[cowboyway]

The confederate leadership labored under the false impression that their actions were legal, and would up losing their rebellion.

That's because the Founding Fathers (whom I do respect and admire for their courage and foresight) didn't make secession illegal.

[Non-Sequitur]

That's because the Founding Fathers (whom I do respect and admire for their courage and foresight) didn't make secession illegal.

True. But they didn't make unilateral secession legal. As the Supreme Court ruled.