I re-reading my post,it occurs to me that my statement in which I say "I disagree that the South should have abolished slavery prior to secession" can be interpreted to say that I am in some way justifying that criminal act. I want to emphasize that I did not intend that meaning, but aam saying that,doomed as it was, the South's economic fate was tied to slave labor,and thus could not reject it.

Thanks to Sourdough for expressing my thoughts about those who died defending their homes and what they believed to be their God-given right to declare their independence. We can little understand their selfless bravery in light of the self-centered world in which we live. When I think of the courage it took for Pickett's Brigade to make that long walk in the face of withering fire,for the Irish Brigade to press forward up the Fredricksberg hill against impossible odds. or the Union troops to charge at Cold Harbor where 7000 were killed in 40 minutes ,their names pinned to their coats,it seems obvious that these men had an abiding faith in God and in each other. These men,whether or not their lives were noble,died nobly. Their flag symbolized their aspirations.We are not the ones to judge them.