"My Grandfathers did not fight to keep slaves. For the most part they could have cared less for the slave. They were all volunteers in 1861. They fought for higher ideals than the trival desire of owning slaves. They fought for Independence, self rule, the Principals of God given rights in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and the protection of their homes and families."

Just out of curiousity, how do you know that? Seriously, I'm not being flip. Did they make any diary entries or send any letters that you still have that indicate why they were fighting? Did they tell someone this after the war and it has been handed down by word of mouth? I've got two gggrandfathers that fought, one in the Missouri State Guard and one in the 14th Arkansas, but I have no idea why they were fighting - their reasons were not passed down and they left no written record, so all I can do is speculate.