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Statesmanship by Committee

Two questions underlie this study of the months leading up to the American Civil War: 1) At what point, if any, was Abraham Lincoln morally justified in fighting the Confederacy? and 2) Could an agreement have been reached that would have prevented the Civil War? Continue Reading »

On Rereading the Civil War

As long-term readers know, every August at the cottage in Quebec I give myself the assignment of reading or rereading some major chunk of our civilization’s ­tradition. Last year it was Augustine’s City of God. Among other subjects in earlier years were Thomas’ Summa, the complete plays of . . . . Continue Reading »

Plantation

Too late for the tour and the history lesson, too late in the season on this southern plantation,and the ancient, front-line cedar soldiersbacked up by a strong regiment of holliesare not telling what they know. . . . . Continue Reading »

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