Hi George!

You wrote:

"Perhaps. I will read more on this issue , i think we are wrong to take lincolns words in his first inugaural and say this is his absolute stand. The same with Dvis and Sephens."

--This is a fundamental disagreement between you and I. I respect your position, but I must weigh their words against their actions. In my view, Lincoln meant what he said and he followed through on it, as did Alexander Stephens and Jefferson Davis.

You wrote:

"There again we agree."

--We agree that many Southern men joined the ranks because they thought they were defending their land against a tyrannical government. I've read hundreds of letters from the period and that is what many of them believed they were doing, no doubt about it. However, we were discussing Charleston Harbor and Ft. Sumter. There was no threat to Southern homes along the harbor.

You wrote:

"Genl Edward P. Alexander, CSA-- "Fighting for the Confederacy" page 29
" But South Carolina never struck back before a second act was commited. I write far away from all books of reference from which i might give exact dates &dedetails but what took placeon outline is as follows. South Carolina refrained from hostilities & permitted Anderson to supply himself with provisions in Charlestonon the personal pledge of secretary Seward that the status would not be changed without fair notice being given. But meanwhile afleet of transports & war vessels was prepared in New York to reinforce the garrison of Fort Sumpter and after it had set sail for that purpose Seward notified So. Ca.'s representative ofthe fact, &as I recollet with an apologetic explanation( which practially admitted that it is a violation of his pledge) that he had been unable to prevent it."

--Secretary of State William Seward had given Confederate officials his word that Fort Sumter would be evacuated. However, he was wrong to do so. The matter was still being discussed within the Cabinet. The Rebels were notified that Secretary Seward misspoke. I will not defend Seward's actions. He was wrong.

--More to the point...when the Confederate batteries opened up in Charleston Harbor, who did they fire at? Did they fire at Union "war vessels?" Did the Union war vessels fire at the Confederate batteries on the shore?

You wrote:

"Sir this is at least the second or third hostile act by the lincoln administartion before the firing on Sumter."

--Please list the hostile acts the Lincoln administration committed along with your interpretation of how they were hostile. If "sending food to hungry men" in a fort is a hostile act, that is simply at point we disagree on. What are the others?

You wrote:

"the both of us must be missing something becasue I just find it hard to believe that for no reason the slave states thought Lincoln was going to free the slaves. There must be a speech or some sort of act or action that gave that indication. Could this plank from the party platform be it?"

--I explained what the South feared in my previous post. Lincoln and the Republicans absolutely blocked the "expansion" of slavery. They would not touch it where it already existed. The Constitution protected it. The Executive Branch could not attack it. The Confederacy withdrew from the Union because the Republicans would not allow slavery to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Mexico, Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Best,
Sam.