Secession Fever Throughout the South

Things are taking on a life of their own below the Mason-Dixon Line. My whole life, I can remember rumblings about how the South would be better off by going a seperate way. These were generally from the gruff old men, considered by curmudgeons mostly, or those individuals with the most at stake in the selling of human chattel. Or some politician looking to stir up some votes by appealing to emotion. Every now and then, you'd run into some shrewish woman who would demand disunion while those within earshot politely tried to change the subject or, failing that, made their excuses for the exit. For the most part, the teachers, the bankers, the businessmen, the papers - and the veterans and military men, these people never really spoke of secession in serious ways.

I'm starting to think they were all just being polite about their real opinions because I was around, changing the subject and politely making for the exits. What else am I to think now that the election of Lincoln has caused such insane ferver down South?

South Carolina and Florida look to leave any afternoon, and the fire-eaters in Charleston don't care to wait on other states to make any moves. They don't seem to care if they drag us into a shooting match.

Texas a state that cost this nation so dearly already seems poised to follow them out before the end of the month. That my beloved home state of Georgia is looking for ways to "dissolve the Union" peacefully, this tells me we're gearing up for a fight. Things aren't looking good down here in New Orleans, but all the activity and nightly meetings of this or that faction (combined with the amount of whiskey) threaten to burn the whole of the city down.

Hell, all this has caused even the Northern cities to start convening and adopting resolutions expressing their desire to remain in the Union.

How did it ever come to this?

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