The American Civil War discussion

I want to thank whoever it was that recommended this book. I'm only on the second chapter and I'm really enjoying this book. My initial thoughts so far:
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Reading an interesting book on the causes of the Civil War.

Egerton is making two arguments in his book:
1) That a Republican Victory in 1860 was the proximate cause of the Civil War, and
2) That the events leading up to the 1860 election were designed to ensure a Republican victory.

This is not a novel or original argument. Stephen Douglas made the case back in 1860 when Southern Democrats split the party---essentially ensuring that Lincoln would win.

It is also one of those classic "what if" scenarios. Lincoln was the ultimate minority candidate. He won just 38% of the popular vote---an all time low for a victorious president. He won less than 100K votes in the states that he didn't carry and wasn't even on the ballot in 10 (?) states!

But this book talks about the events that lead up to the ELECTION and how those were critical for the Secessionist movement. Egerton argues that the die was in the works before Lincoln or Douglas were even their party's candidates.

(It is a direct refutation of that book I panned The Real Lincoln---even though it isn't designed as such.)

How well written is it?

Year of Meteors is a very well written book. It is now one of my "Must Reads".

2. How interesting is the subject?

The Civil War was one of the most studied periods in American history is the Civil War. There are literally thousands of books on the Civil War and on the causes of the Civil War. Most books look at the superficial level---Slavery vs States Rights. A number of books go beyond the superficial level to discuss the broader history. IMHO, one of the best in that genre is Elizabeth Varon's Disunion.

Egerton takes a completely different view, which creates a fascinating theory.

3. Does the book offer novel insight into the subject or is it just regurgitating already known facts?

Egerton's basic hypothesis is that the forces leading to secession were well defined before the Republican convention in 1860. That Southerners were dead set on seeing the South secede, so it was only a matter of manipulating events to lead to that result.

Egerton looks at the cause of the Civil War not as an issue of Slavery/State RIght, but as the process by which the elected officials engaged in activities that wittingly/unwittingly made such an action a preordained event. In this approach, the specifics about slavery/states rights become ancillary.

The issues, in Egerton's opinion, had become so pronounced that both sides were ready for a fight. There was nothing that Lincoln (or anybody) could have done to prevent secession. This book is about how a few hundred elected leaders controlled the destiny of the country and actively manipulated what happened to ensure that secession occurred.