I can only speak for myself, but the reason you would get no apology from me is that I don't believe "tens of thousands" of atrocites were committed. Possibly, the difference amounts to a matter of definition, but I equate "atrocity" with "war crime." And when you talk about war crimes, you need to provide specificity, not just anecdotal evidence.
Is burning some Georgian famer's crops, or conficating some Tennessean's mule a war crime? No, not if those people were supplying the rebel war effort. Is shooting into a violent, hostile, and riotous mob a war crime? No. It is self defense.
So when you paint an entire population as war criminals, you lose credibility, because you have not differnetiated real war crimes (and they did happen - on both sides) from bogus war stories.
one of your group said: "i'm truly pleased that your family was killed, as they got exactly what they deserved."
Who?
the damnyankee army's CRIMINAL MINORITY committed tens of thousands of such war crimes.
FEW of those crimes were ever punished, by the damnyankee high command (i have posted several times before with full documentation, the order of a yankee officer at Point Lookout that "unwarranted shootings of prisoners after this date are prohibited. such persons as may continue to do such will be fined the sum of one dollar."), thus i must assume that the high command either did not care and/or possibly encouraged such criminal behaviors against helpless POWs & civilians.
free dixie,sw