[Peace-discuss] the stinkin' lincoln legacy

[C. G. Estabrook]

Options other than war were available to Lincoln, and he was aware of them.

Advice came from the most distinguished American military figure of the day,
Gen. Winfield Scott (1786-1866). He served on active duty as a general longer
than any other man in American history and may have been the ablest American
commander of his time; he devised the Anaconda Plan that would be used to defeat
the Confederacy.

In a letter addressed to  Governor Seward (leading Republican and Lincoln's 
Secretary of State) -- and obviously meant for Lincoln's eyes -- on the day 
preceding Lincoln's inauguration (March 3, 1861), Scott suggested that the 
president had four possible courses of action:

   [1] adopt the Crittenden Compromise (which restored the Missouri Compromise
line: slavery would be prohibited north of the 36° 30′ parallel and guaranteed
south of it);

   [2] collect duties outside the ports of seceding States or blockade them;

   [3] conquer those States at the end of a long, expensive, and desolating war,
and to no good purpose; or,

   [4] say to the seceded States, "Wayward sisters, depart in peace!"

Scott clearly preferred the forth.  In retrospect, it probably would have been 
best.

(For more on why that would have been the case, see the recent book by William 
Marvel I mentioned the other day.)  --CGE


John W. wrote:
> 
> On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 10:37 AM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag 
> <mailto:ewj at pigs.ag>> wrote:
> 
> Death toll from "Lincoln's War"
> 
> "The number that is most often quoted is 620,000. At any rate, these
> casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the
> Revolution through Vietnam."
> 
> Adjusted for today's US population, the number would be over 6 million.
> 
> 
> I'm curious what you would have done as President in 1861, Wayne. Simply let
> the South secede?
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------