It is perhaps the greatest irony (among many) of the Civil War that perhaps the single most important reason for the South's defeat - the genius of Abraham Lincoln - could _only_ be utilized in the meritocratic North, where a dirt-poor farm boy had the chance to rise to the Presidency, something that would have been inconceivable in Southern society.
===== Gautam Mukunda
I don't want to bring back the discussions of the American generals; just a simple question. I'm assuming you are not saying Lincoln was a genius war president. I've only read Gods and Generals, otherwise I know little about the war. It seemed that the north (generals) made a lot of mistakes before finally winning, not pressing advantages or getting into traps. This is all hindsight and some of it is still disputed. OTOH It seemed Davis let his generals go; was smart enough to know that he didn't know enough. From the beginning the South was out manned and under equipped?
The question is, was the south's loss inevitable?
I can't imaging that the southern society was as rigidly stratified. There had to be poor Southers that rose in society. David Crockett didn't learn to read or write until he was 18. Daniel Boone moved to the south when he was 15 from PA and I doubt it was at the behest of a rich landowner. Lincoln himself was born in Kentucky, moving when they were eight.
Maybe it's the military that made these people great(er).
Kevin T. - VRWC
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