I know of two ancestors that fought on the side of the Confederacy for North Carolina. I have yet to hear or find out if there were others that fought for the Union or the Confederacy. Ultimately, the NC side of the family moved to Arkansas, and then later moved to California during the Great Depression.
I know that there were Southerners that fought in the Civil War because they felt it was a states rights issue, that they were conscripted, and any host of other reasons. Maybe it's the West Coast in me, but I just can't figure out why there are still Southerners that hold onto a war where they lost. I'm all for remembering the history, and even having these items in a museum-type setting; people should know what happened, and to see items from that time only reinforces the tangible-ness of that history.
Ole Miss really messed up when they tried to keep the Rebel name, but go with a totally different mascot to distract from the name. Maybe they need to do what Sparkman HS has done: they have the Colonel Reb character in some of their branding, but the "Reb" is wearing a gray-colored suit, and their team name is the Senators (named after Senator John Sparkman I think).