If you really want to understand your family's past, read up more about what the Civil War was about. You're oversimplifying a complex war into good guys versus bad guys. The Civil War was about many things. For example, the Northerners were not all angels who disliked slavery on principle -- what many were concerned about was the power struggle for Congress. The North and South had different concerns in Congress. Slaves counted toward votes and a slave state meant more votes -- that's why the struggle was so bad where the midwest was expanding and new states being formed. Power and morals are two different things. And the concept of slavery was not simply about race. Visit Charleston -- Look at the lists of how many free Blacks owned slaves. It's not about your heritage -- it's about understanding the times your ancestors lived in and the realities they dealt with.