Having stayed in Columbia TN for a decent while, I can tell you that the legacy is alive and well. Really, visit if you ever drive by - the confederate headquaters is in an anti-bellum house where they give tours, and they never say anything bad about the social dynamics of the past. It really leaves an elephant in the room, when they are selling battle flags in the gift shop embroidered with things like history not hate.
I think OP's point is those revering confederates today aren't confederates, they're something else. Sort of like how we term neo-Nazis separately from the historic Nazis.
You're right, or at least I think so yeah- and that point is definitely precise. From the years I spent in the area and outside of Nashville though, I'm not so sure that the sons and daughters of the confederacy as it is referred to all think of themselves as a part of the union. I'm pretty sure of the opposite for a few people in my mind rn. Don't take absolutes away from what I'm saying, this is just my experience.
Aside: The largest minority in Columbia besides black Americans were Indian Americans and immigrants. I didn't have any insight into how they saw the caste system, but living in that city probably gives them a unique viewpoint that might be worth asking about should you have the chance. I wish I had.
