I see a lot of rhetoric in various threads about removing Civil War statues talking about how they were traitors to their country, etc, etc...., I know they were all pardoned just after the war but I'm curious what the general sentiment on the street was. Did the average American in the North see a former Confederate soldier as a traitor to their country?
Although not focused on the immediate post-war period, I believe this previous answer I wrote will likely provide some food for thought for you as regards this question.