That's an interesting term. What were they wanting to be independent from? And just who wanted to be independent?
Not everyone in the South owned slaves. In fact, most people did not own slaves...so the war had to be about something else in order to get non-slaveholders to fight. As it was the border states sent sons to both armies. My family is from Virginia...one son died on the battlefield for the Confederacy. The other son (brother) died shortly after being released from Andersonville. The family book reported his health was broken. Those who fought for the North went to Texas...life was not easy for those viewed as traitors, I’m sure.