Most establishment historians today might as well be the Orwellian historians writing for the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s novel 1984, especially in relation to the War Between the States. They rarely, if ever, mention the Hampton Roads Peace Conference which occurred in February of 1865, because it brings into question most of the mythology promoted today which states that Lincoln and the North fought the war for the purpose of abolishing slavery and the South fought for the purpose of protecting it, and therefore, it was a great and noble war.
The pervasive myth that the Civil War (the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression) was fought over slavery bypasses any reasonable debate over the merits of a decentralized government and 'states' rights' from a overly powerful federal government. Instead, history books proclaim Lincoln as the "Great Emancipator," conveniently ignoring that the Emancipation Proclamation was purely a tactical move to win the war and only applied to states that would not renounce their intentions to secede.
Read Denson's article. It provides a historical account that you are not likely to find in your average history book.
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