Man, talk about thread creep! Well now I know what Richard Vernon (never heard of him) looks like! I heard the same story about Thomas the Virginian and his family's reaction.
I have seen it argued that the election of Lincoln was actually a very Bad Thing, and I have seen a plausible alternate scenario constructed where Lincoln is never nominated and the hotheads on both sides are kept out of power, and the Industrial Revolution slowly makes slavery obsolete (and replaces it with wage slavery? let's not pretend life in the North was so wonderful!) and the whole question of slavery is settled peacefully and without secession.
Catspaw, I think you underestimate A.S. Johnston. The way he got himself killed was totally in character and I sometimes wonder what he might have done if he had lived-- and I have the same wonder about an unwounded Jackson at Gettysburg. Remember also that Sherman was very sorry to see Joe Johnston go-- his memoirs say "At this point the Confederate government rendered us a most valuable service."
Just to bring this thread back to music, has anybody ever heard a verse to Marching through Georgia that went
So roll another barrel out, the party just begun
We beat old Joe E. Johnston, you oughta see him run
And when we crossed the Etowah, boys, didn't we have fun
As we were marching through Georgia
I learned it from my father who said he got it from his grandfather, Cpl. John Sparling 20th Ohio V.V.I.