"The following basic facts are undisputed: The seven states of the Deep South seceded in response to the victory of the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, in the 1860 election. These states formed the Confederate States of America. Lincoln refused to recognize the Confederacy. A small federal garrison occupied Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on December 26, 1860. South Carolina and the Confederate government attempted to negotiate the withdrawal of the garrison from the fort. Lincoln decided not to withdraw the garrison. Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, when they learned that an armed federal naval convoy was on its way to the fort to resupply the garrison. Following the attack on Fort Sumter, Lincoln issued a call-up for 75,000 troops to put down what he claimed was a rebellion in the South. Four more Southern states joined the Confederacy. Lincoln sent federal armies into the South. The war lasted approximately four years and ended in April 1865.'
I founds the rest of the article interesting as well,not that I agree with all of it, but I am from the North. I have studied both of the major papers here in Springfield starting after Sumter but have not looked to close before that time. I am going to have to go to the library and view the microfilm of the issues in the six months before Sumter to see what I can find. One paper as I have stated before was Republican and the other Democrat so I think I should get a good flavor of the times as far as my own locality is concerned. I will let you know what I find out after I see the articles that were printed.
FC