Comments on: Mr. Lincoln’s War: An Irrepressible Conflict?

By: Sean Scallon

Sean Scallon — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:41:32 +0000

"With the Deep South gone, the United States would have lost a fourth of its territory, its window on the Caribbean and the Gulf, its border with Mexico, and its port of New Orleans—the outlet to the sea for the goods of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and the Middle West. The South would have begun to compete for the allegiance of New Mexico and Arizona; indeed, rebellions arose in both areas and had to be put down by Union troops.

To Lincoln, secession meant an amputation of his country that would have destroyed its elan and morale. Disunion was intolerable. Where Jackson said it directly “Disunion is Treason,” and “preservation of the Union…the highest law,” Lincoln used his rhetorical powers to elevate the cause to one of universal values. But his goal was the same as Jackson’s."

I think that sums up Lincon's reasoning for war in a nutshell. That he became the Great Emancipator was largely was due more for tactical and political reasons, especially to keep Great Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy. Plus, it also should be pointed out by this time that the Union figured out destroying slavery, or bascially letting slaves go free in the territory they conquered destroyed the capacity of the South to make war. The Yankees were already destroying slavery, The Emancipation Proclamation just made it official.

By: Charlemagne

Charlemagne — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:22:03 +0000

Tom,
Beautifully said. Thank you.

By: Tom Ridenour

Tom Ridenour — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:28:02 +0000

@16
Here, here! I second the motion.
Get away from the monochromatic sameness of the big cities, filled with rootless, wandering transients in three piece suits driving Audis and living in over-priced suburban mini-palaces badly built, and any one with eyes can see the truth of what you're saying. To these high-salaried visitors the crackers in the outlying districts are curiosities. They drive through their towns on sunny week end days gawking at them like they gawked at monkeys in the New York Zoo. These carpetbaggers are uncomprehending of both who they are and where they are, and they mistakenly assume that money and machines constitute a superior culture, when, in fact, they are no culture at all. They have made their lives shallow and empty by building it around the fool's gold of the Empire's propaganda--I think the official term is the vague "American Dream". The Church has a fine and pithy way of describing their condition as they wander through the South: they're in invincible ignorance, and their hubris and false sense of superiority perpetually prevent their cure.
There is nothing in common with the Southern character and the Yankee mind-set, especially when you're talking about those Yankees who belong to the oligarchic class, like Ms. Snow-job.
Not only is the temperamental and cultural disjunct the same now as in 1861, the political one is also the same; all we Southerners want is to be let alone and the Yankees refuse to do so. The lower realms of Hell are reserved for these self-righteous, meddling plunderers who refuse to repent.
Just watch one of the liberal Yankee idiots in the Legislature slip into one of the upcoming "stimulus" bills an appropriation to build a huge statue to go along side and surpass the one that stands in New York harbor. It will be called the Statue of Forced Equality.
Upon that day you can know that liberty is officially lost to these lands without hope of recall.

By: Charlemagne

Charlemagne — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:36:48 +0000

Bonifacious @1,
Mere speculation. The reality at ground zero, south Georgia U.S.A. 2009, is that after 140 years we- my immediate culture, less the northern carpetbaggers,- are as culturally opposite of an Olympia Snow yankee as 1860. Other than being a biped I have absolutely nothing in common with her ilk. I despise them. I, personally, yearn for an independence once so revered by my kin. God bless those brave southern freedom fighters. R.I.P.

By: Tomislav Milosevic

Tomislav Milosevic — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:05 +0000

Yeah.
If Massachusetts was not allowed into Union after 1812, Britain would have very good foothold back in that part of the World. Combined with Canadian legendary issues it would swallow bigger morsel and digest it much better too. "Aggravation in intervening years" would be..........a chance for France, Spain, Germany or god-knows-who-else for a "free shot"?
How many attempts to undermine American idea of Sovereignty, governing, order,justice....... anyone really needs?
Then and now.

By: Rick

Rick — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:33:05 +0000

#12 so true ,so true

By: Tomislav Milosevic

Tomislav Milosevic — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:30:11 +0000

According to millions of pages written on the subject and meaning of term, Civil War should be a result of ultimate disagreement between two (at least) factions in one Society. Since there were so many Civil Wars it seems that almost no Society was created by consent of constituents but factions are pretty well determined. Furthermore, all humans are familiar with miseries which accompany Wars, magnitude growing by proximity. It would be reasonable to assume that the most stupid among us understand proximity of a Civil War. So, constituents jump in rage to each others throat on first convenient provocation, modern weaponry,logistics, financing somehow available and whole thing flavored by some ideological standard, usually Freedom. Ah yes, we also need a name here. A Hero, Villain or both. We can also decide which role he will play as the story progresses. He will die someday, one way or another anyway but the story will remain. Story of confusion in credits and blames within given Society.

That's what it is. On surface.

Most human beings are very interested in having a healthy family, food on table and roof above head. They care a little about ideology because they are mostly good natured, polite folk. They also hate dying even of natural causes, never mind battlefields, caves and concentration camps. Why they go to Wars then? Because they are forced into it, directly or indirectly by their Leader who know better what's good for them or something else?

Civil Wars are always forced upon given Society by foreign, remote, external interests which find common ground in influential circles of the unfortunate Victim Society. Together, they stage this cruel plan of destruction and "rebirth", leaving behind unease and hatred of injustice to generations to nourish forever.

American Civil War is just fantastic example. American Politics from Washington to Obama via Senate and Congress even better. I just hope that Lincoln Memorial remains what it presently is, statue and all, for America's sake. That is one of a very few things remaining in front of the World's respect.

I understand that it just becomes popular damaging image of FDR. After Jackson, J.Q.Adams, Lincoln, JFK and others, doesn't surprise me. It saddens me. Probably because I am not American. Perhaps that's why I cannot believe that Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton still have a free ride. Just because they are still alive or what?

By: Etienne Gervaise

Etienne Gervaise — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:28:35 +0000

I only wish that Massachusetts would not have been allowed back into the union after the War of 1812. The rest of the nation would have been spared a lot of aggravation during the intervening years.

By: Etienne Gervaise

Etienne Gervaise — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:09:13 +0000

America’s South would need a century to recover!

That would be what? 1965? When Ted Kennedy and his scuzzy chums passed the Immigration Reform Bill unleashing a tidal wave of human refuse washing up on our shores? Or when LBJ relocated Alabama riff-raff into high-rise slums where their bastard children could urinate in the elevators and make America's cities into wastelands unfit for habitation? You're wrong Pat. There never was a recovery because it has been downhill ever since. The union was saved at cost not worth bearing by civilized people.

By: McCallum

McCallum — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:03:35 +0000

If Lincoln were president today I would become a Shakespearean actor in the morrow.

No end more just or deserved.

McCallum