The 1860 Election Became A Referendum On

A Singular Fact About Modern War Is That It Takes Charge. Once Begun It Has To Be Carried To Its Conclusion, And Carrying It There Sets In Motion Events That May Be Beyond Men's Control. Doing What Has To Be Done To Win, Men Perform Acts That Alter The Very Soil In Which Society's Roots Are Nourished.

Beneath Everything Else, North And West, There Ran A Profound, Unvoiced, Almost Subconscious Conviction That The [american] Nation Was Going To Go On Growing-in Size, In Power, In Everything A Man Could Think Of-and In That Belief There Was A Might And A Fury That Would Take Form Instantly At The Moment Of Shock.

History Does Not Usually Make Real Sense Until Long Afterward.

What A General Could Do, Thomas Did; No More Dependable Soldier For A Moment Of Crisis Existed On The North American Continent, Or Ever Did Exist... Thomas Comes Down In History As The Rock Of Chickamauga, The Great Defensive Fighter, The Man Who Could Never Be Driven Away But Who Was Not Much On The Offensive. That May Be A Correct Appraisal, Yet It May Also Be Worth Making Note That Just Twice In All The War Was A Major Confederate Army Driven Away From A Prepared Position In Complete Rout - At Chattanooga And At Nashville. Each Time The Blow That Routed It Was Launched By Thomas.

Soldiers Who Had Been In The Army Long Enough To Know What A Bloody Swindle War Really Is Would Begin To Feel That Army Life Was Really Kind Of Fun, As Long As [general Philip] Sheridan Was Up Front.