Virtue signaling is definitely a part of it, but I think for many of them another part is defending the actions of their ancestors as "good people."
Neither side wants to believe they have "corruption of blood" as the English used to put it, and both sides want to revere their ancestors, even though they were fighting against each other.
I think the real tragedy was the creation of those conditions where family had to fight against family. That is so unnatural it would seem to be an obvious evil.
But yes, for many modern day virtue signalers, it's important for them to let people know how much they really really hated slavery.
It's the zeitgeist of modern USA.
The use of “reb” and “slavers” and calling modern people “confederate” gives the game away. That war is over and we should all get over it and admire people on both sides. There is much to admire. I do believe southerners feel their heritage is being erased by idiots who know nothing of American history (that’s you, Nikki Haley). In that, I have deep sympathy. I hope people here have family who fought on the Union side. I suspect that some of them don’t and actually have very little connection to that time. My family, typically, were unusual, being Copperheads from NYC. But as tenuous as it is, I feel a strong connection to that war and the Union side of the argument.
Always nice to talk to you.