"9 January 1861" Topic

You fire on the flag, you fire on the flag

President Buchanan spent his whole administration desperately trying to avoid addressing the states right/secession issue, so he would not have been a very effective wartime president – but Lincoln had already been elected so it just would have moved the start of the war forward a few months

President Buchanan worked hard to earn his place as the worst president in US history. I read a story that at a cabinet meeting Buchanan buried his head in his hands and said: "I know secession is illegal, but there is nothing I can do…nothing I can do."

I believe that as a person who was known to be a friend of the southerners (even though he was from Pennsylvania) he could have taken action against South Carolina without provoking additional states to secede.

Nobody was hurt. So no foul. Buchanan was right to try to avoid bloodshed.

I voted NO, but not because I thought Buck was correct. It was just more in keeping with his gutless character that he displayed for the previous years of his administration.

Although it would be a fun scenario to game, the war starting in January of 1861. Are there any troops anywhere? Weren't the brass on both sides coming back from Texas and Calufornia?

FYI : the actual first shot was fired by cadets from the Citadel

I can't see how artillery fire can be viewed as anything but an act of war.

Maybe in principle. But declaring war and then saying 'over to you' to your (already elected) successor? Sometimes turning a blind eye is the right thing to do.

Depending on the skill of the artillerists it might not be able to answer this with a reasonable degree of certainty, but is there any evidence from the time that the fire was for effect or a shot across the bow?

(From the time being operative, 5 years later I can see all sorts of stories being fabricated by those present.)