It also matters to remember that most rank-and-file Confederate soldiers were small-farmer conscripts who never had slaves or any connection to the plantation class. Rich man's war, poor man's fight.

April 09, 2026 - 15:06 UTC

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There was a whole economy based on small farmers and businessmen leasing slave labor from slave holders.
"They too needed emancipation"
US Grant
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Sure. They weren't fighting to preserve slavery so much as white supremacy because even though it did not profit them economically, it profited them in status and power. That was the whole con and they bought it hook, line and sinker. And still do. And not just Southern white folks.
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This is true.
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But they still viewed African slaves as subhumans.
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As did most of the "civilized" world, including Northern states in the U.S., at that time.
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True that technically only a single digit % owned slaves directly, the rich guys. But they had their families and dependents, and lots of employees, and even smaller farmers would very often rent slave labor. A large fraction of the white population was economically tied up in it one way or another.
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even putting it like that is (unintentionally) misleading, since only the male head of household owned its property.

Bouie has it at ~30% of all southern households. from ~20% in Arkansas to ~50% in Mississippi.

(both sides of my family were big-time slaveowners.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRs2Xu1FWR4
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Though aside from if they were personally invested in slavery, it was definitely the majority of the white population of the South supported the cause and were determined to maintain slavery. Some areas where white Unionists were the majority, but relatively small pockets.
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That's not entirely true, conscripts were never a majority, and men from slaveholding families were over-represented in the ranks, especially in the first year of war.
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I believe most historians agree that about 30% of Confederate soldiers were drafted, but many others enlisted voluntarily to avoid being drafted so they could choose their units.
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