Same with me. My ancestors didn't arrive until the 1900s, and they didn't settle in any of the Confederate states.
Lincoln certainly had the right to see both Davis and Lee hanged..
No he didn't. In fact, the judicial authorities informed the Union prosecutors that if they brought Davis to trial, it would go very badly for them. According to one of the Supreme Court justices commenting on the case, they would lose everything in court that they had gained on the battlefield.
They wisely let Jefferson Davis go, because his trial would have exonerated Davis and condemned the North. In fact, I think the very words of that Justice were "Would condemn the North."
In the last few years, i've learned there is a lot about this war that people have refrained from including in the normal history lessons on the subject. Till a couple of years ago, I had no idea that Lincoln sent warships with orders to attack the Confederates around Fort Sumter!
I think most people have absolutely no knowledge of this aspect of what started the war.
Thank you for your correction on this point. That makes the muddiness of the whole situation even more evident.
What are some resources (books, websites, etc.) where I can read more about this?
I had mentioned upthread that it was Lincoln's magnanimity toward the South that allowed him to become the hero instead of the villain. But it also seems that the heroic status afforded to Lincoln after the War has shrouded some of the questionable decisions he made in attempting to preserve the Union. I knew about the suspension of habeas corpus, but the warships at Ft. Sumter was one I also was unaware of.