A Civil Disagreement (Countryhumans American Civil War)

It Begins

United POV
December 20, 1860

Something was wrong. I couldn't tell what exactly, I had never felt something like this before. But something was wrong. I felt sick, nauseous, a nausea that was growing into pains in my stomach. I was slightly dizzy, and I wasn't sure why.

Was I sick? But how could I be sick? I mean, there were internal conflicts between my states due to the election, but nothing that would cause me to feel this awful.

Right?

"Pa? Can I talk to you? I gave something important to say about a diversion my government has made, and I'd rather you hear it from me first." I heard South Carolina's familiar voice ask. I turned to my son and smiled, a smile that quickly dropped when I noticed the nervous, a;most fearful expression on his face. Yet even then there was a kind of resolute determination there.

Was this connected to how awful I was feeling? No, surely it couldn't be. I couldn't think of any action that South Carolina could take that would hurt me like that. It must be for another reason then. I'll have to ask DC if she knew of anything that could be causing it next time I saw her.

"Of course South. What is it?" I asked. South Carolina exhaled a breath, looking slightly guilty as he did so. But then his face changed to one of resolve, and he straightened his back, looking me right in the eye.

"You've known for a while now that me and my people have had a problem with the election of Abraham Lincoln, right?" He asked. I nodded, unsure of where this was going. Did South Carolina have more complaints to give on the topic? I mean, it had only been a few months since the election, it's only logical that he's not over it yet.

"You have made that very clear South. Very, very clear." I said, "What is it this time, the complaint you have."

"It's not a complaint." South Carolina said. I raised an eyebrow at that, before a realization came to me.

"Oh, are you finally accepting that President Elect Lincoln is the next president?" I asked, smiling at South Carolina.

'Doesn't seem like him to do that though.'

"No. No I'm not. I'm leaving. I...I'm leaving the Union Dad." South Carolina said. I stared at him in shock, before letting out a nervous laugh.

"Okay South, no need to be this dramatic about threatening to leave again. We'll work things out like we normally do." I responded. South Carolina had threatened secession before. It was just a threat. He wasn't actually serious about this. It was just a threat, a bump in the road that would be solved with some overly complicated political compromise like usual.

"It's not a threat!" South Carolina insisted, hands curling into fists, crinkling the paper he was holding.

"You...you can't actually be serious. South you can't leave the Union." I said, hoping to talk some sense into my son. Leaving the Union wasn't something that he could do. What did he think he could do that?

"Why the hell not? It's a union I chose to enter and I have the choice to leave. The Union...its not...its not something that I want to be a part of anymore. I know I helped create it, but I can't stay here when my interests are being ignored in favor of the north and the abolitionists. You wont listen to reason and you wont help the slave owners. You made an abolitionist president. He'll destroy the economy if he gets rid of our slaves. And I for one am not going to stick around and wait for that to happen." South Carolina ranted, the nausea I felt growing as he did.

He was actually serious. How could he be serious?

"South..." I said quietly, at a loss for words, as my panic grew. I clamped my lips shut, trying to keep the vomit I could feel welling up down. That wasn't something I needed right now. I had to talk South Carolina out of this stupid mistake he was making.