Of course, you are right George. There is no way we can wrap out 21st century minds around the lives and outlooks of a Georgia farmer in 1864 who believed he was fighting for his home against a foreign invader. In fact Georgians were fighting for their homes and possessions when Sherman and his "bummers" came marching through taking everything that was not nailed down and prying up what was nailed down. I grew up in the 1950's in the south where segregation was just an accepted fact of life. I never questioned it until I was much older. I know from what I have read that my ancestors thought black slavery was just the way things were supposed to be in those days. The abolitionists were a small minority in the north. The south takes the burden of supporting the institution of slavery when the USA was born into slavery and most of our early presidents were slave owners. I think Jefferson said that slavery was a serpent coiled at our feet as we created the constitution and he was a slave owner. I believe the Planter Class in the south were instigating rebellion to preserve slavery, but I don't think every confederate 18 year old private was fighting for slavery. If asked I would bet that 95% of confederates would have denied fighting a war for slavery. Historical perspective shows us that slavery was at the core of the war, but that is with 150 years of hindsight. This is just my opinion and I am not a PH.D in history. I think the battle flag of the CSA and monuments to confederate dead are taking a beating for present day wrongs and injustice. Forty acres and a mule might have solved the problems of freed slaves in 1865 but some new solution to the color line needs to be made for the 21st century. Obviously, we still have a race problem in the USA from sea to shining sea.