And what of The Rule of Law? Is it wrong to demand that Laws be obeyed by the Government that rules over us?

And what of the principals established by the Magna Carta, and the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States that define the role of Government conduct towards it people? And the rights of those same people to resist such Governments which do not follow those principals?

Are such things not worth demanding the Government to obey? Or to fight for if necesary?

Was not the right of self determination the very idea that the colonialist fought for and won from the King of England, because he would not hear their complaints of how his government was treating the American colonies?

Are these ideals not worth fighting for even today? Or are they now obsolete concepts whose time has passed?

Were not all of these question above not a part of the reasoning why the Southern states desired their own independence from the United States?

They did not seek to conquer the United States. They only wanted to leave as peaceably as possible and establish their own country which would be more receptive to their needs. The United States was formed in the same manner and they didn't free their slave in the process either. In fact they didn't free their slaves until after the slaves in the south were freed.

If desiring their own country was not their right, then we need to take down the Stars and Stripe and raise the English Union Jack over Washington DC, because we were wrong in 1776 and George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and all the others were traitors.

So how does the whole argument, even in Capt. Foster's commentary on the uselessness and waste of war, get boiled down to only the overly simplistic evaluation that the whole war was fought over whether the slaves were freed or not?