The Civil War

[denuseri]

Only it was legally in the hands of the union.

Though I agree ,whats legal or not at that point doesnt much matter anyways after they started shooting.

The South had no moral high ground to stand on from the begining and it only made matters worse by attacking.

The last time South Carolina tussled with the Federal Gov and threatened sucssession one of their own (Andy Jackson) came down in force with federal troops and they didnt start shooting.

[Thorne]

The South had no moral high ground to stand on from the begining and it only made matters worse by attacking.

They had as much moral grounds as the colonies did in breaking away from England. And attacking Fort Sumter was a necessity, as Charleston's harbor would have been useless with the Federals holding the entrance like that. And the first shots of the war weren't there anyway, but an attack against a Federal ship trying to reinforce the fort in January 1861. When a Union fleet was sent to resupply the fort in April the Confederates had no strategic alternative. They had to have access to the harbor or starve.