Letter: The Civil War wasn't a civil war, but the right side won

The war between the North and South in the United States between 1861 and 1865 is usually called the Civil War, but that is a misnomer. A civil war is usually between two sides over who controls a country. The Confederate States of America were not attempting to seize control of the United States, but to gain their independence from it, which they had declared with their ordinances of secession.

The Civil War should more properly be called the War for Southern Independence. If the Confederate states had won the war, they would not have taken over the United States, but would have had assured their independence from it.

To say the Civil War was really a War for Southern Independence is not to say that the Confederacy was on the right side. Defeat of the Confederacy not only insured preservation of the Union but also the elimination of slavery by law all over the United States. The right side won.

Daniel Haulman, Montgomery

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Letter: The Civil War wasn't a civil war, but the right side won