Lincoln sacrificed at the end lessened the feelings of payback and unfairness in defeat.

I would suggest that the history of Reconstruction, the almost immediate economic & social re-enslavement of Blacks (see Blackmon book, et. al.), the entire history of Black voting and civil rights up to the present day, the resurgence of the Klan and the existence of "The League Of The South" and the "Sons of Confederate Veterans" the movies "Birth Of A Nation"1915) and "Gone With The Wind"(1939), the survival and worship of the "Lost Cause" myth down to the present day, and the violent attacks on Lincoln voiced by certain individuals on this forum & elsewhere put the lie to that statement.