White supremacists and counter protesters clash in Charlottesville

[Minimalist]

Jefferson Davis, well two things were on his mind.  One was that continued occupation of a Southern harbor fort that was part of a Confederate state was in itself a declaration of war from the North, but also he was worried that Southerners would calm down if nothing happened soon and decide it would be better to stay in the Union.

Yeah, mainly.  But you also have to remember that the US in 1860 had virtually no paved roads.  There was a famous incident in January 1863 when Ambrose Burnside, fresh from getting his ass kicked at Fredricksburg, decided to regain morale by a quick movement around the Reb defenses.  As soon as they started to move the rain fell in buckets for days turning the roads into quagmires that were torn up even worse by the attempts to move heavy wagons and guns on them.  The Rebs did nothing but laugh at them and Burnside was removed from command a few days later.   Everyone understood - except Burnside apparently - the need to wait for spring before trying to move a massive army.  The situation was the same in 1861.  Yes, Lincoln forced the Rebs to fire the first shot but it cost him 4 states to do so (Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee seceded and joined the CSA.)  Lincoln had to know that was going to happen, too.  And Lee was not about to attack his own home state.  When Virginia seceded he seceded.  I doubt if he ever gave slavery a thought.