Absolutely correct. It is sometimes difficult to seperate the cause of an action from the effect that is brought on by that cause. Something causes the fuse on a bomb to be lit and the effect is an explosion. Political Bulling of the Northern abolishionist caused the southerners to distrust their governemnt to the point that they felt that their government would not equally protect their constitutional rights.

The effect of that was the secession of South Carolina to establish it own government for the protection of its citizens interest. This lead to the attempt by the United States Government to attempt to again Bully the people of South Carolina by threatening to close Charleston Harbor on January 9th 1861. The effect of that was that 6 other states seceeded. Still no War.

The United States Government again trys a stronger attempt to close Charleston Harbor April 12th, 1861. The effect was that South Carolina chose to eliminate the threat to their economy. The effect of this was that The President of the United States decalred War against not only South Carolina but all other states who had seceeded, and called for the raising of and army to force those states toreturn to the union of the United States violating their rights of freedom of association. Hence we now have War.

The effect of that was that 6 additional states chose to seceed also after a war was declared against the southern people.

That is a long ways from the original reason that South Carolina seceeded. And secession did not cause the War because nothing those states did was illegal under the Constitution because there was no clause or written law which prohibited secession.

Therefore the true CAUSE of the War was Lincoln and his tactics of Bullying the States of South Carolina for exercising their right of Freedom of Association or non association in this case.