You make that statement as if it were some type of fact instead of merely your opinion.
The States, with the exception of a few enumerated powers delegated to the general government, were sovereign. That IS a fact.
Since the union of the sovereignty with the government, constitutes a state of absolute power, or tyranny, over the people, every attempt to effect such an union is treason against the sovereignty, in the actors; and every extension of the administrative authority beyond its just constitutional limits, is absolutely an act of usurpation in the government, of that sovereignty, which the people have reserved to themselves.
View of the Constitution of the United States
-----
The idea that some part of a country can walk out on debts and obligations whenever it wants and take away as much territory as it dares is one that inevitably leads to armed conflict.
Oh, please. With millions in lost property and almost 3/4 of a million dead all to 'protect' a fort that had sat half built for over 20 years, that old 'they couldn't leave because they owed us' dog just won't hunt.
There is absolutely NO logical reason an ambassador from the Union could not have been sent to the Confederate government to discuss compensation.
It was never about the money, it was about the POWER..... nothing more.
No, that's an opinion, a interpretation. St. George Tucker wasn't the only interpreter of the Constitution and his reading wasn't the only one.
If federal law prevailed in those areas delegated to the federal government, it doesn't make much sense to say that the states were "sovereign" in the sense that independent nations are -- all the more so since admitting new states (and presumably de-admitting existing states or territories) was left up to the federal government.
There is absolutely NO logical reason an ambassador from the Union could not have been sent to the Confederate government to discuss compensation. It was never about the money, it was about the POWER..... nothing more.
It was about respect and dignity. If you can't see where that enters in, that's your problem.