Chapter 325

On the first day of the Civil War, Fort Sumter fell. The fleet that the northern government transported supplies was just watching from a distance and unable to help.

The next day, President Lincoln ordered 75,000 state militiamen to be recruited for 90 days to suppress the southern rebellion.

Obviously, the northern government has not realized the seriousness of the civil war, and believes that as long as there is no intervention from various countries, they can easily suppress it.

The southern government struck first and gained military victories, but lost political advantages.

The northern states, whose positions were uncertain, united in a short period of time. Under the influence of the capitalists' manipulation of public opinion, patriotic youth joined the army one by one.

The Democratic leader Stephen Douglas, who was originally inclined to the South, also stood on the position of the northern government at this moment, and denounced the southern government for provoking civil war.

Publicly declared: "There are no neutrals in this civil war, either patriots or traitors."

Nearly every northern state overfulfilled its draft mandate. Insufficient training, lack of weaponry, lack of discipline, and insufficient officers were common problems in the northern states.

But it doesn't matter, they are all cannon fodder anyway, as long as there is a cavity of blood is enough.

Looking at the army gathered in all directions, the high-spirited President Lincoln was ready for victory.

The Secretary of War said angrily: "Your Excellency, the states of Maryland and Delaware have rejected the enlistment orders, and they have barred federal troops from entering."

These two states are very interesting, some support the South, some support the North, and the two sides remain in the northern government because of the deadlock.

Especially when Washington is still within the encirclement of Maryland, if the state falls to the southern government, it may not take long for the northern government to become a prisoner.

President Lincoln asked, "How many more troops are needed in the Washington area?"

The Minister of War replied: "With the newly mobilized militias, we now have a total of 30,000 soldiers."

President Lincoln asked cautiously, "How sure are you if the government wants to resolve Maryland by force?"

The Secretary of War replied, "Maryland has been mobilized, and there are about 30,000 armed in support of the southern rebels, and about 20,000 still loyal to the government.

In general, forces leaning towards rebellion prevailed. Under the mutual restraint of the two sides, Maryland remained neutral.

Without reinforcements from the South, our odds of winning are as high as nine. "

How could this be possible without reinforcements from the South? You must know that the southern states are already preparing for war, and the preparations of the northern government have just begun.

Fortunately, this era is limited by traffic, and the area of ​​the United States is large enough. It will take a lot of time from mobilization to assembly.

Otherwise, if the southern government strikes the speed of the blitzkrieg, the northern government will not be able to hold back. It is estimated that before they can complete the mobilization, the central government will become a prisoner.

Once there is no leader, the war will be decided. As an immigrant country, the patriotic enthusiasm of Americans in this era lasted for a month or two at most.

The people have returned to rationality, and many people are unwilling to continue to work hard. Historically, in order to win this war, the northern government did not recruit soldiers into the army.

After hesitating for a while, Lincoln made a surprising decision: "I personally go to Maryland to do their ideological work, and you prepare for military action.

Once the diplomatic effort fails, you immediately join our supporters to take military action, and the speed must be fast. "

There is no alternative, and Virginia, next door to Maryland, has declared independence. Once the war started in Maryland, the Confederate army next door immediately killed it.

Don't look at the War Minister's sworn assurances that there are nine odds, but this is based on the enemy's isolation and helplessness. With the support of the Confederate army, President Lincoln did not think he could easily win.

If the odds of victory are not great in the military, then use the political means he is better at.

The Secretary of State reminded: "Your Excellency, at this time you have to take charge of the overall situation, and it is not suitable to leave Washington."

President Lincoln shook his head and said, "But how am I going to address this threat in Maryland without myself? As long as this threat is not addressed for a day, Washington is under the threat of an enemy.

Now that Maryland is not independent, as the president of the federal government, they won't do anything to me. "

The political struggle in the United States is still relatively mellow, and even if he runs to the southern-leaning territory, don't worry about the danger.

This point has been proved in history. After the southern government was defeated, the high-level officials were almost never liquidated, and they were still rich.

The secretary of state is not worried about the personal safety of the president. Even if the president dies, the vice president is still on top. Anyway, they are the spokespersons for the interests of the capitalists.

He was just worried about the president and ran over to do ideological work. Not only did he not bring back those who supported the southern government, but instead he forced the state of Maryland to turn against him, which would bring shame to the government.

Don't look at the high evaluation of Lincoln in history books, everyone does not recognize his ability in this era. His performance was also unsatisfactory, especially in dealing with the South.

Of course, to the satisfaction of the interest groups behind him. Many capitalists believed that victory was in their hands, and as long as the rebellion was suppressed, they would have access to cheap industrial raw materials and markets.

In essence, the capitalists in the North wanted to turn the South into an economic colony, and the southern states responded so violently.

but

This misunderstanding, of course, does not need to be explained clearly. Seeing through but not speaking, this is the basic quality of politicians.

...

On April 20, 1861, a week after the outbreak of the Civil War, Lincoln entertained local celebrities in Maryland.

The opening was naturally a passionate speech, but half of the people were applauding, and the other half were watching the excitement. The scene was very embarrassing.

Naturally, this little scene could not scare President Lincoln, and it was harmonious to watch the excitement. He had personally experienced the incident when someone threw a banana peel on the stage during a speech.

In this regard, the American people are very open, and if you are unhappy, you are unhappy, and they will not save face for the president.

Lincoln said casually: "Gentlemen, in order to prevent the southern rebellion from affecting the stability of Maryland, the federal government has decided to temporarily suspend the habeas corpus in some areas. I hope everyone can cooperate with the government's work."

This is equivalent to military control in disguise. Without the habeas corpus, the government's rights will be greatly increased, and the voice of these celebrities will be greatly reduced.

With this protection order in place, even if they support the southern government upright and open, the government can't do anything to them.

Before that, a guy named John Merriman was arrested and acquitted under a writ of habeas corpus for organizing activities in support of the southern government.

A middle-aged man justly refused and said: "Impossible, the federal government has no right to repeal the habeas corpus without the approval of the Maryland state legislature."

"Yes, the Constitution stipulates that the president has no right to directly repeal the decree!"

"You don't even have any legal knowledge, how did you become president?"

"You stupid pig, go home and make up lessons!"

...

Those leaning toward the southern government have spoken out against the federal government for interfering in Maryland's internal affairs and violating the federal constitution. Be a little more aggressive and start scolding directly.

Some even publicly announced that as long as the federal government dared to interfere in the internal affairs of Maryland, they would be independent.

Damaged self-interest, what is the president? Cursing the president is also part of the daily life of the American people. As for the federal government, who are they going to scare? Are they using government decrees as toilet paper?

Looking at the scene, Lincoln knew that there was no hope of persuading these people to abandon the southern government and turn their backs on the dark by relying on words.

Interest determines position. Although Maryland's livestock system is almost dead in name, as a state that exports farm products, farmers and planters stand together in interests.

Lincoln whispered to a middle-aged man next to him and asked, "Is everyone finished?"

The middle-aged man replied in a low voice: "The influential people in Maryland are basically here."

Lincoln nodded with satisfaction, and then said calmly: "Seeing that everyone is agitated, I think it is necessary for everyone to think calmly.

Why don't we just take a night off here tonight, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. The owner of the room has made arrangements, I wish you a good dream! "

After speaking, Lincoln left quickly under the escort of his bodyguards. Everyone who noticed something was wrong, just stepped out of the door and was about to leave, when they found that the federal army was surrounded by the outside.

"Oops, we're under house arrest. Son of a bitch, how dare he break the rules!"

"This is an obvious thing. Today's banquet is a trap. The so-called discussion of state affairs is a bait. In order to deceive us, this bastard Lincoln actually went out in person!"

"It's too late to say anything now, we've become prisoners."

"No, he doesn't dare to do anything to us. The president of the United States doesn't have such great power. If he did something like this, I'll see how he ends up!"

...

The swearing of the crowd, President Lincoln could no longer hear. If he had a choice, he didn't want to do it. But now the situation is crisis, in order to settle Maryland as soon as possible, he has to break the rules.

Today Lincoln has offended all the celebrities in Maryland, including those who support the northern government, and now he will definitely not have any favorable impression of him as a president.

It won't be long before he'll be the most unpopular man in Maryland. If you are going to participate in the next presidential election, you don't have to think about the state's votes.

But in order for the United States to be reunited, he had no choice. If the problem in Maryland cannot be resolved quickly, once the southern rebels come over, with the help of these leading parties, they will soon come to Washington.

The federal government still needs time. Before the reinforcements from the states arrive, the federal government must first withstand the first wave of pressure.