In answer to why non-slave owners volunteered as the post above was edited -- I asked a family member who's written on the CW - it's complicated, they believed they were being invaded by the North, and they tended to follow the upper classes. They believed their rights were being violated.

I'm quoting here, so the words above aren't mine.

I asked a family member who's written on the CW - it's complicated, they believed they were being invaded by the North, and they tended to follow the upper classes. They believed their rights were being violated.

I'm quoting here, so the words above aren't mine.