>>>A very large percentage of Southern soldiers were Scots-Irish. Sons of migrants from the lowland Scotland who had a long and bitter history of oppression by the Church of England, and wound up in the southern Appalachians because they weren’t wanted in the northern states either. These families had no connection to the rich Piedmont landowners who owned slave plantations. They fought because they hated being imposed upon by central governments of any stripe.<<<<
The election of Lincoln was imposing what on the Scots_Irish? If they were poor they owned no slaves. How was Lincoln’s election going to be oppressive to them?
As far as I know it was the South’s fear that eventually the north would impose their will on the south in regards to slavery. And thus when an abolitionist was elected, they bolted. Lincoln’s initial thoughts on how to end slavery was to do it gradually and possibly compensating slave owners for their losses. Lincoln was adamant in his belief that slavery was wrong. But less sure on the best way to go about ending slavery. Candidate Lincoln was not in favor of immediate abolition.
During the war immigration continued to swell the ranks of the North with fresh military aged men. The North was able to not only build ships for it’s own navy, but to build ironclads for other countries. At the end of the war one of four southern men of military age was dead. And the south had zero compensation for the loss of their slaves. If you ask me, the Confederates have nobody to blame but themselves.
Another eyeopener would be Thom DeLorenzo's The Real Lincoln.