“..how many of those dirty poor Southern boys owned slaves...”
Most of them didn’t.
“...How many poor Northern boys didn’t give a tinker’s damn about the slaves...”
Most of THEM didn’t either.
I’m reminded of Shelby Foote’s recounting of a comment from a Southern soldier, who had been captured, when asked “Why are you fighting to keep slaves?”
“Slaves? I don’t nothing about slaves.”
“So why are you fighting, then?”
“Because you’re down here.”
I’d imagine most of those Boys in Grey thought much the same way.
Exactly. And if you destroy history, you can rewrite it so the reason was EXCLUSIVELY about slavery and thereby vilify the South completely and give moral relevance to destroying all vestiges of it, to include war graves, national parks and eventually this all leads to the destruction of anything associated with white men, good or bad.
I accept that many our national heroes had foibles. But I will not accept the destruction of their successes in spite of their human shortcomings.