Conversation so far:
What did James Buchanan do in James Buchanan's final years?
The Civil War erupted within two months of Buchanan's retirement.
How did that effect him?
He supported the United States, writing to former colleagues that "the assault upon Sumter was the commencement of war by the Confederate states.

Question: What was the response to his support?
Self-contained rewrite: What was the response to James Buchanan's support of the United States in the Civil War?