Being from Maryland my family fought on the Union side but we have very few records of it. I will say my family paid with their lives the reparations blacks demand now.
The north was fighting to "Save the Union!" Reminds me of today when they tell us Ukraine is about "saving democracy."
Lincoln was owned by the northern corporations and they knew they had the industry to defeat the South in a war.
They wanted what the South had and pushed Lincoln to provoke the South into a war.
Slavery was a huge issue but the war was fought over $$$ and political power like most wars.
The South felt they were being taxed and had no say in the matter. They were better off being seperate from the North.
That's the way I see it.