I think a lot of people were unhappy with that trial, which was in large part why it stopped with that one.
There had been much death, and killing another would not bring back his, or any one else's victims.
On the other hand, there were many who's crimes were never punished. Bedford Forrest at Ft Pillow, any number of soldiers, north and south who killed those who should have been taken prisoner.
There was also much valor. I didn't see the cause of breaking the Union as justifying the starting of war. I suppose that you don't see keeping the Union as sufficient cause for the North to say "Depart Erring Sisters".
It was my thought that the hotheads in the South tried by theft from federarl arsenals, attacks on federal forts, and firing at Ft. Sumpter, to start a fight, with the expectation that other states would join them. They succeeded, and Virginia (among others) joined their effort. On the other hand, when they tried to start that fight, they also created the conditions for the US government to fight back.
free dixie,sw