[BroJoeK]

central_va: "Admitting that the South wanted to negotiate peace and avoid war.
Odd seems like a guilty conscious speaking to me."

Not at all.
Jefferson Davis' emissaries came representing a "foreign government" to negotiate surrender from Lincoln's administration.
Both Buchanan and Lincoln refused to deal directly with such people.

But had such emissaries gone to Congress and secured new laws approving their secession, Lincoln said he would enforce such laws.
But lacking Congressional approval, Lincoln refused to surrender to Davis' emissaries.

No shame in that.

[central_va]

negotiate surrender from Lincoln's administration.

That is funny. Nobody was asking the USA to surrender.