"The sport of folly and the prize of treason": confederate property seizures and the northern home front in the secession crisis. From: Civil War History | Date: December 1, 2001| Author: Siddali, Silvana R. | COPYRIGHT 2001 Kent State University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

In the winter of 1860-61 a series of shocking events shook the Northern public. As each Southern state declared itself out of the Union, its government seized Federal properties located within its borders. From late December 1860 through May 1861, seceding states captured Federal forts, arsenals, customs houses, and dockyards. Worse, the rebels repudiated all debts they owed to Northern tradesmen and even launched privateers to prey against Yankee merchant ships. These actions enra...