He who maneuvers another into striking the first blow is the responsible party for what follows. Secession was peaceful, can you point to any armed clash during secession. The Civil War was caused by the United States invading the territory of a now separate and sovereign nation. Similar to the invasion of South Sudan by the Khartoum government after South Sudan seceded. Federal armies and their camp followers invaded a sovereign neighboring state, not at war with the United States, (which in itself is a criminal act) and conducted American Schrecklichkeit with a real relish leaving entire states such as Mississippi or South Carolina wastelands and many yankee invaders would cheer the following sentiment of a German officer later wrote about the town of Louvain “We shall wipe it out...Not one stone will stand upon another. We will teach them to respect Germany. For generations people will come here and see what we have done.†Such behaviors are not only morally culpable but would be considered criminal offenses by any standards of military behavior. Even in the 1860’s such general plundering and destruction was considered to be a violation of the norms of war between civilized states. But no one ever said the invading blue locusts were civilized.
The South struck the first blow at FT.Sumter.
In addition to the other arguments you’ve made it should be pointed out that the area of the country most opposed to an over-bearing central government in 1860 is also the area that is most opposed to government over-reach in 2020. The South is conservative. The Northeast is Liberal. The same Southern families who supported the Confederacy are usually the same ones who support Trump today. Many of those same Northeastern families who supported unfair tariffs and the invasion of the South today support the radicals like Warren and Sanders.
The Northeast profited from the slave trade and profited from the high tariffs which transferred the wealth of the South to the North.
So you’re going to stick with “Lincoln outsmarted us dumb rubes” defense for their actions?
So you’re against “pity parties” unless you’re the one throwing one ...