Kenneth M. Stampp - And the War Came

This book about the famous secession winter of 1860-61 is the standard treatment of the subject by one of the famous Civil War historians.

I read this book but I realize as I read that I need not get caught in trying to understand all of the details of the ominous time after Lincoln's election, the secession of 7 states, and the outbreak of war with the bombardment of Ft. Sumter.  War fever grew in both north and south after Lincoln's election.  There were disunionists on both sides, party men who played politics, businessmen who feared the loss of Southern markets, and those who, too few in number, who felt that the Union should be preserved.

The enmity between the North and South was deep and enduring.  P. 1

There were differences between the two regions to be sure, but no slavery, no war.  P. 2

The treatment of President Buchanan is unexpectedly generous given all of the criticism I have read about him over the years.  P. 46

The author doesn't address any evidence as to the support secession had in the Southern states within the rank and file of the states.  P. 136

The main conclusion I draw from this book is that war was inevitable once Lincoln was elected and 7 states seceded before he took office.  Compromise was never going to succeed.  The South was determined to leave the Union and led by Lincoln the North was going to protect Southern property in the South like Sumter and not back down.

Lincoln faced enormous pressure to defend Ft. Sumter.  P. 269

Sumter was an historical accident.  Lincoln and the North were going to war over secession regardless.  P. 270

Lincoln never had a chance to avoid war.

As March of 1861 it seemed that the South had closed the door on reunification.  P. 271

Seward's policy of patience and appeasement didn't work.  Isn't it fair to say that if he had been elected President there might not have been a war?  P. 272

Did Lincoln deliberately provoke the attack on Ft. Sumter or was his intent totally peaceful?  P. 281

Lincoln knew that provisioning Ft. Sumter meant war.  Doing this relieved the President from the responsibility of starting the war. He wanted the Rebels to take the first show, and he got his wish.   P. 285

Lincoln led a united North at the start of the war.  They felt that their cause was just and that the war would brief.   P. 294

Stampp closes on a negative note as if he cannot find anything positive coming out of the war.  P. 298

It's easy to get bogged down in the countdown to war after Lincoln's election.  There wasn't going to be conciliation.  The war was going to happen once Lincoln was elected.