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You are correct. There are documents that show that some leaders of the new CSA government in the south wanted to provoke fighting to encourage the “Border States” to secede and join the Confederacy. This includes a letter of instruction from Confederate President Jeff. Davis to Commander of the Confederate Forces at Charleston, SC.

‘Tho’ I doubt VMI cadets were involved in the incident of firing on the US supply ship to Ft. Sumter; perhaps you are thinking of the students of the Citadel?

Not to mention the actions of certain Secessionists in Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, to name but a few, who seized Federal property by force even before their States seceded (or indeed, whose States never officially seceded at all) Confederate troops occupied Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri before those States seceded; Pro-Secessionst mobs attacked Northern, pro-Union State Militias passing through Maryland on their way to Washington, DC; and pro-Secessionist militias attacked pro-Unionist Militias and Federal installations in Missouri.

And somewhere in the back of my mind I remember a story that some college fraternity coined that expression "War of Northern Aggression" or something like that in recent years.

We've fought the WoS many times here over the past several years. Got to be a lot of nitpicking over this or that. It was fun and entertaining until some people got down right nasty.

If you have Netflix, you might check out Field of Lost Shoes

http://www.netflix.com/title/80013929

“In 1864, dozens of inexperienced teenage cadets at Virginia Military Institute are thrust into battle to protect the Shenandoah Valley from the Union.”