Sorry, this is what I get for trying to respond while hiding my phone at work. I guess I’m not making a delineation between the conflict and the ‘legal’ framework for the war. Yes Lincoln was a bit of a shit but he had abolitionists prodding him the entire time. (Ever read ‘The Zealot and the Emancipator’? You might like it—really calls out Lincoln’s positions and gives color to our boy Brown.)