Great reply Joe. I have sworn off posting on this board in the past because of the emotion and patriotism that my words bear. But sometimes I come back in and then end up regretting it. I am very passionate about what my (our) ancestors did. But I have come to realize that those that want to treat history like math, have already made up their minds about the why and how that events came to be during those years of and leading up to the WBTS. Apparently no number of facts that can be presented by you and others on this site (I'll exclude myself as most of my posts are emotion and passion driven) are given any credibility. I think the reason is that those that oppose our views and citations have already made up their minds. And no matter what can be presented they will always refute it as opinion and hear say. Sincere students of history will always look at all opinions and research objectively and attempt to discover more information regarding it. It is obvious here that those that choose to side with the Federal/Union/Yankee side of things will always look at the Confederacy as an illigitimate and illegal entity. And thus all of their actions and reactions will be judged as such. I believe that our ancestors had the legal right to do what they did. And I support their decisions and actions. It was their shear audacity and courage to stand up and refuse to be told how to conduct their business and govern their people, and oppose the Union/Federal view of what was "right" for our country that emotes such passion and emotion in our posts. The fact that numerically they were conquered and forced into submission is where the fight will never end. I know "The Cause" is not the term we are looking for. For that will always point to the institution of slavery. But the determination to stand and fight what was seen as wrong is to be admired and upheld as right and just. We face the same issues today with an overwhelming CENTRAL government. States and localities are considering the same issues now that were reason enough back then to withdraw from "the Union". What will these pro Union/Federal folks decide to do when the enemy is the very thing that they thought was just and worthy of defending?