Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Fulcrum of the Union: The Border South and the Secession Crisis, 1859-1861 Michael Dudley Robinson Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Robinson, Michael Dudley, "Fulcrum of the Union: The Border South and the Secession Crisis, 1859-1861" (2013). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 894. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/894 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. FULCRUM OF THE UNION: THE BORDER SOUTH AND THE SECESSION CRISIS, 1859- 1861 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Michael Dudley Robinson B.S. North Carolina State University, 2001 M.A. University of North Carolina – Wilmington, 2007 May 2013 For Katherine ii Acknowledgements Throughout the long process of turning a few preliminary thoughts about the secession crisis and the Border South into a finished product, many people have provided assistance, encouragement, and inspiration. The staffs at several libraries and archives helped me to locate items and offered suggestions about collections that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. I would especially like to thank Lucas R. Clawson of the Hagley Museum and Library and Michael R. Veach of the Filson Historical Society, each of whom possesses not only an unparalleled knowledge of the collections in their archives, but also a gracious demeanor and willingness to share their expertise with researchers. Several archives provided financial assistance in the form of fellowships or research grants which allowed for extended research trips. For facilitating those visits I thank A. Glenn Crothers of the Filson Historical Society; Rena Schergen of the Special Collections Center of the University of Chicago Library; and Roger Horowitz and Carol Lockman of the Hagley Museum and Library. I am enormously grateful to the Department of History at Louisiana State University for awarding me with a T. Harry Williams Fellowship, which significantly assisted in the completion of the manuscript. I have had the good fortune of receiving the tutelage of several outstanding professors during my time in graduate school. Chris E. Fonvielle of the University of North Carolina – Wilmington first guided me through the not always placid waters of graduate school and remains a close friend. At Louisiana State University, Gaines Foster continually amazed me with his ability to balance the immensely time-consuming jobs of department chair and later college dean with careful attention to the individual graduate students with whom he works. He always made time in his extremely busy schedule to offer assistance and guidance, and his vast knowledge of American history is matched by his thoughtfulness and kindness. Paul F. Paskoff took an iii interest in this project from its inception and has provided incalculable guidance, support, and good humor. His admonition to “show me the evidence” prodded me to venture from the comfortable grounds of qualitative source material and has unquestionably benefitted the final outcome, while his rigorous attention to detail has helped me to sharpen my thoughts about the past. John Pizer read the entire manuscript with a careful eye, and the final manuscript benefitted from his suggestions and comments. My greatest scholastic debt is owed to William J. Cooper, who directed this dissertation from its origins in my first research seminar at LSU. Professor Cooper served as a shining example of the gentleman scholar: he kindly funded several research trips; offered sage advice about teaching, studying, and writing about the past; meticulously read the manuscript, pointed out areas for improvement, and guided the project to its completion with great care. Most importantly, he provided unceasing encouragement during my years at LSU. His stamp has been left indelibly upon my approach to studying the past, and I thank him for his generosity, instruction, and tutelage. My family and friends have provided a foundation of reassurance and motivation throughout the long slog of graduate school. My parents, Dudley and Rosalin Robinson, instilled in me a love for learning at a young age and have supported me without reservation during my time in North Carolina and Louisiana. They, along with my sister, Heather Price, have sustained me in more ways than they will ever know; I can only hope to emulate their sterling examples of affection, love, and stewardship in the future. My in-laws, Reverend Jack Sawyer and Carolyn Sawyer, have welcomed me into their family as one of their own and offered spiritual, intellectual, and material support, for which I am most thankful. iv Several friends in North Carolina have often wondered how one could stay in school so long, yet have always upheld my decision. The families of Bryce Abernethy, Steve Bagley, Joe Blackwood, Joe Browning, Phil Daye, Charlie Dickerson, Jonathan Garrett, Danny Hunt, Chris Owens, and Charles Ross have provided their share of laughs and good times along life’s road. The fond memory of bygone days spent with those friends has often sustained this transplanted Carolinian. At LSU, several friends have educated me a great deal about history and life. Nathan Buman and Adam Pratt both have been excellent graduate school companions and taught me the many benefits of collegiality, camaraderie, and service. Chris Childers, Geoff Cunningham, Katie Eskridge, Alan Forrester, Michael Frawley, Aaron Horton, David Lilly, Spencer McBride, Blake Renfro, Kate Seyfried, Terry Wagner, Andrew Wegmann, and Jason Wolfe provided a welcome counterbalance to the seriousness of graduate school while in Baton Rouge. Finally, there is Katherine, the greatest source of inspiration in my life and to whom this dissertation is dedicated. I arrived in Louisiana in search of professional training and along the way found the key to my existence. We came to LSU as peers in graduate school, became fast friends, and now leave as husband and wife. Over the last few years she has been a constant source of love, laughter, encouragement, enlightenment, and strength, and I look forward to life’s journey with her by my side. I am grateful to all the people who helped make this dissertation possible, but the work herein is my own and I accept full responsibility for any of its shortcomings or deficiencies. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... vii vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Maps .....................................................................................................................................x Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... xi Introduction – “Where Is The Great Statesman?”: Henry Clay’s Republic ....................................1 Chapter 1 “A Representation of Almost Every Interest and Pursuit in the Union”: The Border South on the Eve of the Secession Crisis ...........................................................................21 2 “We Are Approaching a Crisis Pregnant with Immense & Momentous Results”: The Long Shadow of John Brown’s Raid, October 1859 – April 1860 ....................................62 3 “The Wolf Is Really Upon Us Now”: The Presidential Canvass, April – November 1860..................................................................................................................................105 4 “What Ought Patriots To Do?”: The Unionist Offensive in the Border South, November 1860 – Mid-January 1861 ..............................................................................156 5 “Compromise May Restore the Union, But the Sword Can Never Preserve It”: The Unionist Offensive Endures, Mid-January – March 1861 ...............................................223 6 “If We Can’t Go With the South Let Us Quit the North”: The Muddled Career of Border South Neutrality, April – September 1861 ..........................................................291 Conclusion – “Pursued to the Last Extremity”: Henry Winter Davis’s Republic .......................371 Appendix – The Secessionists of the Border South .....................................................................383 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................392 Vita ...............................................................................................................................................421 vi List of Tables Table 1: Largest Cities in the Border South, Lower North, and