Way off topic and it can cause a lot of passionate discussion that I don't particularly care to moderate over. Instead, might I suggest going to to CivilWarTalk as it is an excellent forum for discussions of this nature. The folks over there are very knowledgeable and well read in the subject matter.
Link
I also recommend reading James McPherson's book, Battle Cry of Freedom. It is the single best treatment of the war that I've ever read.