's not enough!!
What message does lawlessness send?
We trample laws en masse!!
I pity would-be immigrants...
When the scofflaws get a pass!!

Mudboy Slim (3 February 2005)

51 posted on 04/12/2005 11:10:58 AM PDT by Mudboy Slim (Tom Delay is the BEST POLITICIAN in Congress...and the DemonRATS can't stand it!!)
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To: SAMWolf
It appears that the IDF is, compared to the IDF of 1967 -1973, very seriously demoralized. I cannot at all clearly distinguish fact from Big Media baloney on this subject. (Generally the Big Media, especially CBS-NBC-ABC, seems to be run by Moslems.)

In some of the Free Republic conversations I have been in the "pro-Israel" side has said that unless the situation is rapidly transformed into "tiptoe through the tulips" Israel is over. These guys were Israelis, as far as I can tell, too. Hmm.

Sharon is on top of this, of course. The security barrier has every sign of working as intended. The "settler" issue is being correctly dealt with. Really first class work. The subtlety is enjoyed greatly by this observer. Not as subtly done as the "WOT", of course, although Sharon's actions dovetail very neatly into that whole operation. Must just be an accident, hah hah.
52 posted on 04/12/2005 11:44:01 AM PDT by Iris7 (A man said, "That's heroism." "No, that's Duty," replied Roy Benavides, Medal of Honor.)
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To: snippy_about_it; All
Folks, I've just finished installing this month's set of critical updates fro Windows from the Windows Update site.

It'll take awhile to download them but be sure to do so if you use Windows.

53 posted on 04/12/2005 12:06:35 PM PDT by E.G.C.
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To: alfa6; Brad's Gramma; Cincinatus' Wife; PhiKapMom; Ms. AntiFeminazi; GrandmaC; AuntB
"In Defense of the Minutemen Project!!"

By Geoff Metcalf
April 11, 2005
NewsWithViews.com

Much of the media coverage and virtually all of the 'government' comment on the Minuteman Project www.minutemanproject.com has been negative. Despite measurable success, the Main Stream Media and bureaucrats of all stripes continue to denigrate what is proving to be a good thing. A good thing however that personifies those who don’t want to be confused with facts that contradict a preconceived opinion or prejudice.

Detractors say the MMP is successful only for the 24-mile stretch of border. Those not crossing where they had been are just moving east to more porous routes. The controversy surrounding the Minuteman Project is a poorly crafted red herring. The simple, empirical reality is the Minuteman Project has been hugely successful. Illegal border crossings along the stretch of Arizona/Mexico border have virtually been stopped.

Notwithstanding the fears of vigilante violence and gap-toothed redneck pickup truck marauders, the Minuteman Project is proving to be a well organized, effectively managed deterrent to a chronic travesty of neglect. It is interesting that local ranchers and victims of local and federal government malfeasance overwhelmingly support and appreciate the results of the Minuteman Project. It is equally interesting that 'officials' (who have been derelict and incompetent) not only resent these citizen border watchers, but have targeted THEM with petty harassment.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano wrote them a letter saying they are on her 'blacklist' and state cops are targeting out-of-state plates with minor infraction tickets. Hopefully local ranchers will reward the Governor by voting her out of office. The Oakland Tribune got the whole Minuteman thing exactly WRONG. They wrote, "The Arizona hunters gathering in April for the so-called ‘Minuteman Project’ to search for undocumented immigrants along the border with Mexico aren't likely to have any success in stemming their migration to the United States.” They are not “hunters,” but a ‘Neighborhood Watch’ group with volunteers from numerous states.

Reportedly, there has been a steady stream of law enforcement ‘presence’…“a showing of border patrol helicopters, border patrol SUVs, sheriff vehicles, border patrol on scooters. In short, there was a steady stream of law enforcement on this normally deserted stretch of border land.” Local ranchers claim they have never seen so many border patrol. However the show of force is not for illegals...it is for the MMP. The Tribune said, “It's simply a sham with racial implications.” Bullfeathers! “They are hunters of hate." What a crock!

The MMP organizers who have been doing a superb job of avoiding confrontation and providing a valuable service to the badge carrying Border Patrol agents rejected any potential ‘hunters of hate.’ The ‘suits’ may be in persistent hissy-fit mode, but the Border Patrol agents walking the sand really appreciate the additional intelligence resources. Detractors say if you measure success in terms of “they ain’t crossin' here no more,” the Minuteman Project is successful for only 24 miles of border. Naysayers claim this is a distraction for officials focused on watching the watchers.

A rancher’s wife who lives on 800 acres of border property (the family has been there since the 1880s) requested that Minutemen be stationed nearby. She used to hear gunshots every night. Since the Minutemen arrived, she claims the gunshots have stopped. Prior to the MMP, her husband would report information the border patrol wouldn’t believe. When her husband reported counting over 200 illegals in a group, he was told that wasn’t possible. Who are you going to believe your eyes or an official chairborne bureaucrat? The locals love the volunteers. The officials hate them.

Whereas the Oakland Tribune calls the MMP “Arizona hunters”...each team has been encouraged to fly their state flag. As a result, a volunteer reports, “a New York flag was flying from the team to our west and a Florida flag flying from the team to our east. Our team flew an American and a Californian flag combo.” Border patrol supervisors drive around spinning the ‘official’ line: MMP bad/Government agents good. However, when the supervisors return to air-conditioned offices, the rank and file border patrol say they are delighted the volunteers are there.

One volunteer noted, “I met some great people from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Kansas, lots of Texans and Californians. Most were just run of the mill, salt of the earth typical hard working American citizens.”

Everyone acknowledges the border is not adequately protected. In this war on terror, the border is an accident waiting to happen. If our government officials cannot or will not protect the border, they should embrace (and work WITH) citizen volunteers instead of crunching their cookies in some lame bureaucratic territorial whizzing match. The simple truth is in an old joke: "Doctor, it hurts when I go like ‘that,’” said the patient. "Don’t go like ‘that,’" said the doctor.

Wonderful, refreshing article, imho!!

The Minutemen ROCK...MUD

54 posted on 04/12/2005 12:20:17 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim (Tom Delay is the BEST POLITICIAN in Congress...and the DemonRATS can't stand it!!)
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To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf
Nice post. Gotta admire those Israeli tankers - they are seriously good soldiers.

We studied the Yom Kippur War pretty closely in the 1970's. The brain trust told us the intensity of the armor combat there would compare to what we would face defending against a Warsaw Pact breakthrough attack in Germany. We were encouraged by the fact the Israelis won, but sobered by what they had to sacrifice to get the victory.

55 posted on 04/12/2005 12:26:32 PM PDT by colorado tanker (The People Have Spoken)
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To: Iris7

I recently finished an excellent history of the IDF that delicately ended with some of those same questions. Seems years of occupation and border control duty have taken their toll.


56 posted on 04/12/2005 12:39:59 PM PDT by colorado tanker (The People Have Spoken)
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To: SAMWolf

I wish we would get a quilt shop here in my small burg. We have only Wal-Mart for fabric and a limited supply of quilting gadgets. Wallyworld is the best on prices for the fabric, usually $2 or (even more) less per yard than Hancocks which for me is 20 mins away. Same farbic Wal-Mart sells for $2 per yard Hancocks sells for $3.98.


57 posted on 04/12/2005 12:53:15 PM PDT by GailA (Glory be to GOD and his only son Jesus.)
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To: Steelerfan

We often come across things we never heard of while researching something else!


58 posted on 04/12/2005 1:49:39 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
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To: stand watie

Free Dixie!

Lincoln's Tariff War
By Thomas J. DiLorenzo

When Charles Adams published his book For Good and Evil, a world history of taxation, the most controversial chapter by far was the one on whether or not tariffs caused the American War between the States. That chapter generated so much discussion and debate that Adams's publisher urged him to turn it into an entire book, which he did, in the form of When in the Course of Human Events: Arguing the Case for Southern Secession.

Many of the reviewers of this second book, so confident were they that slavery was the one and only possible reason for both Abraham Lincoln’s election to the presidency and the war itself, excoriated Adams for his analysis that the tariff issue was a major cause of the war. (Adams recently told me in an email that after one presentation to a New York City audience, he felt lucky that "no one brought a rope.")

My book, The Real Lincoln, has received much the same response with regard to the tariff issue. But there is overwhelming evidence that: 1) Lincoln, a failed one-term congressman, would never have been elected had it not been for his career-long devotion to protectionism; and 2) the 1861 Morrill tariff, which Lincoln was expected to enforce, was the event that triggered Lincoln’s invasion, which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

A very important article that documents in great detail the role of protectionism in Lincoln’s ascendancy to the presidency is Columbia University historian Reinhard H. Luthin's "Abraham Lincoln and the Tariff," published in the July 1944 issue of The American Historical Review. As I document in The Real Lincoln, the sixteenth president was one of the most ardent protectionists in American politics during the first half of the nineteenth century and had established a long record of supporting protectionism and protectionist candidates in the Whig Party.

In 1860, Pennsylvania was the acknowledged key to success in the presidential election. It had the second highest number of electoral votes, and Pennsylvania Republicans let it be known that any candidate who wanted the state’s electoral votes must sign on to a high protectionist tariff to benefit the state’s steel and other manufacturing industries. As Luthin writes, the Morrill tariff bill itself "was sponsored by the Republicans in order to attract votes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey."

The most influential newspaper in Illinois at the time was the Chicago Press and Tribune under the editorship of Joseph Medill, who immediately recognized that favorite son Lincoln had just the protectionist credentials that the Pennsylvanians wanted. He editorialized that Lincoln "was an old Clay Whig, is right on the tariff and he is exactly right on all other issues. Is there any man who could suit Pennsylvania better?"

At the same time, a relative of Lincoln’s by marriage, a Dr. Edward Wallace of Pennsylvania, sounded Lincoln out on the tariff by communicating to Lincoln through his brother, William Wallace. On October 11, 1859, Lincoln wrote Dr. Edward Wallace: "My dear Sir: [Y]our brother, Dr. William S. Wallace, showed me a letter of yours, in which you kindly mention my name, inquire for my tariff view, and suggest the propriety of my writing a letter upon the subject. I was an old Henry Clay-Tariff Whig. In old times I made more speeches on that subject than any other. I have not since changed my views" (emphasis added). Lincoln was establishing his bona fides as an ardent protectionist.

At the Republican National Convention in Chicago, the protectionist tariff was a key plank. As Luthin writes, when the protectionist tariff plank was voted in, "The Pennsylvania and New Jersey delegations were terrific in their applause over the tariff resolution, and their hilarity was contagious, finally pervading the whole vast auditorium." Lincoln received "the support of almost the entire Pennsylvania delegation" writes Luthin, "partly through the efforts of doctrinaire protectionists such as Morton McMichael . . . publisher of Philadelphia’s bible of protectionism, the North American newspaper."

Returning victorious to his home of Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln attended a Republican Party rally that included "an immense wagon" bearing a gigantic sign reading "Protection for Home Industry." Lincoln’s (and the Republican Party’s) economic guru, Pennsylvania steel industry publicist/lobbyist Henry C. Carey, declared that without a high protectionist tariff, "Mr. Lincoln’s administration will be dead before the day of inauguration."

The U.S. House of Representatives had passed the Morrill tariff in the 1859-1860 session, and the Senate passed it on March 2, 1861, two days before Lincoln’s inauguration. President James Buchanan, a Pennsylvanian who owed much of his own political success to Pennsylvania protectionists, signed it into law. The bill immediately raised the average tariff rate from about 15 percent (according to Frank Taussig in Tariff History of the United States) to 37.5 percent, but with a greatly expanded list of covered items. The tax burden would about triple. Soon thereafter, a second tariff increase would increase the average rate to 47.06 percent, Taussig writes.

So, Lincoln owed everything--his nomination and election--to Northern protectionists, especially the ones in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He was expected to be the enforcer of the Morrill tariff. Understanding all too well that the South Carolina tariff nullifiers had foiled the last attempt to impose a draconian protectionist tariff on the nation by voting in political convention not to collect the 1828 "Tariff of Abominations," Lincoln literally promised in his first inaugural address a military invasion if the new, tripled tariff rate was not collected.

At the time, Taussig says, the import-dependent South was paying as much as 80 percent of the tariff, while complaining bitterly that most of the revenues were being spent in the North. The South was being plundered by the tax system and wanted no more of it. Then along comes Lincoln and the Republicans, tripling (!) the rate of tariff taxation (before the war was an issue). Lincoln then threw down the gauntlet in his first inaugural: "The power confided in me," he said, "will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property, and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion--no using force against, or among the people anywhere" (emphasis added).

"We are going to make tax slaves out of you," Lincoln was effectively saying, "and if you resist, there will be an invasion." That was on March 4. Five weeks later, on April 12, Fort Sumter, a tariff collection point in Charleston Harbor, was bombarded by the Confederates. No one was hurt or killed, and Lincoln later revealed that he manipulated the Confederates into firing the first shot, which helped generate war fever in the North.

With slavery, Lincoln was conciliatory. In his first inaugural address, he said he had no intention of disturbing slavery, and he appealed to all his past speeches to any who may have doubted him. Even if he did, he said, it would be unconstitutional to do so.

But with the tariff it was different. He was not about to back down to the South Carolina tariff nullifiers, as Andrew Jackson had done, and was willing to launch an invasion that would ultimately cost the lives of 620,000 Americans to prove his point. Lincoln’s economic guru, Henry C. Carey, was quite prescient when he wrote to Congressman Justin S. Morrill in mid-1860 that "Nothing less than a dictator is required for making a really good tariff" (p. 614, "Abraham Lincoln and the Tariff").

Thomas DiLorenzo is a professor of economics in the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola College in Baltimore, and is senior fellow of the Mises Institute


59 posted on 04/12/2005 2:07:54 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Liberal Rule #18 - Anyone who doesn't believe as you do is intolerant.)
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To: M. Espinola

Thanks for the additional photos and links.


60 posted on 04/12/2005 2:09:06 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Liberal Rule #18 - Anyone who doesn't believe as you do is intolerant.)
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