There is nuance here that you might not be aware of. He just had higher loyalty to his state than the union, something that was common back then. For better or

There is nuance here that you might not be aware of. He just had higher loyalty to his state than the union, something that was common back then. For better or for worse, the United States became dramatically more centralized after the Civil War, both in terms of political power and in the public's consciousness. One way I've heard it expressed is that before the Civil War, people would say "The United States are..." but after the Civil War people say "The United States is..." edit: also please refrain from telling people what to feel, it's rude and hinders the conversation