Next year it’s the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the American Civil War after the secession of the slave-owning Southern states. So the New York Times has begun a fascinating day-by-day blog-style coverage beginning with the November 1860 election which brought Lincoln, with negligible support in the South, to power. Of course, hindsight inevitably taints the writing of history and knowing the war happened makes it too-easy to pay attention only to the events that “led” to the conflict. But with a mixture of academic and general authors reporting key events and other currents, Disunion looks like it’s going to be well worth following.