LINCOLN'S PEARL HARBOR

-


  The American Civil War started on April 12, 1861 when Confederate Forces fired on Ft. Sumpter in Charleston Harbor. A place that I have had the pleasure of visiting several times. The trip out on the harbor boat is well worth the time and effort. I like to think about the "what if's" of history. What if Hitler had not declared war on America four days after Pearl Harbor? What if Hitler had not invaded Russia? What if Nixon had won the 1960 presidential election instead of Kennedy? What if the South had decided not to initiate the Civil War by firing on Ft. Sumpter? What if they had held their fire instead? In my opinion there is the possibility that the South could have won their independence without firing a shot. Just think of the dilemma that Abraham Lincoln would have faced. As it was when the South fired on Ft. Sumpter it united the North in much the same way as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor united all Americans in 1941. Young men all over the North flocked to the recruiting offices angry that Southerners had the audacity to fire on the flag. Yet if the South had refused to fire the first shot any aggressive act by Lincoln would have looked like unwarranted coercion on his part.

  The South had many allies in the North that were sympathetic to their cause. Several compromises had delayed the onset of the war. For example the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. There had even been a last minute proposal to amend the constitution. A 13th Amendment that would have forever protected the institution of slavery. Martin Van Buren had originated the strategy of electing Northern Presidents with Southern sympathies. This was yet another attempt at appeasing the South. Just before Pearl Harbor about 90% of Americans were against going to war with anyone. Roosevelt was facing the same dilemma that Lincoln faced. He would have had to take the American people kicking and screaming into a war against Japan or Hitler, although he knew that war was coming. Pearl Harbor ended Roosevelt's dilemma. At least in regards to Japan. Hitler would solve the other half of the dilemma by declaring war on the United States four days after Pearl Harbor. Ft. Sumpter did the same for Lincoln.

General P.G.T. Beauregard

The Confederate Stars & Bars after the Surrender

Women watching the battle and weeping from the rooftops of houses on the battery

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE DEATH OF JAYNE MANSFIELD

-
Image
Jayne Mansfield   Jayne Mansfield died way too young on June 29, 1967 at the age of 34 in a gruesome car wreck, She was killed instantly but contrary to urban legend she was not decapitated. Jayne was called the poor man's Marilyn Monroe. She had enjoyed about a four year stint of popularity on Broadway and in Hollywood from 1954 until 1958. Her career was in decline in the late 50's and early 60's but she was still popular in Europe and on the nightclub circuit. She took her last name from her high school sweetheart Paul Mansfield when she married him at the age of seventeen. Her second husband was a former Mr. Universe named Mickey Hargitay who was from Norway. The third and last husband was Matt Cimber. Mansfield was highly educated, attending Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and U.C.L.A. She supposedly had an IQ of 163 and was called the smartest dumb blonde ever. Of course she couldn't be too smart. In 1966, a year before her death, while
Read more

CARNTON PLANTATION

-
Image
   My first association with the Carnton Plantation in Franklin was when I would see the old house while hunting for Civil War relics in the early 1970's. There is a subdivision near Carnton today in the area where I hunted when it was primarily farm land. I knew it was an antebellum home but I wasn't aware of how historic Carnton was. It was in a horrible state of disrepair and I have learned since then that a farmer was using the house as his hay barn. In 1977 the owner of the property donated the house and ten acres to the Carnton Association and they have done a fantastic job of restoring the plantation to it's former glory. Originally the McGavock's owned 1400 acres. It was built by Randall McGavock in the 1820's. He was mayor of Nashville and a close friend of Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk. Jackson on several occasions was an overnight guest in the home.    His son John took over the plantation in 1843 upon the death of Randall. In 1848 John mar
Read more

NASHVILLE AND JESSE JAMES

-
Image
The James brothers with their mother Zerelda James   Most everyone has heard of the notorious outlaws Jesse and Frank James, however; did you know that they lived in Nashville from 1875 until March 1881? Jesse's oldest son Jesse James Jr. was born in Nashville along with his sister Mary. Jesse Jr. was born at 606 Boscobel Street on August 31, 1875. Mary was born on West Hamilton Road in Bordeaux on July 17, 1879. Jesse Jr. went by the name Tim and as far as he knew his last name was Howard. He and his sister would not know their real last names until after Jesse was killed in 1882. Jesse and his wife Zerelda would also lose two male twins in infancy.  Jesse's brother Frank lived on Clarksville Pike. While living there he and his wife Annie Ralston James gave birth to a son named Robert Franklin on February 6, 1877. For a time he would be dressed as a girl and go by the name of Mary. Why his parents did this I do not know.  The brothers were on the run. Nashville was
Read more