There’s a fable common in libertarian circles according to which the Confederates were defending what they took to be their rights against the government. In fact, probably most of those who fought for the Confederacy did so precisely in obedience to government (this must have been true of Lee, who had no other reason for taking the Confederate side). The Civil War was just what it has been called: the war between the states - the states as opposed to the people.
Beyond the fact that state sanctioned slavery, the ultimate in oppressive government, was the cornerstone of the Confederacy, Confedederate rule was characterized by usurpation and heavy-handedness. Lincoln is attacked for his Constitutional behavior, but Jeff Davis's irregularities are given a pass. And since today the bigger problems come from a bloated federal government, the oppressions of local Confederate are also given a pass. Not all state oppressions are from the federal level. It was no comfort to a poor victimized farmer that his abuse was the product of local corruption and greed.