Alternate American Civil War starting point.

What could be some alternate starting points for the American Civil war? I would still like it to happen after Lincoln becomes president.
 
What could be some alternate starting points for the American Civil war? I would still like it to happen after Lincoln becomes president.

Lincoln's assassination by Confederate agents/sympathizers while on his way to Washington for his first inaugeration.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
If Fort Sumter had been evacuated (as Seward wanted), the fighting could still have begun over Fort Pickens down in Florida.
 
first you need to explain away why what happened OTL wouldn't happen in your ATL, since the POD is after OTL civil war. The events that lead to the OTL not happening are going to have an effect on what comes after.

It's pretty basic: you need the south to feel that the moment is at hand where their way of life is threatened to the point that not acting is accepting the south's demise. They obviously felt that point was at Lincoln's election. If you wish that away, the next point comes when the situation gets even more dire. If you want a point, just imagine a northern abolitionist introducing legislation to abolish slavery. The south was obviously getting fed up with northern intrusion, so it's not that tough. What makes it tough is somehow keeping the OTL reason the war started, while ATL stopping the war from happening.
 

katchen

Banned
I still think an excellent alternative starting point for the Civil War might be the assassination of President James Buchanan (perhaps in flagrant delectico with his lover since by all accounts James Buchanan was gay) for failure to even attempt to enforce the Dred Scott Decision and resolve the Slavery Question by extending slavery to the North.
The Northern States would be just as likely to leave the Union over a Southern fire-eater like John C. Breckenridge becoming President as the South was over Lincoln winning the White House.
 
I have two for you.

If you would like to increase the chances of a Southern victory have the US give up all the forts in the seceding states. I think this would have to happen before Lincoln officially takes power. Lincoln then becomes the US President and makes the first offensive moves. This may have the effect of generating more sympathy for the CSA. The story could go that the peaceful southern states desperately trying to establish their own nation are attacked without provocation by a President (Lincoln) who does not want the people of the South to have the right of self determination. This could generate sympathy for the South both in the border states and in Europe. You should also have some good Southern politicians and diplomats who will keep very quiet on the slavery issue and push their right to determine their own course and build their own nation.

If you want a US victory, or perhaps a bigger, quicker US victory you could have the South declare war as soon as the US refuses the first CS call to evacuate Fort Sumter and the other forts is the South. When the forts surrender, have the South keep the garrisons as prisoners. Simply put have the South be very aggressive and nasty towards the USA.
 
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