Perhaps the most famous civil war in history began on April 12, 1861, when secessionist Southerners attacked the United States Army garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina.  Subsequent hostilities embroiled the American states in bloody battles that slaughtered a large portion of their youthful male population.  About a quarter of each army was killed and nearly half a million wounded, many of them grievously. Even after the South surrendered, in 1865, the aftermath of the war saw intense resentment that, it is said, continued even until after the last veteran of that war finally died of old age. What could cause such brutal fratricide? While officially, the Civil War was not fought over the issue of slavery, there can be little doubt that without the existence of legalized slavery, matters would have been very different and, perhaps, even peaceably resolved. Slavery was a condition over which, despite legislated compromises since 1789 and beyond, no...(Read Full Post)