The first time my son went into mock battle he said that the sound of the cannons and guns and the anticipation. Even of mock battle makes the fear take hold. You know it isn't real but something in you, maybe racial memory, whatever it is when the battle cry is sounded adrenaline rushes and you are afraid. I can only imagine the fear of these men who actually fought and died. In the end though, you understand that the war is about the guy next to you and what happens to him is important to you.
War is up close and personal.
For Southerners their cause was separation of their homeland from the North for various reasons few of which had to do with slavery. For the North it was maintaining the Union at any cost. Both sides should be allowed their history apart from the revisionist and deconstructionists who want to turn it into something evil. I am always suspect of what the History Channel offers because most television is so steeped in political correctness or the trends of the moment that I go check original sources. Next time you watch something which purports to be history or to show a certain group a certain way, just remember that you can demonize any group, cause, or belief system.