Still the South left peacefully, that was their right. Lincoln started a war that was his choice. He could have simply left the south go.

And what was serious about? If you leave the Union, we will not let you live in peace, we will force you to rejoin us? So the freedom of states, the right of self government was already being steered to the slaughterhouse? He went into office making threats so why should the Southern States (troops) NOT be on high alert. We do the same exact thing today with terror warnings.

"Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a Republican administration would, directly, or indirectly, interfere with their slaves, or with them, about their slaves"

If Lincoln said the above, and the references to the letter I posted recently are true and correct, Lincoln did intend to interfere with the instruction of slavery. Now according to the letter Lincoln was offering the states to return to the "loose collection of states" with their slaves, the Southern states refused the offer indicating, at least to me, slavery was not the issue.

George Washington would have sided with the South, after all he was a Rebel himself. Andy Jackson well we can look to Florida for that answer. Later presidents and would have called out the troops as we have witnessed.

GP