The sense of regionalism that pervaded America, and especially the South, at that time was strong. It is hard to understand for people of our time. I think that is one factor that is often overlooked. I am an Alabamian born and bred. However, I look for the truth.
Many people are ashamed of the South's history and what they fought for.
On one hand they want to defend their ancestors and on the other hand they can't bring themselves to defend a cause that fought for slavery. They try to remedy this by attempting to change the reasons for the war. I have yet to find out whether or not they owned any slaves. It is unlikely they did and if so, their slaves were probably few. My people do not come from a part of the South where big plantations flourished.