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Sowell points out that the South had a tiger by the tail and could not let go; abolition would mean letting abused black slaves have the opportunity to undertake to get even. And for that reason, before the war abolition was a marginal, radical, position upheld by few.

Abolition may have been considered radical ... and fraught with peril.
Many good men in the South wrestled with the concept of slavery. One in particular comes to mind:

Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton III (1818-1902) is one of the most underrated commanders of the Civil War. The reputations of other more flamboyant generals overshadow his remarkable accomplishments. While Hampton was in command of the Confederate Cavalry Corps, through to the end of the war, he never lost a single fight. Hampton was an intuitive tactician noted for perseverance and courage under fire. As a South Carolina legislator prior to the War, Hampton had taken conservative positions on slavery and secession. He opposed the division of the Union and began to doubt the morality of the slave-based Southern economy; however, when several Southern states passed articles of secession, Hampton’s loyalty to his home soil caused him to pledge his vast fortune and his services to the Confederacy.

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