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Actually around twice as many Yankees paid the bill.

It is the Yankees who should have been ticked off at Lincoln.

Of course he was clever enough to make it about slavery even tho he had made it clear before the war that it wasn’t.

He made it about slavery because he had more political wit about him than all the Southern politicians combined. The ONLY reason the British and French didn't side with the Confederacy was slavery, yet the southern leadership was too damned stupid to realize it.

All wars are economic. The result wasn't in doubt once the Union found competent leadership. Thankfully for everyone who loves freedom the Union won and the abomination that was slavery was eradicated from the United States of America.

You are right about one thing. Lincoln was smart. In fact he was brilliant. But he used that intelligence to destroy the nation.

Now he didn’t destroy it right then but he sowed the seeds which produced Obama and the shape this country is in now.

Lincoln is to be blamed more than anyone for the Federal takeover of the nation.

Theodore Roosevelt was a great man and a great president but he also started some things which eventually turned out rotten. Don’t get me wrong, I admire TR tremendously and suspect he would have done some things differently if he knew how they would evolve.

On the other hand, Lincoln did exactly what he wanted to do and it was evil. Despite that, his death was the worst thing which could have happened to the South.

The ONLY reason the British and French didn't side with the Confederacy was slavery, yet the southern leadership was too damned stupid to realize it.

Eggzackly.

The South could have fairly easily had its independence simply by passing emancipation, even very gradual and compensated emancipation.

One of the very best southern generals, Cleburne, pointed this out. The shock and horror of the southern elite at anyone even saying such a thing is astonishing. Despite his being one of their best generals at a time when good generals were despertely needed, Cleburne's career ascent stalled after his proposal. He stayed in the same rank until he died in battle.

The reason the southern elite could not get their minds around the concept of trading emancipation for independence is that almost the whole reason they wanted to be independent was to protect slavery.

Independence without slavery was pointless, in their eyes.