But in any case, it was an army of opression intent on originally to force the southern states to remain in the UNION by that force. It later became the tool of a Federal Government to enforce a policy that at the time was Anti-constitutional and was intent on denying certian rights to those 11 southern states which were being permitted to 5 other slave owning states, which had remained in the Union including West Virginia which was admiited to that Union in July 1863 as a slave States even after Mr. Lincoln had declared that the purpose of continuing that war was to "Free the Slaves".
How do you invade another country, or even repress the right of the people in one state in your own country, while allowing others in your own country to exercise that same right?
What ever you call it it was an army of inconsistant motives. It was "The army that Killed the Republic".